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In 1899, the Liberal Party declared war against the Conservative government, sparking another Civil War. The war was started after the Conservative Party won the presidential election of 1898. The Conservative Party favored a stronger federal government with a strong connection to the church while the Liberal Party wanted to give more power to the provincial governments and a separation between church and state. The war lasted 3 years and resulted in a victory for the Conservative Party, turning Colombia into a unitary state(A state in which there is only one party in power). The war resulted in 2.5% of the population dying and destabilized the country over the next few years.

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The Republic of Colombia was founded in 1886. In the years before, the country had experienced a civil war in 1860 between the Conservative and Liberal parties over the issue of the power of the government, the role of the church in the government, and voting rights. The Conservatives lost the war, but the Civil War was an example of future problems to come.

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Without the leadership of Bolivar and because of the instability among the member states, Gran Colombia dissolved into many separate countries. One of the countries that formed after the fall was the Republic of Colombia. The Republic of Colombia soon became the first constitutional government in South America. Its two political parties, the Liberal and Conservative parties, were formed in 1848 and 1849.

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The Colombians declared independence on July 20, 1810. However, it was not until 1819 when Venezuelan born Simon Bolivar declared independence and defeated the Pro Spanish resistance in 1823. Bolivar was elected the president of Gran Colombia until he resigned in 1830.

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The French general Napoleon invaded Spain in 1807. After conquering most of the country, the Spanish monarchs were forced to flee the country. This showed the Spanish colonies in the New World that their leaders were unable to effectively rule over them. This would lead to a series of revolutions in the Americas that would see countries such as Colombia gain their independence.

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With the promise of gold and glory, the Spanish set out to conquer the lands of the New World. The Spanish ruled over the lands of present day Colombia through a system of government known as a viceroyalty. A viceroy was, in essence, a person who governed in place of the king. Because Colombia and Spain were separated by an ocean, the king appointed a viceroy to rule over the colony for him.