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Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
, civil engineer and dictator who ruled as 19th President of Colombia as from June 1953 to May 1957. Rojas Pinilla gained prominence as a colonel during La Violencia, the period of civil strife in Colombia during the late 1940s that saw infighting between the ruling Conservatives and Liberal guerillas, and was named to the cabinet of Conservative President Mariano Ospina Pérez. In 1953, he mounted a successful
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
against Ospina's successor as president, Laureano Gómez Castro, imposing
martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...
. Seeking to reduce political violence, he ruled the country as a
military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the ...
, implementing infrastructure programs and extending female suffrage. He was forced to step down due to public pressure in 1957. Rojas Pinilla founded the National Popular Alliance (ANAPO) in 1961 in opposition to the National Front, the power-sharing agreement which the Conservatives and Liberals had brokered after he had been deposed. He contested the 1970 presidential election but was defeated by the National Front candidate, Conservative lawyer Misael Pastrana Borrero. However, Rojas Pinilla and his supporters alleged that the election had been fraudulent and illegitimate; the results caused ANAPO supporters to form M-19 guerilla movement, which would contribute to the country's insurgency unrest in the second half of the 20th century.


Early life and education

Rojas was born in the city of
Tunja Tunja () is a city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 it had a population of 172,548 inhabitants. It is the capital of Boyacá departmen ...
, Boyacá, on March 12, 1900, to Julio Rojas Jiménez and his wife, Hermencia Pinilla Suárez. Spending his youth in Tunja, Villa de Leyva, and Arcabuco, he studied at the Tunja School of Presentation and earned a secondary degree at the Normal School of Tunjasu Leiva.
.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1917, he entered the José María Córdova Military School in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
as a cadet in 1917, graduating as a second lieutenant in 1920. In 1923 while serving in Manizales, Caldas, he was promoted to lieutenant in the army. He became dissatisfied with the army and in 1924 he requested permission to retire from active service. He continued his education at
Tri-State College Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History Tri ...
in the United States, where he obtained a degree in civil engineering in 1927 while working the assembly line at a Ford factory.Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Dies at 74; Dictator of Colombia in 1953-57
''The New York Times'', 19 January 1975
Returning to Colombia, he started taking part in the construction of highways and other works of engineering, managing the construction of the highway from Belén to
Socha Socha is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the Valderrama Province, which is a subregion of Boyacá. It borders Socotá in the east, Sativasur in the north, Tasco in the south and in the west Paz de Río. ...
.


Military career

In 1932, Rojas returned to the Army as Colombia went to war against Peru over the
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
. Recommissioned as a Captain, he was posted to the 1st Artillery Group in Bogotá. In 1933, being assigned to command the coastal batteries of Buenaventura, a port city that was believed to be vulnerable to Peruvian attack. Buenaventura never came under attack, but the war concluded that year with the Rio Protocol, which recognized Colombia's claim to the disputed territory. In 1936, he became the lead engineer of the army's ammunition factory; that same year, he was sent as an envoy to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, in order to obtain necessary machinery for munitions production in Bogotá. On his return to Colombia, he was named chief of the factory's technical department. In 1943, he visited the United States to secure weapons and other material, this time in the form of
Lend Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...
aid during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. During this period, Rojas Pinilla also served as director of the Artillery School (from 1942) and assistant director of the School of War (from 1944). In 1945, he was named as Director General of Civil Aviation (at the time, an agency of the Ministry of War). It was there where he presented his project for airports in Colombia under the title "Landing Strips in Colombia," which served as a dissertation for his promotion to colonel of the Army; he would subsequently bring this initiative into being with the El Dorado Airport .


La Violencia

In 1946, now a colonel, Rojas was nominated as commander of the First Brigade in
Tunja Tunja () is a city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 it had a population of 172,548 inhabitants. It is the capital of Boyacá departmen ...
and in 1948 was named commander of the Third Brigade in
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
. There, he gained major recognition in the country for having managed to appease the rebellion that happened in this region as a consequence of the assassination of the popular leader
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala (23 January 1903 – 9 April 1948) was a left-wing Colombian politician and charismatic leader of the Liberal Party. He served as the mayor of Bogotá from 1936–37, the national Education Minister from 194 ...
on April 9, 1948, for which he was honoured by the incumbent
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
President Mariano Ospina Pérez. On October 11, 1949, he was promoted to General and on October 19 assigned to the Central Command of the Army.


Entry into politics

On December 3, 1949, Rojas was appointed as Minister of Posts and TelegraphsLozano, Miguel Angel; '' Mariano Ospina Pérez, Un Hombre de Acción y de Principios'', trans. Mariano Ospina Pérez, a man of action and principles; Universidad Nacional; Fundación de Estudios Históricos, Misión Colombia; Editorial El Globo, S.A.; Page 151; Bogotá, Colombia; 1991 in the government of President Mariano Ospina Pérez.Ocampo Marín , Héctor; ''Mariano Ospina Pérez, El Presidente'', trans. Mariano Ospina Pérez, the Presidente; Cámara de Comercio de Medellín para Antioquia; Imprenta Universidad de Antioquia; Page 146; Medellín, Colombia; June 2001, In 1951, he was nominated as a delegate for Colombia to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
in
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, and as such he inspected the Colombia Battalion, then attached to the American 21st Infantry Regiment in Korea. In 1952, he was ascended to General of the Army and appointed as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Colombia by President
Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez (27 June 1890 – 20 August 1972) was a Colombian Conservative party politician and lawyer who served as President of Colombia from November 1951 until June 1953, while President Laureano Gómez was absent due to hea ...
.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 217; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983


Coup d'etat

On June 13, 1953, Rojas led a peaceful coup d’état conceived by Conservative and Liberal parties to reestablish peace and political order in the nation.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 216; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 Rojas was
military dictator A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the ...
of Colombia from 1953 to 1954. He was designated President of Colombia in 1954.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 263; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 The National Constituent Assembly, by its Legislative Act Number 1 of 1953, appointed him as President of Colombia without a popular election.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 226; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983


Presidency

Rojas enacted legislation that gave women the right to vote. He introduced television and constructed several hospitals and universities and the National Astronomic Observatory. He was also a strong supporter of public works and infrastructure, promoting and conducting projects such as the Atlantic railway, the hydroelectric dam of Lebrija, and the oil refinery of Barrancabermeja.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 225; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 On May 10, 1957, the people of Colombia, dissatisfied with the government of Rojas, launched a massive national protest demanding his resignation. Rojas was ousted and the events of this day were called a “coup d'état of public opinion”. A
military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...
of five generals assumed control of the nation. The junta was made up of: General
Gabriel París Gordillo Gabriel París Gordillo (March 8, 1910 – March 21, 2008) was a Colombian military officer and political leader who ruled the country as the chairman of a military junta from May 1957 to August 1958, following the resignation of General Gustavo ...
, General Rafael Navas, General Luis E. Ordóñez, General Deogracias Fonseca and Admiral Rubén Piedrahita. The junta ruled until 1958, when a plebiscite adopted an 1886 constitution, and General Gabriel París Gordillo was elected as chairman of the
Colombian Military Junta The Colombian Military Junta was a Colombian transitional government established between 1957 and 1958, replacing President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian Army general, civil eng ...
of Government.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 227; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983


Freedom of the press

Rojas mounted a widespread censorship campaign against the Colombian press. He established a national radio station which consisted mostly of government sponsored Catholic propaganda. Thousands of radios were distributed across the country, but these radios could only tune to the government-controlled station,
Radio Sutatenza Radio Sutatenza was a Colombian radio network which broadcast cultural and educational programs between 1947 and 1990. It was the first community radio station, conceived as a direct response to the high levels of illiteracy in rural communities a ...
.


Gun control

Until 1955, Colombians could legally possess firearms without a permit. Rojas established a national gun permit system, making it more difficult to obtain a gun.


Post-presidency

In the election of 1962 Rojas ran for the first time as the presidential candidate of his newly created ANAPO opposition party. He came in fourth, but his result was nonetheless declared invalid due to him being a former coup leader.


Elections of 1970

In the election of 1970 he ran again for the presidency, with a populist platform. He was defeated by a narrow margin by
Misael Pastrana Misael Eduardo Pastrana Borrero (14 November 1923 – 21 August 1997) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the 23rd President of Colombia from 1970 to 1974. He was also the father of the 30th President Andrés Pastrana Arango. B ...
, but alleged that this was the result of fraud. The presidential election of April 19, 1970, was difficult and controversial. Rojas and Misael Pastrana Borrero were both running for office. Rojas seemed to be winning the elections until a nationwide malfunction of communication systems happened. After these were restored, the votes had already been counted. The results were very close, giving a slight margin in favor of Pastrana Borrero. The supporters of Rojas challenged the results and accused the government of President Carlos Lleras Restrepo of fraud. The case was brought before the Electoral Court, which ruled in favor of Pastrana Borrero on July 15, 1970, certifying him as President of Colombia.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 243; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 This alleged electoral fraud led to the formation of the
19th of April Movement The 19th of April Movement ( es, Movimiento 19 de Abril), or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla organisation movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (), or AD/M-19. The M-19 traced its or ...
.


Death and legacy

Rojas Pinilla died in Melgar, Tolima, on January 17, 1975.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 223; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983


Ideology

Historian Daniel García-Peña summed up Rojas' shifting ideological position and support bases:


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas Pinilla, Gustavo 1900 births 1975 deaths People from Tunja
Gustavo Gustavo is the Latinate form of a Germanic male given name with respective prevalence in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. It has been a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. It is derived from Gustav /ˈɡʊstɑːv/, ...
Colombian people of Spanish descent National Popular Alliance politicians Presidents of Colombia Colombian generals Trine University alumni Colombian civil engineers Leaders who took power by coup Leaders ousted by a coup Colombian exiles Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Burials at Central Cemetery of Bogotá