MEXICAN REVOLUTION1910-1940

PORFIRIATO REGIME

GEN PORFIRIO DIAZ-COUP-1876-1911OligarchyPan o palLey fuga

OBJECTIVE-economic development through foreign investment

Spoils to all opponents-all but poor and lower classes

PORFIORI’S RURALESMILITIA/HITMENSuppressed peasant unrest and labor strikesOpposition who refused-bullied or killedGov. budget increased 900%Catholic church complicit-repealed

anticlerical laws so church ignored Diaz actions

GOAL IMPEDIMENTSDiversity of land and population37 statesDiverse topography and growing seasons5m Indian in villages4.5 m haciendas75% pop worked land but couldn’t produce

enough food

Revolutionary fodder17 people controlled 20% land3,000 families owned 50% countryBy 1911-Mexico-3rd largest oil producers90% industry owned by foreigners150m/485 acres foreign ownedIndian land 25%-2%Cronie government jobsDiaz old and weak

NO REVOLUTION WITHOUT RRLinked to US border

More fodder1907 US recession-Mexican crisisBad harvests-no food-no incomeUrban wages decreasedDiaz allocate nothing to relief

Diaz announced would not run again in 1910-opposition began

Diaz re-elected despite pledge

FRANCISCO MADERO

The Presidential Succession of 1910 Anti-Diaz Re-election Party

Plan of San Luis Potosi-election of 1910 void-declared himself legitimate president

Armed rebellion-Nov. 20th, 1910

Enter Pancho VillaMadero returns from Texas, praises Villa to

encourage him to ally with Madero.

Revolution in Chihuahua created domino effect-18 states by

April 1911

Diaz unwittingly allowed national movement to begin

Emiliano ZapataLed revolution in Morelos

Conflict between small farmers and large sugarcane plantation owners

1910-Morales 3rd largest sugarcane producer in world behind Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

US tariff devastated area. Growers cut production. Small farmers faced with selling land to large plantations and becoming peons.

Battle cry-”it’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees!”

By 1911-Zapata controlled Morelos. Madero declared Zapata his representative.

Villa and Orozco captured Ciudad Juarez. Rebels found guns!

Treaty of Ciudad Juarez-Diaz agreed to election in fall.

Primary cause of revolutionAgrarian [farmer’s grievances].

Zapatismo-class conflict

Orozco and Villa-fought for local self-determination.

Diaz-Madero

Madero- “The people of Mexico do not want bread, they want freedom”!

Madero’s strategical errors:1. put his regime in hands of regular army2. allowed Diaz foreign minister to remain

as interim president until elections-second guessed

Zapata-Plan of AyalaProposals for land reform

Land illegally seized would be returned to independent owners.

Madero couldn’t solve land reform problems because it conflicted with social order.

Madero believed in order first.

Zapata’s rebellion in the south1912-zapata’s supplies low so began making

haciendos pay for costs of campaigns or burned down haciendas.

Unemployed workers then joined HIS army.

He hated Orozco so Villa supported Madero.

Revolution was a class struggleConservatives-hacienda and old Diaz system

Madero-middle class

Orozco-poor

Villa and HuertaVilla put under command of Victoriano

Huerta after losing city of Parral to Orozco. Madero had to depend on Mexican military.

Huerta cruel, murderous authoritarian mestizo .

Workers demandsPeons demands

Madero displaced by coupPeons madOligarchy mad

Coup led by Felix Diaz and Gen. Reyes on 2/19/1913La decena tragica

Huerta killed Madero and VPCreated a martyr and cause/angered W. Wilson

Revolt against Huerta

Led by CarranzaPlan of Guadalupe-overthrow of Huerta

Villa upset by Maderos’ murderMade hacienda owners an offer they couldn’t refuse

Goal-regional government

Villa protected US property-so gained US support. Became ruler of Chihuahua in Battle of Tierra Blancha.

Carranza jealous of Villa’s ruleCarranza jealous of -Supported Alvaro

Obregon

Rich were intimidated, poor empowered. Catholic church lost status –anticleric laws

Huerta could have had it all. . .BUT murdered a senator-rigged elections-US turned against him Lifted embargo on sale of arms to rebels

4/14/1914-Huerta’s forces arrested American landing party-Wilson ordered port of Vera Cruz seized.

Defeat at ZacatecasVilla seized the city-Huerta defeated and

done

Carranza and Villa jockeyed for power

Huerta in exile-8/12/1914Villa supports Zapata

Constitutional Convention at AguascalientesOf big four-Carranza, Obregon, Villa and Zapata, only

Obregon attended.

Convention-Agreed to Plan of AyalaDismissed CarranzaAppointed Villa-Gen. in ChiefVilla couldn’t wait, sent in his troops

Zapata’s woesAlliance with Villa muddied goalsVilla-politicalZapata-social

Alliance short lived, both abdicated

Mexico under CarranzaAcquiesced to US intervention-Wilson

ordered Pershing into Mexico to arrest Villa.

Appeared war US-Mexico was imminent

Feb. 1917-last US soldier left Mexico

6 years of war left Mexico in chaos

Carranza consolidates powerNew constitution 1917, -increase power of Pres.Abolishes property rights and delegitimizimes the

Catholic Church

Villa reappears to lead rebels-allowed rape and execution of women

Obregon declared himself a candidateCarranza attempted to have him arrested-Obregon

had him killedObregon grated Villa amnesty-Revolution over

ImpactAugust 1923-US recognized Obregon ‘s gov.

as official.

Death toll 350,000-1,000,000,000All leaders died

Forces-capitalists-agrarian, othersOld elites lost power-replaced by new elitesCatholic Church lost powerPoor no better off

Mexico under Calles 1924-1934Promote capitalismBank of MexicoLand distributionAnti-clerical laws