The Mexican Revolution

1910 - 1920

Mexican Rebels. Library of Congress.

The Dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz

General Porfirio Diaz ruled as dictator of Mexico from 1876 to 1911. [1] “Díaz rose through the political ranks as a liberal leader, but in contrast to the anticlericalism of most nineteenth-century liberals he developed close relations with the Catholic Church and relied on conservative and wealthy elites to assure his political survival.” [2] However, by 1910 Mexican citizens began to oppose to his rulings. [1]

Violent police forces and large government presence meant little opposition. [2] In the 1910 election, Diaz welcomed a fair election and was opposed by Francisco Madero. [3] The voting was corrupted and Diaz won, having Madero imprisoned but he escaped into the United States [1,3]. While there, his supporters rallied and forced Diaz to flee the country resulting in Madero being named president. [1]

Finding Freedom

Lacking economic freedoms, Mexican farmers sought immigration into the United States in hopes of employment opportunities. Freedoms varied during the revolution under the different rulers. The end of the revolution brought new social freedoms for the Mexican workers.

The Dictatorship of Victoriano Huerta

Huerta was a Mexican military general, a leader under Madero. In 1913 he led a coup that led to the assassination of the president. [2] The coup lead to many casualties and put Huerta as the dictator. The United States got involved in 1914. The advancement of weapon technology led to more casualties in battle and briefly unified Mexico nationally. [2] Huerta resigned his post in 1914. [4]

Venustiano Carranza and Pancho Villa

Carranza took power after Huerta’s resignation. This was mainly due to the fact that the United States recognized his government over the rule of Pancho Villa. [4] Villa was a radical opposition to Carranza. [2] Villa joined with Emiliano Zapata and raided a town in the United States. [2] In reaction, the United States sent troops in to capture Villa, however, they would be unsuccessful. [4] Running from the United States made Villa more popular in Mexico until his murder led by General Obregon, a military leader under Carranza.

Colonel Villa. Library of Congress.

Constitution

In 1917 Carranza and the government began to make a constitution to put the revolution to rest. [2] When Zapata was killed, Carranza had killed off his fiercest competition in politics as Villa had retired, but his military leader Alvaro Obregon overthrew him in 1920. Obregon won the 1920 election. [2] His political actions made waves that brought the decade of fighting to a close. [2]

Everyday Vlog. (2016, January 16). Mexican Revolution (1910-1911). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TScMmFFv_6s

Closed captions available.

Francisco Indalecio Madero

Madero wrote the “The Presidential Succession in 1910” which showed his views for more freedoms for Mexican people and gained him supporters against Diaz. [3] “Once in power, Madero faced pressure from both the Left and Right.” [2] The Mexican citizens saw Madero as the start of a new government benefiting all the people. Madero’s government plan was to keep the economy in place. [3] As a result, Madero did not handle the pressure from both sides well and in 1913 was overthrown in a coup led by Victoriano Huerta. [2]

Francisco Madero. Library of Congress.

Bibliography

America and World Affairs: The Mexican Revolution. (2001). In J. S. Baughman, V. Bondi, R. Layman, T. McConnell, & V. Tompkins (Eds.), American Decades (Vol. 2). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.butler.edu/apps/doc/CX3468300446/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=9b442b8d
Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). (2008). In W. A. Darity, Jr. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (2nd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 129-131). Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.butler.edu/apps/doc/CX3045301539/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=f57728ae
Library of Congress. (n.d.). The Mexican Revolution and the United States in the Collections of the Library of Congress The Rise of Francisco Madero. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mexican-revolution-and-the-united-states/rise-of-madero.html
Márquez, A. C. (2006). Mexican Revolution. In T. Quirk & G. Scharnhorst (Eds.), American History Through Literature 1870-1920 (Vol. 2, pp. 683-687). Detroit, MI: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.butler.edu/apps/doc/CX3470800149/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=8cf4aa92