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Colombian Parties and Political Development

A Reassessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

John A. Peeler
John A. Peeler*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837
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Extract

Colombia remains one of a very small group of countries in Latin America which retain competitive, liberal-democratic political institutions at this writing. Indeed, Colombia's civil government, recognizing a modicum of individual liberties and conducting periodic elections, has been shattered on relatively few occasions since the mid-nineteenth century, a record equalled or surpassed by few other Latin American countries. The Colombian political system is still dominated by the two traditional political parties (Liberal and Conservative) which arose in Colombia and elsewhere in the region in the nineteenth century. In almost every other country they have long since passed into oblivion or insignificance. This continued dominance by the traditional parties is commonly attributed to their successful mobilization of mass support, especially among the peasantry. The Colombian parties (unlike their counterparts elsewhere) early moved beyond being mere elite factions by using traditional authority relationships, clientelistic exchanges and ideological appeals to develop durable bases of mass support.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , May 1976 , pp. 203 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1976

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