During the pre-Colombian period, present-day Colombia is inhabited by indigenous peoples who are primitive hunters or nomadic farmers. The Chibchas, who lived in the Bogotá region, are the largest indigenous group. They form the Empire of the Chibcha. Spain discovers the area in 1499 and in 1536 it is conquered. In 1549, the area becomes a Spanish colony with the capital at Santa Fe de Bogotá. In 1717 Bogotá becomes the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which includes also present-day Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. From 1724 until 1740 New Granada is temporarely reincorporated into Peru. The territory proclaims under Simón Bolivar independence from Spain in 1812 as the United Provinces of New Granada. This independence is not recognized by Spain.

The independence war ends in 1819 and New Granada becomes independent as the Republic of Grand Colombia. Simon Bolivar is elected its first president and Francisco de Paula Santander, vice president. Two political parties grow out of conflicts between the followers of Bolivar and Santander and their political visions , the Conservatives and the Liberals, have since dominated Colombian politics. 1830 Grand Colombia is dissolved in 1829 when Venezuela and Ecuador form seperate states.

New Granada is renamed into the State of New Granada, in 1843 Republic of New Granada, in 1858 Granadine Confederation, in 1863 United States of New Granada and later that year in United States of Colombia. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, each party, the Partido Conservador Colombiano (Colombian Conservative Party, PCC) and the Partido Liberal Colombiano (Colombian Liberal Party, PLC), hold the presidency for roughly equal periods of time. Colombia maintains a tradition of civilian government and regular, free elections. Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic institutions, Colombia's history is also characterized by widespread, violent conflict.

Between 1863 and 1886 Colombia is governed by the liberals. After a split in the liberal party, conservatives come to power in 1886 and in their new constitution the country is renamed Republic of Colombia and it becomes a centralized republic. Conservative rulers persecute liberal followers. This leads to the War of a Thousand Days (1899-1902) with an estimated 100,000 victims. In 1903 the United States of America forces Colombia to allow Panama to secede. With the support of the army the authoritarian leader Rafeal Reyes holds power between 1904 and 1909, after which conservative rule is restored. They hold the presidency with Carlos E. Restrepo (1919-1914), José Vicente Concha (1914-1918), Marco Fidel Suárez (1918-1921), Pedro Nel Ospina (1922-1926) and Miguel Abadía Méndez (1926-1930).

After the economic crisis of 1929 the PLC is able to win the presidency in 1930. Presidents are Enrique Olaya Herrera (1930-1934), Alfonso López Pumarejo (1934-1938 and 1942-1945), Eduardo Santos Montejo (1938-1942) and Alberto Lleras Camargo (1945-1946) Due to a split in the liberal party at the 1946 elections, in which they nominate two candidates, Mariano Ospina Pérez of the PCC is elected president. The PLC factions together have a clear majority in parliament and the PCC doesn't hesitate to resort to repressive and violent measures against the PLC. The assasination of the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, one of the two former candidate but at that moment leader of the PLC, in 1948 leads to a second bloody civil war between the ruling conservatives and liberals. During this period Ospina is succeeded by Laureano Gómez Castro in 1950 and Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez in 1951. To stop the conservative rule, the army seizes power in 1953 with a military coup and establishes a dictatorship under president Gustavo Rojas Pinilla.

After the resignation of Rojas and during the military rule of Gabriel París Gordillo the two parties find a compromise. They establish in 1958 a joint governement of the liberals and the conservatives (the National Front). Alberto Lleras Camargo (PLC, 1958-1962), Guilleromo-Léon Valencia (PCC, 1962-1966), Carlos Lleras Restrepo (PLC, 1966-1970) and Misael Pastran Borrero (PCC, 1970-1974) are in this periode president. During this time guerilla movements become active against the central government and somewhat later drugs gangs terrorize society.

In 1974 Colombia finally becomes a presidential parliamentary democracy when the National Front is dissolved. The liberal Alfonso López Michelsen becomes president in 1974, succeeded in 1978 by his partisan Julio César Turbay Ayala. In 1982 the conservative Belisario Betancur Cuartas wins the elections. The LPC regains power in 1986 and for twelve years they hold the presidency with Virgilio Barco Vargas (1986-1990), César Gaviria Trujillo (1990-1994) and Ernesto Samper Pizano (1994-1998). Barco ends the coalition with the PCC and forms a single party government. During this period violence remains in the country. Though the PLC gets a majority in parliament in 1998, the presidential elections that year are won by Andrés Pastrana Arnago of the PCC. The elections of 2002 are won by a dissident liberal, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, who founded his own Primero Colombia (Colombia First, PC) party on a strong anti-guerilla ticket.