La Violencia was known as Columbia’s civil war that
occurred among Columbia’s liberal and conservative parties. They organized
self-defense groups and the Guerrilla, which was a group of combatants/soldiers
who used military tactics to fight off armies, in order to fight against one
another and take over Columbia. During this time, Columbia endured high levels
of violence and was made known to be home of the “mafia empire” of drugs,
thanks to Pablo Escobar.
La
Violencia became huge during the 1950s since it cost lives of thousands of
people. With the lack of security and much chaos occurring, it led to a massive
amount of people abondoning their homes to escape all the violence. The fact
that people were leaving their homes and doing whatever they could to flea away
from Columbia, shows how much these individuals had to overcome and to what
measures they needed to take in order to ensure safety. Since the conservative
and liberal parties were both at battle with one another, we can pretty much
conclude that there was no such thing as a government or any type of rule/power
since all power was given to those who were taking advantage of it and creating
crimes that became known worldwide.
After
the assassination of Jorge Elécer
Gaitán, La Violencia began and was known as an outbreak of violence throughout
Columbia. Many left the countryside to cities in order to ignore the increase
in violence and the skyrocketing death rates. This then, is where Pablo Escobar
comes into play. He began smuggling drugs into the United States and became a
powerful leader of his organized crime/mafia empire. Marijuana and cocaine were
a “specialty” during his time because it eventually dominated the market and
much wealth was obtained. A year or so back, I seen the movie based on the Escobar’s
and all they endured in around the time of La Violencia. It amazed me how much
he got away with in the amount of time that he did, despite being the most
wanted criminal seen throughout that point in time. Although he offered to
surrender and ended up in prison, he still escaped and managed to get himself
killed by police while on the run. Based on the movie and what was mentioned in
class, Pablo Escobar is a name people will continue to mention since he was the
face of Columbia and most of the violence it endured.
Through La Violencia and Pablo Escobar’s contributions to
Columbia’s mass destruction, we can make a comparison with Mexico and all the
drug smuggling and violence occurring there. Just as many individuals who died
in Columbia and beginning to look small next to how many innocent people are dying
in Mexico today. Cartels are extremely huge in Mexico and the government is so
corrupt that it seems as though it out beats Columbia’s past experience. Here on
campus we are much aware of what has been happening in Mexico, and despite
having all the resources that we do compared to what Columbia had, the violence,
mass murder, and destruction continue to impact not only those in Mexico, but
those here in the United States.
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