Abstract

JOHN, Green. "DAYS OF SPECTACULAR EMOTION": CULTURE CLASH, POLITICAL INTRIGUE, AND THE BOGOTA DRIVERS' STRIKE OF 1937. hist.crit. [online]. 2002, n.24, pp.27-47. ISSN 0121-1617.

Generally regarded as little more than an awkward moment in the career of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, the Bogota drivers' strike of 1937 illustrated broader processes at work in Colombia. Historians have maintained that Gaitán (then mayor of Bogota) lost the support of the working class (and his political position) because of his decree insisting that the drivers shed their traditional ruanas and wear uniforms. It is not difficult, however, to show that the "mayor of the people" commanded a large amount of working class support before, during, and after the strike. Understanding the strike in this light has profound implications for the interpretation of gaitanismo and its struggles on the Liberal left in the 1940s.

Keywords : drivers' strike; Jorge Eliécer Gaitán; liberal left.

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