Mexico: the Revolution (1910-1917)

I. Elite Reorganizationa. Madero’s Revolution

i. 1908 Francisco Madero1. member of Northern Elite2. began challenging Diaz for the election3. wanted to challenge the legitimacy of Diaz getting re-

elected every time4. made a book about this5. Diaz used this to see everyone who was going to go against

hima. Gives an interview with an American saying he

thinks someone else should runb. This brings more people outc. Begins harassment of candidates

i. Reyes runs and is sent out of countyii. Madero is jailed

6. after his arrest Madero leaves Mexico in exile, and begins running a revolution

a. goes to US who supposedly wanted him harbored7. His revolution was not his – he sparked it but was not well

known enough to run it – although he was identified as the leader people didn’t do it because of him

8. for those who liked to status quo (upper elite and foreign interests) – revolution is not wanted – want to find a way to quell this quietly

9. Pretty much everyone wanted Diaz out for one way or another be it for stability or revolutionary ideas

ii. Zapata rises upiii. Federal army is confused as to who to followiv. 1911

1. people around Diaz convince him that he can’t win and that the best thing for the ideas he had was to resign

a. accepts this and resigns and leaves for Parisv. Adolfo De La Huerta comes in afterward in a provisional gov’t to

arrange electionvi. Madero becomes elected

vii. Zapata refuses to put down arms and revolts against the Madero because Madero didn’t want agrarian reform

viii. Reyes does this as well but is defeated, Zapata is notix. Another Huerta is sent to quell Zapata after it becomes clear that

Zapata won’t lay down arms until he gets his land backx. 1912 Zapata is still in rebellion, and more are coming up

1. Felix Diaz (son of other dicator)

a. Rebelling because he was interesting in maintaining the status quo and a new leader was too scary

xi. Rebellion is going because putting Madero in power didn’t solve their problems

xii. All Madero did was end a dictator not fix oppressionxiii. Madero is incompetent at stopping revolutions

1. many people upset with this and lose faith in him – most of his support

b. Failures & Conspiracyi. Reactionaries begin conspiracy

ii. Foreign interests want to stabilize but want outcome in their favoriii. Conspiracy launched organized by the American ambassador

1. from his point of view someone had to do something and the US had the most at stake

2. tried to find someone to take him out3. Huerta (general) is the brutal guy4. fostered a coup

c. The Coup of 1913i. Huerta moves in for a coup

ii. Kills Madero and his VPiii. Takes control and kicks US outiv. British like thisv. US withholds recognition of Huerta in hopes that it would

undermine his regimevi. 1913 this stuff is happening

vii. Outside mexico city the revolutions shift toward Huerta1. Caranza begins the constitutionalist revolution against

Huerta because it was unconstitutional viii. Caranza is a nationalist northerner who wants to block American

intervention1. not a revolutionary just wanted to go against what had just

happenedix. Pancho Villa

1. now sees an opportunity under the cloak of the constitutional revolution to get more radical change

2. joins Caranzax. Obregon is a northern political chieftain who had rose up to the

middle class1. Also sensitive to the American role and also saw madero as

the best possible shelter for his interests2. Joins Caranza3. will seek out allies among workers4. over time his supporters will be urban workers5. in the beginning he quickly demonstrates military

capability

6. but has different views than caranza – they are from different backgrounds

II. Revolutionary Triumph and Dispute (1913-1916)a. Huerta & the Dissatisfied

i. Has no significant support and has 3 opponents1. Caranza in the North2. Zapatistas in the South3. 1914 US occupies Verz Cruz – great port that is crucial to

the regimeii. Huerta is forced to flee and is killed in 1914

iii. When huerta dies there is no president but there are armies coming in

iv. Here Villa breaks from Caranza1. Villa would take the lands of those he defeated and divided

them among his followers – caranza doesn’t like this – he wants the land

v. 3-way struggle for Mexico City1. Caranza with Obregon2. Pancho Villa3. Zapata

vi. 1914 – Villa and Zapata get there first and hold a constitutionalist convention in Aguascalientes

vii. Intellectuals join the revolutionaries b. Constitutionalists & Zapatistas

i. Zapata decides he doesn’t want to project his local concerns on the nation and backs away form the constitutional side – he just wanted huerta out

ii. This leaves Villa alone to fast Carranza & Obregonc. Triumph of Carranza & Obregon

i. 1915 Villa is defeated and retreats to the northii. Villa goes over the border in 1916 and kills a few Americans

provoking the US1. other than that his role recedes

iii. 1915 with the defeat of villa Caranza is the sole revolutionary general in control and the US recognizes him in hopes of being a part of the stabilization - WRONG

III. The Constitution of 1917a. Carranza’s Search for Legitimacy

i. Pershing (US General) is sent into Mexico to “chase Villa” but it was really another bargaining chip with negotiations

1. plans in the state dept. to take over northern mexico2. why bother negotiating and just take what we want3. Pershing was a forward force for that

ii. In 1917 the US enters WWI and Woodrow Wilson doesn’t want to go into Mexico when he has to be in Europe

iii. Caranza is left bruised scared but in power with US recognition in 1917

iv. At that point he decides it’s time to consolidate his position domestically

v. Obregon says that to do that you are going to have to find a way to appease everyone who was fighting and try to contain them or we will be constantly faced with rebellions and if we stay unstable the chance of US intervention will eventually grow

vi. Caranza calls for a constituent assembly in 1917 in Queretarovii. Obregon is sensitive to more radical ideas than Caranza – and sees

this as a way Caranza could consolidate powerviii. Caranza wants to consolidate power and move away from a radical

governmentsix. The left wing in this convention take of the title of Jacobinos (from

Jacobins from France)x. Becomes obvious that there are more Jacobinos than conservatives

xi. The assembly gets a radical constitutionb. Meaning of the Constitution

i. Anti-clerical1. under Profirio the church got a lot of its land back, they

don’t’ want the church to have powerii. Urban Workers wanted the right to organize and wanted

restrictions on abuse, an 8 hour day and protections for women and children – defend urban organized labor rights

1. obregon comes in and makes this alliance and makes sure it comes through

iii. MOST IMPORTANT REFORMS (both land)1. Sub-soil – control of natural resources

a. Reasserted the right that the crown owned the right to the sub-soil minerals – they belonged to the nation

b. You can exploit them but you don’t own themc. US fought this and hated and kept the US and

Mexico in heated debate from 1917-late 1920’s2. Reform – redistribution of land

a. More revolutionaryb. Not right for the people who work the land not to

ownc. Should be a just redistribution of land

i. From those who stole the land and exploited them, to those who fought in the revolution

iv. This constitution presents a benchmark by which to measure future regimes

v. The importance is that it embodies the revolutionary ideas, even though it was not enforced right away

c. Fall of Carranza (1920)

i. 1920 Caranza’s administration is coming to an endii. Seeks to impose his own successor

iii. Obregon who expected to be the next pres.iv. Obregon overthrows Caranza and Caranza is killed in flightv. Obregon holds an election and is elected president