The Unlucky One

As the United Kingdom, France, and Austria played their game, and Chile, Peru, and Bolivia raced to win support, fierce political infighting also erupted within the Colombian government.

The 1880 presidential election became the focal point of every side's struggle. Realizing the trouble ahead, President Julián Trujillo Largacha decisively withdrew from the election.

Julián's withdrawal not only failed to quell the disputes—it only made them intensify.

After a series of struggles, Raphael Núñez, leader of the pro-British faction, was elected President of Colombia, and the situation began to turn in Chile's favor. (Note: two-year term)

When the news reached Europe, Vienna and Paris were shaken. The contest between the United Kingdom, France, and Austria was not merely a struggle over South American interests, but a contest of pride as well.

It would have been one thing to lose to the British elsewhere. After all, France and Austria were latecomers, and their influence could not compare with John Bull's.

But Colombia was different. Both France and Austria had deeply entrenched interests there. Though they had arrived later than the British, taken together, they were no weaker than Britain.

Their electoral defeat was hardly surprising. Because of their respective interests, France and Austria each had their own proxies in Colombia.

Even if France and Austria chose to cooperate, conflicts still existed between those proxies. Wholehearted cooperation was impossible.

With their strength scattered and impossible to concentrate, losing the election was perfectly normal. The upper ranks of government could understand that, but that did not mean everyone else could.

To outsiders, France and Austria had once again lost to the British in their competition in South America. Such an impression was bound to affect the choices made by governments in other countries and regions.

Unless they shattered that perception, France and Austria would