Miguel Abadía Méndez (June 5, 1867 – May 9, 1947)
was the
12th President of
Colombia (1926–1930). A
Conservative party politician, Abadía was the last president of the period known as the Conservative Hegemony, running unopposed and forming a one party Cabinet.
Political career
Abadía, as a young lawyer, was a professor and MP. He was appointed as Minister of Education and Minister of Government by president
Pedro Nel Ospina.
[Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Posada, Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición, Page 181, Bogotá, Colombia, 1983]
In 1926, Abadía runs for president as the sole candidate of the
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party ( es, Partido Conservador Colombiano) is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was formally established in 1849 by Mariano Ospina Rodríguez and José Eusebio Caro.
The Conservative party along ...
. The
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal Colombiano; PLC) is a centre to centre-left political party in Colombia. It was founded as a classical liberal party but later developed a more social-democratic tradition, joining the Sociali ...
did not participate in this election. Thus, Abadía was elected president for the presidential term of 1926–1930. At the end of his term, a 20-year period of rule by the conservatives came to an end.
Presidency: 1926-1930
Abadía, as president, had to face the difficult economic situation and world recession caused by the
Great Depression. He was forced to apply the Law of 1922 by which the government was authorized to borrow money from foreign countries. His administration borrowed an enormous sum (70 million pesos) from the United States of America, mainly to promote infrastructure which greatly alleviated the unemployment situation. These borrowed funds were invested mainly in the construction of roadways, railways, waterways and sea ports.
The economy was in a severe depression and the unemployment was very high. This caused a widespread social and political unrest across the nation. In 1929 Abadía sent the
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia ( es, Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, an ...
to
Ciénaga where
farmers were striking over horrid working conditions, they called for a
minimum wage, mandatory
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
, end of hiring through sub-contractors, and an end of paying workers company
coupons
In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be redeemed for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product.
Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods
or by retailers, to be used in r ...
instead of Pesos. The soldiers shot the striking workers, massacring them in the
Banana Massacre, those killed range from 100 to 2,000 dead. This event caused outrage in the Colombian Public and led to the explosion of
Leftist and
Revolutionary organizations, which caused the
Bogotazo
El Bogotazo (from "Bogotá" and the ''-azo'' suffix of violent augmentation) refers to the massive riots that followed the assassination in Bogotá, Colombia of Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on 9 April 194 ...
. Leading to a
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
entitled
La Violencia
''La Violencia'' (, The Violence) was a ten-year civil war in Colombia from 1948 to 1958, between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party, fought mainly in the countryside.
''La Violencia'' is considered to have begu ...
. Which would be the roots for
FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...
and the
Colombian Conflict
The Colombian conflict ( es, link=no, Conflicto armado interno de Colombia) began on May 27, 1964, and is a low-intensity asymmetric war between the government of Colombia, far-right paramilitary groups, crime syndicates, and far-left gue ...
. Worker discontent arose in the form of labor unions in 1928. With two major strikes one in the banana growing region of the State of
Magdalena against the
monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
the
United Fruit Company
The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
and one in the State of
Santander against the
Tropical Oil Company. By 1929 the civil unrest had reached
Bogotá, where the students of local Universities orchestrated street protests. Abadía imposed Martial Law to maintain power.
[Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Posada, Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición, Page 183, Bogotá, Colombia, 1983]
Foreign policy
During his administration, the Government was concerned with resolving longstanding territorial disputes with its Latin American neighbors. On 24 March 1928, the Abadía Administration under Manuel Esguerra,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...
of Colombia to Managua, negotiated and signed the
Esguerra-Bárcenas Treaty with José Bárcenas Meneses, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
, in which Nicaragua recognized the
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of Colombia over the
Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina ( es, Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina, ), or San Andrés and Providencia, is one of the departments of Colombia, and the only one in North America. It consis ...
and by which Colombia ceded claims over the
Mosquito Coast
The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskit ...
, both territories that belonged to Colombia ''
uti possidetis juris
''Uti possidetis juris'' or ''uti possidetis iuris'' (Latin for "as oupossess under law") is a principle of international law which provides that newly-formed sovereign states should retain the internal borders that their preceding dependent are ...
'' following Independence from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. On 19 March 1928, Congress ratified the
Salomón–Lozano Treaty
The Salomón–Lozano Treaty was signed in July 1922 by representatives Fabio Lozano Torrijos, of Colombia and Alberto Salomón Osorio of Peru. The fourth in a succession of treaties on the Colombian-Peruvian disputes over land in the upper Amazo ...
signed on 24 March 1924 by
Fabio Lozano Torrijos, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Colombia to
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, and Alberto Salomón Osorio, the
Minister of Foreign Relations of Peru, the treaty demarcated once and for all the border between Colombia and Peru, and put a temporary end to military activities between the two nations along the border. The last important border treaty during the Abadía Administration was signed on 15 November 1928 between
Laureano García Ortiz, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Colombia to Brazil, and Otávio Mangabeira,
Minister of External Relations of Brazil, the
Mangabeira-García Ortiz Treaty was a response to Ecuadorian and Peruvian aspirations of gaining eastern access to Brazil by way of the Apaporis river, a tributary to the
Caquetá/Japurá River, this treaty settled once and for all the
Brazil–Colombia border.
During his Administration, Abadía had to contend with the growing discontent of Colombian fruit workers in the
Caribbean Region
The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.[United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...]
in the region. In November 1928, workers of the
United Fruit Company
The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
in the
Department of Magdalena mounted a strike protesting unfair labour practices and conditions imposed by the company to the workers and the community at large, the United States responded by threatening to mount a military invasion of some sort to bring to an end the strike. The Government responded by sending in the
Military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
to quell the protests and arrest the labour workers accused of instigating the strike, what happened next is known as the
Banana massacre where an undetermined number of people were killed by the
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia ( es, Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, an ...
; this event was recounted by
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...
in his novel ''
One Hundred Years of Solitude''. This event marked the decline of the United Fruit Company influence in the region and created a large discontent among the population of the Caribbean Region towards the United States, the
Liberal politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán would mount a large campaign to investigate and bring into account the actions taken by the Abadía Administration in the handling of this event, his popularity rose in opposition to that of Abadía and the Conservative party, something that would bring about their decline soon after.
Personal life
Born July 5, 1867 in ''Las Vegas de Los Padres'', his family's
estate in
Coello,
Tolima, in the
United States of Colombia, to Miguel Abadía C. and Arcelia Méndez. He died in La Union,
Cundinamarca, on May 9, 1947.
References
External links
Luis Angel Arango Library: Miguel Abadia Mendez biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez, Miguel Abadia
1867 births
1947 deaths
People from Tolima Department
Colombian Conservative Party politicians
Colombian Ministers of Government
Colombian Ministers of Finance
Colombian Ministers of Public Instruction
Presidents of Colombia
Burials at Central Cemetery of Bogotá
Major Seminary of Bogotá faculty