Bloodletting in rural Colombia was so prolific it had gained a momentum of its own, fueled by never-ending vendettas and counter-vendettas. The brutal and corrupt conduct of authorities during La Violencia, coupled with the inability of the government to end bloodshed and lawlessness, generated considerable distrust among Colombia’s rural population. By the late 1950s, rural Colombia was a tinderbox of lawlessness and violence which the government proved incapable of controlling. While improving basic healthcare, education and sanitation, particularly in rural Colombia, was crucial, there was also a significant military component. Those measures, rooted in the Cold War politics and strategy of the time, expressly sought to suppress the PCC and communist insurrectionists.