What was the purpose of the Mexican revolution?
The initial goal of the Mexican Revolution was simply the overthrow of the Díaz dictatorship, but that relatively simple political movement broadened into a major economic and social upheaval that presaged the fundamental character of Mexico's 20th-century experience.
What was the Mexican revolution over?
The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, ended dictatorship in Mexico and established a constitutional republic. A number of groups, led by revolutionaries including Francisco Madero, Pascual Orozco, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, participated in the long and costly conflict.
What was being fought for in the Mexican revolution?
Its main purpose was to establish a democratic republic and to abolish unlimited presidential terms. By early 1911, a large armed struggle was underway in the northern state of Chihuahua led by local merchant Pascual Orozco and Francisco “Pancho” Villa.
What are 3 causes of the Mexican revolution?
The economic policies of Porfirio Díaz, unequal distribution of land, deeply entrenched economic inequality, and undemocratic institutions were the major causes of the revolution.
What caused the Mexican Revolution quizlet?
There was no upward mobility for the poor class. The frustration caused by large gap between the rich and the poor, the rich's monopoly on land, and the lack of opportunity for the poor to rise, were some of the main causes of the uprising by the poor class.
What were the main effects of the Mexican revolution?
The Mexican Revolution sparked the Constitution of 1917 which provided for separation of Church and state, government ownership of the subsoil, holding of land by communal groups, the right of labor to organize and strike and many other aspirations.
Why did Mexico fight for independence?
By the 19th century many Mexicans wanted to separate from Spain and create a sovereign government that would act on behalf of their own interests much like the movement for American independence from British rule in the late 18th century. The desire for independence from Spanish rule first formally emerged in 1810.
Why did Mexico want independence?
In 1820, liberals took power in Spain, and the new government promised reforms to appease the Mexican revolutionaries. In response, Mexican conservatives called for independence as a means of maintaining their privileged position in Mexican society.
How did the Mexican Revolution start?
The Revolution began with a call to arms on 20th November 1910 to overthrow the current ruler and dictator Porfirio Díaz Mori. Díaz was an ambitious president, keen to develop Mexico into an industrial and modernised country.
What economic factors led to the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution?
“Although noneconomic factors such as government corruption and ethnic tensions contributed to the Mexican Revolution, economic factors such as labor exploitation and economic inequality were the most important factors in sparking the revolution.”
How did Porfirio Díaz cause the Mexican revolution?
Porfirio Díaz's ascent to power In 1871 Díaz led an unsuccessful revolt against the reelection of Juárez, claiming that it had been fraudulent and demanding that presidents be limited to a single term in office. In January 1876 Díaz led another unsuccessful revolt, against Juárez's successor, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada.
When did the Mexican Revolution start and end?
November 20, 1910 – February 5, 1917Mexican Revolution / Period
What war did Mexico fight in 1810?
For Mexico's war with Spain in 1810–1821, see Mexican War of Independence.
What was the last successful military rebellion in the Mexican Revolution?
The year 1920 was the last successful military rebellion, bringing the northern revolutionary generals to power. According to Álvaro Matute, "By the time Obregón was sworn in as president on December 1, 1920, the armed stage of the Mexican Revolution was effectively over.".
How did the Mexican Revolution affect the cities?
Although the proportion between rural and urban population, and the number of workers and the middle class remained practically the same,the Mexican Revolution brought substantial qualitative changes to the cities. Big rural landlords moved to the city escaping from chaos in the rural areas. Some poor farmers also migrated to the cities and they settled on neighborhoods where the Porfiriato elite used to live. The standard of living in the cities grew: it went from contributing to 42% of the national GDP to 60% by 1940. However, social inequality remained.
What did the Mexican Liberal Party do in 1905?
In 1905 the group of Mexican intellectuals and agitators who had created the Mexican Liberal Party ( Partido Liberal de México) drew up a radical program of reform, specifically addressing what they considered to be the worst aspects of the Díaz regime. Most prominent in the PLM were Ricardo Flores Magón and his two brothers, Enrique and Jesús. They, along with Luis Cabrera Lobato and Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama, were connected to the anti-Díaz publication El Hijo del Ahuizote. Political cartoons by José Guadalupe Posada lampooned politicians and cultural elites with mordant humor, portraying them as skeletons. The Liberal Party of Mexico founded the anti-Díaz anarchist newspaper Regeneración, which appeared in both Spanish and English. In exile in the United States, Práxedis Guerrero began publishing an anti-Díaz newspaper, Alba Roja (Red Dawn), in San Francisco. Although leftist groups were small in numbers, they became highly influential through their publications, which helped articulate opposition to the Díaz regime. Francisco Bulnes described these men as the "true authors" of the Mexican Revolution for agitating the masses. As the 1910 election approached, Francisco I. Madero, an idealistic political novice and member of one of Mexico's richest families, funded the newspaper Anti-Reelectionista, in opposition to the continual re-election of Díaz.
How many people died in the Mexican Revolution?
700,000 to 1,117,000 civilian dead (using 2.7 million figure) The Mexican Revolution ( Spanish: Revolución Mexicana, 1910–1920) was a major revolution that included a sequence of armed struggles that transformed Mexican culture and government. The outbreak of the revolution in 1910 resulted from the increasing unpopularity of the 31-year regime ...
Who sided with Huerta in the Mexican Revolution?
Emiliano Zapata (Sided with Orozco until Orozco sided with Huerta.) The Mexican Revolution ( Spanish: Revolución Mexicana, 1910–1920) was a major revolution that included a sequence of armed struggles that transformed Mexican culture and government.
When did the Revolution begin?
There is consensus as to when the revolution began, that is in 1910, but there is no consensus when it ended. The Constitutionalists defeated their major rivals and called the constitutional convention that drafted the 1917 Constitution, but did not effectively control all regions.
When did the Mexican Revolution start?
The Mexican Revolution started in 1910, when liberals and intellectuals began to challenge the regime of dictator Porfirio Díaz, who had been in power since 1877, a term of 34 years called El Porfiriato, violating the principles and ideals of the Mexican Constitution of 1857.
What was the literature of the Mexican Revolution?
The literature of the Mexican Revolution is a rich field and includes works recognized as masterpieces of Latin American literature such as Los de abajo ( The Underdogs) by Mariano Azuela, which was published in 1915 and remains a literary classic.
What were the most popular foods during the Mexican Revolution?
It is worth to also note that some of the most popular foods in Mexico (and outside of Mexico) come from the days of the Mexican Revolution, including famous “foods-on-the-run,” such as “ burritos ” or “ tacos de discada norteña .”
What is the motto of Zapata?
The agrarista (supporter of land reform) ideals of Zapata and his followers, the Zapatistas, are summarized in their mottos: “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Freedom”) and “La tierra es para el que la trabaja” (“The land is for those who work it”). These slogans have not ceased to resonate in Mexican society.
How did the mural movement impact Mexico?
Through it, both the art and culture of Mexico were put at the service of society and the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. Muralist painters, many of whom were no strangers to political activism, used the walls of public buildings, palaces, universities, and libraries to tell both the story of the revolution and of the daily life of the people. The mural paintings defined the nation’s identity and recognized Mexico’s indigenous ancestry. They documented the suffering of the indigenous at the hands of the Spanish conquistadores, while also recognizing Mexico’s shared history and culture. The Mexican muralists influenced artists throughout the Americas, and some murals were painted in the United States, including the Epic of American Civilization by José Clemente Orozco at Dartmouth College.
What was the majority of the population of Mexico in 1910?
A century later, in 1910, the majority of the population of Mexico were mestizos, half-indigenous and half-Spanish-blooded Mexicans, and these indigenous peoples again rose up in a violent armed struggle, the Mexican Revolution. Photo caption.
What was the most advanced empire in Mexico?
Prior to the arrival of European conquistadors, the region now known as Mexico was home to one of the world's most advanced Empires: the Aztecs. After a brutal period of colonialism and eventual conquest in 1521, the most powerful citizens were European, Spanish-born citizens or the peninsulares living in the New World.
When did the Mexican Revolution end?
Obregón was easily elected in 1920 and served his four-year term as president. For this reason, many historians believe the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920, although the nation suffered from horrible violence for another decade or so until the level-headed Lázaro Cárdenas took office. Obregón ordered the assassination of Villa in 1923 and was himself shot to death by a Roman Catholic fanatic in 1928, ending the time of the “Big Four.”
What were the obstacles to the Mexican Revolution?
The biggest obstacle to recovery was corruption, and the 1934 election of the honest Lázaro Cárdenas gave the nation a chance to get back on its feet. Today, there are few scars left from the revolution itself, and Mexican schoolchildren may not even recognize the names of minor players in the conflict such as Felipe Angeles or Genovevo de la O.
What did Mexico modernize?
During those decades, Mexico modernized, building mines, plantations, telegraph lines, and railroads, which brought great wealth to the nation. It came, however, at the cost of repression and grinding debt peonage for the lower classes.
What were the lasting effects of the Revolution?
The lasting effects of the revolution have all been cultural . The PRI, the party that was born in the revolution, held onto power for decades. Emiliano Zapata, the symbol of land reform and proud ideological purity, has become an international icon for just rebellion against a corrupt system.
What was Zapata's army known for?
Zapata's army, in particular, was known for the number of female soldaderas among the ranks and even serving as officers.
Why was the Mexican Revolution necessary?
Because of this, some historians feel that the Mexican Revolution was a necessary “growing pain" for the backward nation.
Who answered Madero's calls for revolution?
When Díaz refused to allow clean elections, Madero's calls for revolution were answered by Emiliano Zapata in the south, and Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa in the north. Díaz was deposed in 1911, but the revolution was just beginning. By the time it was over, millions had died as rival politicians and warlords fought each other over ...
When did the Mexican Revolution start?
The violence of 1910 gave a clear start to the Mexican Revolution, but scholars disagree on an end point: as a convention many use the year 1920, but some end it with the 1917 constitution or events in the 1920s, and still others argue that the revolution slowly unravelled until 1940.
What was the goal of the Mexican Revolution?
The initial goal of the Mexican Revolution was simply the overthrow of the Díaz dictatorship, but that relatively simple political movement broaden ed into a major economic and social upheaval that presaged the fundamental character of Mexico’s 20th-century experience. During the long struggle, the Mexican people developed a sense ...
What happened on February 14, 1911?
The military revolution. On February 14, 1911, Madero crossed into Mexico near Ciudad Juárez to head his forces. In the next few months the rebels learned how debilitated the Díaz army had become; led by aged generals, the Federalist troops lacked discipline, cohesion, unity of command, and effectiveness.
What were the major features of the 1824 and 1857 charters?
The constitution of 1917 specifically incorporated the major features of the 1824 and 1857 charters regarding territorial organization, civil liberties, democratic forms, and anticlerical and antimonopoly clauses.
Who was the president of the United States who landed troops at Veracruz?
Bain Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ggbain-14637) The new president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was determined to oust Huerta and, on flimsy pretexts, landed U.S. troops at Veracruz and occupied it .
Who were the mural painters of Mexico?
He sponsored a cultural program that brought Mexico worldwide fame and importance. Radical mural painters such as Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, who were commissioned to portray Mexican and especially revolutionary history on public buildings, exalted the indigenous past.
Who was the minister of education in Mexico?
The government supported the Regional Confederation of Mexican Labour (Confederación Regional de Obreros Mexicanos; CROM). José Vasconcelos, who was named minister of education, was to implement the program of rural education. He sponsored a cultural program that brought Mexico worldwide fame and importance.
What was the Mexican American War?
The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. Polk, who believed the United States had a “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. A border skirmish along the Rio Grande started off the fighting and was followed by a series of U.S. victories. When the dust cleared, Mexico had lost about one-third of its territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.
What was the name of the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War?
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Ends the Mexican-American War. The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K.
What was the name of the treaty that established the Mexican border?
Santa Anna resigned, and the United States waited for a new government capable of negotiations to form. Finally, on Feb. 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, establishing the Rio Grande and not the Nueces River as the U.S.-Mexican border. Under the treaty, Mexico also recognized the U.S. annexation of Texas, and agreed to sell California and the rest of its territory north of the Rio Grande for $15 million plus the assumption of certain damages claims.
Who led the troops at the Battle of Buena Vista?
Despite the loss, he assumed the Mexican presidency the following month. Meanwhile, U.S. troops led by Gen. Winfield Scott landed in Veracruz and took over the city.
What territory did Mexico sell to the US?
Under the treaty, Mexico also recognized the U.S. annexation of Texas, and agreed to sell California and the rest of its territory north of the Rio Grande for $15 million plus the assumption of certain damages claims.
What were the causes of the Mexican Revolution?
The Causes of the Mexican revolution Were numerous, highlighting the exploitation of the working classes, corruption, total absence of press freedom or that all privileges were in the hands of foreigners and the Mexican aristocracy. The union of all these factors led in 1910 to a revolutionary movement that culminated in the promulgation ...
Who was the dictator of Mexico?
Despotic Government of Porfirio Díaz. Porfirio Díaz was a dictator who directed Mexico between 1877 and 1880, and later from 1884 to 1911. His government, known as the Porfiriato , Was characterized by promoting economic growth and industrial growth, but at the expense of the most vulnerable inhabitants of Mexico.
What was the purpose of the Porfiriato period?
Some historians characterize the Porfiriato period as institutionalized corruption. The idea of Diaz was to manage the country as a company, giving special place to investment from other countries, and the profits obtained were used to a limited extent to improve the quality of life of Mexicans.
What is Rosales's V?
Rosales, V."Conflicts for the Earth: Secular Despoiling of the Indian Peoples"in Cultural Diversity and Interculturality. Retrieved on August 1, 2017 of Cultural Diversity and Interculturality: nacionmulticultural.unam.mx.
How long did the Diaz government rule?
One of the most characteristic elements of the Diaz government is that it began by promising that it would not accept re-election, and ended up ruling for more than 30 years.
Why did Diaz want to revive the Mexican economy?
When Diaz assumed power, the state was in bad economic condition, with many debts and few reserves, and the dictator wanted to revive the Mexican economy. For this reason, Diaz strongly encouraged foreign investment since coming to power.
What made Mexico a great difference?
The unequal distribution of land, the granting of high benefits to the upper social class and practically no benefit to the lower social classes, the obstacles presented to the middle classes for the execution of their work, among other things , made a great difference Among the different classes that made life in Mexico.
Who fought for equality in Mexico?
As Mexican and Mexican American feminists continue to fight for equality in Mexico today, some still take inspiration from the soldaderas — who fought for their country’s freedom even when they didn’t have their own.
What were the women's movements during the Mexican Revolution?
During the Mexican Revolution, some of the strongest warriors were women. Known as the soldaderas, many of these female fighters joined revolutionary groups that were trying to help Mexico break free from the oppressive regime of Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.
What did the Soldaderas do?
They also had another important task: foraging. Every time an army blasted its way through a new town, soldaderas searched the place for food, money, or valuables. Anything that would help the army survive was worth taking.
Why did the Soldaderas join the army?
But even when soldaderas weren’t forced to join the army, that didn’t necessarily mean they were eager to fight. Some joined because they needed protection. After all, if the men from their villages were getting drafted, they might have no one to defend them from rival armies if they stayed.
What was the name of the women who broke barriers and defied gender norms during a chaotic time in Mexican?
Sometimes also called adelitas, soldaderas broke barriers and defied gender norms during a chaotic time in Mexican history. Despite enduring severe sexism from male troops, some women warriors climbed the ranks to become officers — and even led some of those same men into battle.
Why didn't Soldaderas join the war?
Soldaderas didn’t always join the war because they believed in the cause. As journalist John Reed learned while traveling with Pancho Villa’s army, many women were pressured into their wartime roles by husbands or lovers.
Why did the Soldaderas give their wages to women?
This refers to the practice of male soldiers giving their wages to women — so that the women could pay for food and other domestic necessities during a war. But while some soldaderas stuck to this traditionally feminine role during the revolution, others took up arms to fight on the front lines.
What was the name of the war between Mexico and Texas?
Alternative Title: War of Texas Independence. Texas Revolution, also called War of Texas Independence, war fought from October 1835 to April 1836 between Mexico and Texas colonists that resulted in Texas’s independence from Mexico and the founding of the Republic of Texas (1836–45). Although the Texas Revolution was bookended by the Battles ...
When did Mexico and Texas get independence?
Texas Revolution, also called War of Texas Independence, war fought from October 1835 to April 1836 between Mexico and Texas colonists that resulted in Texas’s independence from Mexico and ...
What was the cause of the Anahuac conflict?
In April 1830, wary of the rapidly swelling deluge of immigrants from the United States , the Mexican government legislated against further settlement in Coahuila and Texas by Anglo-Americans and reimposed the suspended tariff. Over roughly the next two years, conflict arose in the area near modern-day Houston between Texans and a group composed of officials of the Mexican government and the small military force sent there to enforce the tariff as well as prevent smuggling and Anglo-American immigration. Other issues and events contributed to that conflict, which became known as the Anahuac Disturbance of 1832. It culminated in the Battle of Velasco, on June 26, 1832, won by the Texans, after which the Mexican garrisons were abandoned in Texas except in Goliad and San Antonio (Béxar). While all of that was occurring, back in Mexico, an avowedly federalist general, Antonio López de Santa Anna, was leading a successful rebellion against Pres. Anastasio Bustamante, and many Texans claimed that their efforts to force out the military were anticentralist actions in sympathy with Santa Anna’s attempts to reimpose federalist policy that allowed more autonomy for the states.
What was the Texas colony's response to the Mexican government's request for an extension of the tariff exemption?
In response to the requests, which were presented by Austin in Mexico City, the Mexican government repealed the immigration law but did not act on the other requests . A letter from Austin in which he advised Texans to ignore the government’s response was intercepted and resulted in Austin’s incarceration in Mexico City for some 18 months. By the time of his return to Texas in 1835, events were in motion that would lead to full-scale rebellion.
Why did the Mexican government encourage Americans and other foreigners to settle there?
Because most Mexicans were reluctant to relocate there , the Mexican government encouraged Americans and other foreigners to settle there (Spain had opened the region to Anglo-American settlement in 1820). Mexico also exempted the settlers from certain tariffs and taxes for seven years under the Imperial Colonization Law of January 1823.
What was the first skirmish in the Texas Revolution?
After the Texan forces swelled to outnumber their adversaries (and challenged the Mexicans to “come and take it” [the cannon]), they attacked on October 2 and forced the Mexicans to retreat to San Antonio, thus winning the Texas Revolution’s first skirmish, which came to be known as the Battle of Gonzales.
What did Santa Anna do in 1836?
Santa Anna soon transformed himself into a centralist caudillo (dictator), ultimately codifying his about-face by replacing the 1824 constitution with a new document, the Seven Laws (1836), that formally put power in the hands of the landed aristocracy (with property qualifications established for holding office and voting) and reconstituted the states as military districts. From the outset, Santa Anna showed no qualms about violently suppressing dissent, as he did in the spring of 1835 in Zacatecas in north-central Mexico, where his “Army of Operations” overwhelmed the local militia and ransacked the area for some 48 hours. In September of that year, he began to reassert central control over Texas—partly out of his belief that the United States had designs on acquiring it—by dispatching Gen. Martín Perfecto de Cos to San Antonio with 300 to 500 troops.
Overview
The Mexican Revolution (Spanish: Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction of the Federal Army and its replacement with a revolutionary army, as well as the transformation of Mexican culture and govern…
Prelude to revolution: the Porfiriato and the 1910 election
Liberal general and war veteran Porfirio Díaz came to the presidency of Mexico in 1876, and remained almost continuously in office until 1911 in an era now called Porfiriato. Coming to power after a coup to oppose the re-election of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, he could not run for re-election in 1880. His close ally, General Manuel González, was elected president (1880–1884). Díaz saw himself as in…
End of the Porfiriato: November 1910 – May 1911
On 5 October 1910, Madero issued a "letter from jail", known as the Plan de San Luis Potosí, with its main slogan Sufragio Efectivo, No Re-elección ("effective voting, no re-election"). It declared the Díaz presidency illegal and called for revolt against him, starting on 20 November 1910. Madero's political plan did not outline a major socioeconomic revolution, but offered the hope of change f…
Interim presidency: May–November 1911
With the Federal Army defeated in a string of battles with irregular, voluntary forces, Díaz's government began negotiations with the revolutionaries in the north. In historian Edwin Lieuwen's assessment, "Victors always attribute their success to their own heroic deeds and superior fighting abilities ... What happened in the spring of 1911 was that armed bands under self-appointed ch…
Madero presidency: November 1911 – February 1913
Madero had drawn some loyal and militarily adept supporters who brought down the Díaz regime by force of arms. Madero himself was not a natural soldier, and his decision to dismiss the revolutionary forces that brought him to power isolated him politically. He was an inexperienced politician, who had never held office before. He firmly held to democratic ideals, which many cons…
Military coup overthrows Madero: 9–22 February 1913
The Madero presidency was unraveling, to no one's surprise except perhaps Madero's, whose support continued to deteriorate, even among his political allies. Madero's supporters in congress before the coup, the so-called Renovadores ("the renewers"), criticized him, saying, "The revolution is heading toward collapse and is pulling the government to which it gave rise down with i…
Huerta regime and civil war: February 1913 – July 1914
Madero's "martyrdom accomplished what he was unable to do while alive: unite all the revolutionists under one banner." Within 16 months, revolutionary armies defeated the Federal Army and the Huerta regime fell. Like Porfirio Díaz, Huerta went into exile. The Federal Army was disbanded, leaving only revolutionary military forces.
Meeting of the winners, then civil war: 1914–1915
With Huerta's ouster in July 1914 and the dissolution of the Federal Army in August, the revolutionary factions agreed to meet and make "a last-ditch effort to avert more intense warfare than that which unseated Huerta". Commander of the Division of the North, Pancho Villa, and the Division of the Northeast, Pablo González had drawn up the Pact of Torreón in early July, pushing for a more rad…
The Porfiriato
Díaz and Madero
- Díaz expected to win easily and legally and was therefore shocked when it became evident that his opponent, Francisco I. Madero, was likely to win. Madero, a reformist writer who came from a wealthy family, was an unlikely revolutionary. He was short and skinny, with a high-pitched voice that became quite shrill when he was excited. A teetotaler and vegetarian, he claimed to be able …
Orozco, Villa, and Zapata
- In the southern state of Morelos, Madero's call was answered by peasant leader Emiliano Zapata, who hoped a revolution would lead to land reform. In the north, muleteer Pascual Orozco and bandit chieftain Pancho Villaalso took up arms. All three rallied thousands of men to their rebel armies. In the south, Zapata attacked large ranches called hacie...
The Rule of Madero
- Madero barely had time to get comfortable in Mexico City before things got hot. He faced rebellion on all sides, as he broke all of his promises to those who had supported him and the remnants of Díaz's regime hated him. Orozco, sensing that Madero was not going to reward him for his role in the overthrow of Díaz, once again took up arms. Zapata, who had been instrument…
The Huerta Years
- With the quasi-legitimate Madero dead, the country was up for grabs. Two more major players entered the fray. In Coahuila, the former governor Venustiano Carranzatook to the field and in Sonora, chickpea farmer and inventor Alvaro Obregón raised an army and entered the action. Orozco returned to Mexico and allied himself with Huerta, but the “Big Four” of Carranza, Obregó…
The Warlords at War
- With the despised Huerta out of the way, Zapata, Carranza, Obregón, and Villa were the four most powerful men in Mexico. Unfortunately for the nation, the only thing they had ever agreed on was that they did not want Huerta in charge, and they soon fell to fighting one another. In October of 1914, representatives of the “Big Four”as well as several smaller independents met at the Conve…
The Rule of Carranza
- Venustiano Carranza felt that as a former governor, he was the only one of the “Big Four” qualified to rule Mexico, so he set himself up in Mexico City and began organizing elections. His trump card was the support of Obregón, a genius military commander who was popular with his troops. Even so, he did not fully trust Obregón, so he shrewdly sent him after Villa, hoping, no doubt, that the t…
The Rule of Obregón
- Carranza reneged on his promise to support Obregón in 1920, which proved to be a fatal mistake. Obregón still enjoyed the support of much of the military, and when it became apparent that Carranza was going to install little-known Ignacio Bonillas as his successor, Obregón quickly raised a massive army and marched on the capital. Carranza was forced to flee and was assassi…
Women in The Revolution
- Before the revolution, women in Mexico were relegated to a traditional existence, working in the home and in the fields with their men and wielding little political, economic, or social clout. With the revolution came an opportunity for participation and many women joined up, serving as writers, politicians, and even soldiers. Zapata's army, in particular, was known for the number of …
Importance of The Revolution
- In 1910, Mexico still had a largely feudal social and economic base: rich landowners ruled like medieval dukes on large estates, keeping their workers impoverished, deep in debt, and with barely enough basic necessities to survive. There were some factories, but the basis of the economy was still mostly in agriculture and mining. Porfirio Díaz had modernized much of Mexi…