Abstract
The year of 1948 was quite significant for the history of Colombia. On April 9, the Liberal Party Chairman, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, was murdered.
This politician promised to implement far-reaching social and economic reforms. According to historians, he was the main favorite for the presidential election of 1950.
His death caused considerable tensions in the country and led to the destabilization of the Colombian political system. The personality of this liberal politician still provokes quite a lot of emotions.
Unlike most of the representatives of the establishment, he did not belong to the "oligargía", yet he managed to gain important positions in politics. His radical attitudes and populism, however, created distrust in the Liberal Party itself.
The Liberal Party experienced deep crisis in the mid-1940s. Just then Gaitán managed to become its chairman.
However, his death on April 9 stopped his promising political career.