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Ecuador was inhabited by a number of indigenous peoples for centuries before it was overtaken by the Incans in the 1400s. The Incan Empire, which made up most of northwesters South America at that time, underwent severe civil war, which is when some of the powerful centers were established. Quito was one of these centers, as was Lima, Peru. In 1809, after Quito had been colonized by the Spanish for over 300 years, the city of 10,000 desired its independence. They defeated the Spanish army and joined the republic of Columbia, only to become an independent country in 1830.

The Roman Catholic Church had a stronghold in the leadership of the nation during the 19th century until a liberal revolution in 1895 assisted in capitalist development.

A controversy has lived for a number of years between Ecuador and Peru regarding who had control over certain land in the Amazon. The tension finally came to a head in 1941, when war broke out between the two neighboring countries. The war was short lived, however, because of Peru’s sheer dominance. The Peruvian army, long one of the strongest in all South America, had twice as many troops as Ecuador, and the Peruvian soldiers were much better trained. The Peruvians blocked the important ports so that the Ecuadorian soldiers could not receive supplies, and they even took control of two Ecuadorian provinces. Ecuador surrendered in a matter of weeks, giving up the land that Peru had claimed, and the two sides joined forces against the Axis powers of World War II. After the completion of World War II, the two sides returned to their own skirmish, fighting two more brief wars between each other over the next forty years.

Since returning to democracy, Ecuador has battled governmental instability, with several of its elected presidents being unable to finish their terms. The ruling classes are represented in the legislative and judicial branches, so the executive branch has trouble pleasing everyone.

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