The Mexican Revolution: An Overviewby: Lynn Davies
Throughout its history Mexico has had many revolutions. The most famous perhaps is the Mexican Revolution from 1910-1920. The people of Mexico were getting tired of the dictator rule of President Porfino Diaz. People of all classes were fighting in the revolution. The middle and upper classes were dissatisfied with the President’s ways. The lower and working class people had many factors such as poor working conditions, inflation, inferior housing, low wages, and deficient social services. Within the classes everyone was fighting; men, women, and children all contributed to the fight for freedom from Diaz. This revolution proved to be the rise and fall of many leaders.
Questions:
1: Who was Porfirio Diaz?
2. Why were the people of the lower and working classes dissatisfied with Diaz?
3. Define inflation.
In the beginning of his reign, Diaz was almost ideal and had great intentions for Mexico. He created a more stable government and got rid of crime. The quality of life was improved. The government was made stronger by dispatching governors to the various areas of Mexico. The army was also made stronger by professionalizing it. The police force readily enforced Diaz’s laws. Diaz also relied on a group of aristocrats as advisors. As Mexico grew, structurally and economically, foreign firms invested in the area. The money from the films helped Diaz to build highways, railroads, telegraph lines, oil fields, and rejuvenate the mining industry. New industries were also created and in fifty years Mexico had transformed itself from a third world country to the ideal model of a developing country.
Question:
4. How did Diaz improve life in Mexico?
Although these things helped to build up Mexico, they also were the factors in the destruction of Diaz. The people in power became wealthy but the rest of the population remained impoverished. Both the rich and the poor no longer wanted the dependence on foreign investments. More importantly though was the new generation of Mexicans were full of ambition to be in politics. The Diaz regime had such control over the government though that no one was able to break into the system. This made the ambitious generation want to break in even more.
Question:
5. List the problems that developed during Diaz’s reign:
An interview given by Diaz in 1908 was read by Francisco I. Madero and he was inspired to gather supporters to defeat Diaz in the 1910 election. In the interview Diaz said that he thought Mexico could handle free elections by 1910. Madero was a strong believer in democracy and realized that Diaz had a monopoly with the government. Madero thought that Diaz should step down from office. By the time 1910 came around Madero had inspired many citizens and had quite a group of followers. His chances for election were very good and Diaz got scared. Right before the elections in 1910, Diaz falsely accused Madero and had him thrown in jail. Diaz was once again elected as president. Madero was soon released and, learning of Diaz’s reelection, he fled to Texas. While there he stated that the elections were illegitimate and that he was the President Pro-Temp until new elections could be held. He also wrote a document, which called for a revolt on November 20, 1910 which marks the start of the Mexican Revolution.
Questions:
6. List significant facts about Francisco Madero:
7. What actions did Diaz take against Madero?
8. What did Madero do after the actions taken by Diaz?
9. What date marks the start of the Mexican Revolution?
There were three very strong revolutionary groups throughout the revolution that contributed to the rise and fall of the leaders. These were lead by Emiliano Zapata, Francisco "Pancho" Villa, and Pascual Orozco. Zapata was from the south and his troops covered that area while Villa and Orozco were from the north covering those areas.
Question:
10: Who were three important leaders of the revolution and where did they “operate”?
In 1911 Orozco and Villa began taking control of cities in the northern areas while Zapata took control of Cuautla and cut off the road to Mexico City. Orozco and Villa captured Ciudad Juarez and these events combined convinced Diaz to resign and forced him to flee to Europe. Even though he fled, Diaz left a large army under the command of General Victoriano Huerta and a provisional president. Soon after he left Zapata rode into Mexico City where he met up with Madero. Madero was then declared president.
Questions:
11: What happened in 1911?
12: Who was Victoriano Huerta?
Madero’s presidency was short lived though. Madero’s agenda was to please everyone which meant that no action was taking place. He turned Zapata against him by trying to please him and the inaction convinced Villa and Orozco to also abandon him. Huerta at this time met with an U.S. Ambassador to come up with a plan. The U.S. felt that Madero was too closely related to the revolutionaries and did not support him. Huerta and the ambassador along with the help of Diaz’s nephew, Felix Diaz, came up with a plan to overthrow Madero and install Huerta as president. Huerta revolted against Madero and Madero, vice-president Suarez, and General Angeles were arrested. On February 22, 1913 Madero and Suarez were killed for allegedly trying to escape.
Questions:
13: Why was Madero’s presidency short-lived?
14: Why did the United States not support Madero?
15: What happened to Madero? To Huerta?
Soon after Carranza declared himself president Villa began fighting against him. Villa built up his forces and started moving south to push Carranza out of Mexico. Carranza fought back but Zapata shocked them all by taking Mexico City. The fighting went on until Villa, Zapata, and Obregon and met to come up with a solution. They decided to put Eulalio Guitierrez as president and Zapata agreed to move out of Mexico City. This worked for a while but the different revolutionary forces soon made alliances. Villa and Zapata stayed loyal to each other and to Guitierrez as president. Obregon and Carranza came together and worked to get Carranza back into the presidency. In 1915 Villa’s and Obregon’s forces came together in a battle where Obregon was victorious. Because of Villa’s forces being badly wounded, Carranza was able to reclaim the presidency.
Questions:
16. List the different factions fighting:
17: What was the outcome of the fighting?
Right after Carranza took the presidency, Villa’s forces fought Carranza for a period of time. Villa, Zapata, and Obregon once again met to come up with a solution. Again they named Guitierrez as president and he was backed by Villa and Zapata. Once again though Obregon united with Carranza and in late 1915 Zapata and Villa suffered incredible losses at the hands of Obregon and Carranza.
Carranza’s power began to rise and Zapata badly needed extra troops to fight back. In April of 1919 one of Carranza’s generals said he was defecting from Carranza and wished to speak to Zapata to join him in the fight. Zapata went to meet with the general and only after he got there did he realize that it was a trap. Zapata was shot and killed shortly after he arrived at the meeting.
Questions:
18: How was Zapata tricked?
19: What happened to Zapata?
The news of Zapata’s death traveled quickly and Carranza became a hated man. He lost all his supporters including Obregon. Realizing that he was doomed Carranza tried to flee the country but was killed just outside of Mexico City. Adolfo de la Huerta was put in as president until elections could be held. At elections Obregon won and most of the revolutionary violence ceased.
Questions:
20: What happened to Carranza? Why?
21: Who was put in charge?
During this time there were some people who did not want to fight and they did not want any part of the revolution so they fled to the United States. Some of the factors that made people leave were economic disaster, chaos, danger, and social disorganization. Almost 900,000 Mexican immigrants came to the United States between 1910 and 1920. Besides escaping the violence of the revolution, Mexican people came to the U.S because they saw it as an opportunity for work. At first the U.S. was not sure if they wanted all these people migrating into the states. They soon decided to take a closer look. They went down into Mexico and saw what all the violence had done. They felt that they could not refuse Mexican immigrants wanting to have a better lifestyle.
Questions:
22: Why did many Mexicans leave Mexico between 1910 and 1920?
23: What did the U.S. government conclude?
Changes after the Revolution:
- Large estates were divided up. Land was redistributed. The ejido (collective system) was a system where land was held by the village and was established by 1950 on 27 percent of the land in Mexico.
- The church lost most of its power over education and government. Church lands were taken away and the government no longer forced people to pay the tithe or church tax.
- The Indian and the mestizo gained the right to vote and to own land.
- Foreign investors lost, for the government declared that everything that was beneath the surface of the land belonged to the government and the people of Mexico. Oil was nationalized in 1938.
- No president could be reelected.
Explain the meaning of the political cartoon.
History Timeline - Mexico
300 - 900 A.D.:
The ''classical period'' for the ancient Mayan, Zapotecan and Teotihuacán people. Temples are built at the Chichén Itzá and Uxmal.
1519 - 1521:
Spanish forces led by Hernando Cortés arrive and conquer Mexico.
1810 - 1821:
Mexico fights for independence from Spain and wins it in 1821.
1836:
Texas declares its independence from Mexico. Mexicans and Texans battle at the Alamo and San Jacinto.
1848:
The U.S. wins the Mexican-American War and gains Mexican territory. The land includes what are now Nevada and Utah, plus parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado.
1862:
Battle of Puebla. The Cinco de Mayo holiday honors this national army defeat of French invaders.
1910:
The Mexican Revolution begins when citizens rise up against oppressive rulers. A new constitution is adopted in 1917.
List important facts about the history of Mexico:
The Revolution and the Muralists
The times were right for revolution because workers were being exploited and peasants were fed up with the favoritism being shown to the upper-class citizens.
THE MURALS: The Mexican Revolution gave way to a mural renaissance. The Mexican muralists transformed art to make it more accessible to the public. The Mexican muralists primary concern was for a "public and accessible visual dialogue with the Mexican people.” Mexican muralism represents a significant challenge to the commonly accepted view of the role and position of the artist in Western society. Western artists seem to be separated, hermetic, isolated, self expression, while Mexican muralists are in touch with the Mexican society and its social problems. The muralist played a central role in the cultural and social life of the country following the 1910-1917 nationalist revolution. The most important of the Mexican muralists were Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. They dominated the movement and defined the essence for which it stood. The murals represented the social ideas of the revolution. Siqueiros stated that the goal of mural painting was to, "direct itself to the native races humiliated for centuries; to the officers made into hangmen by their officers, to the peasants and workers scourged by the rich.”
List facts about the Mexican muralists:
Conclusions: