Public Diplomacy, Cold War and Colombia-United States Relations: The Exhibition Capitalismo Democrático in Bogotá (1956)

Abstract

In the mid-twentieth century, the United States deployed global campaigns of public diplomacy for a dual purpose: discrediting Communist competitors and persuading public opinion about the advantages of the so-called American Way of Life. Several campaigns were launched in Latin American countries, including Colombia, an ally suffering from political violence and growing authoritarianism. This article studies the exhibition Capitalismo Democrático, part of a strategy of the Eisenhower administration (1953-1961) to publicize an idealized historical interpretation of American capitalism: popular and without class conflicts. Bogotá was the first Latin American capital where it was held in 1956, during the military dictatorship of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1953-1957). In what follows, the background of this exhibition, the interests of the two countries, its contents and representations, as well as some reactions of their visitors will be analyzed.