User:Totoama/Colombian Communist Party

History
El Partido Communista Colombiano (PCC), or the Colombian Communist Party, was established in 1930 as the Colombian branch of the Comintern. The Communist party pushed for improved conditions for Colombian laborers and an expansion of rights for the lower classes in Colombian society. Through the PCC, groups of laborers organized to combat the regulations and actions of the government and empowered corporations. These groups, known as "peasant leagues", established an interconnected network that coordinated protests and labor strikes, countered state-sanctioned violence, and sought to protect local populations. The state opposed the actions of these groups through military violence in attempt to repress the influence of the PCC. The PCC continued growing in membership and support, even as the Colombian Conservative Party returned to power in 1946 with Conservative Mariano Ospina Perez winning the presidency. In the mid-1960s the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 13,000, with further support from over 25,000 Colombian citizens.

During the events of "La Violencia" and after the development of "La Frente Nacional" (The National Front), the Colombian government continued its repression of communist groups and takeover of land. The PCC became involved with guerrilla groups and local communist militias who continued rebelling against the national government. While many such guerrilla groups disbanded and demobilized during the ceasefire proclaimed by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in the early 1950's, various entities continued their mobilization efforts. PCC leadership, joined by guerilla leaders, established las "Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejército del Pueblo" or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The PCC would be involved with FARC until 1993.