Comparative 20th Century Revolutions

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Comparative 20th Century Revolutions

• China, Mexico, Russia

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Why?

• Rural discontent
• Industrial revolution impact class gaps, world
  markets, colonial independence movements
• Global economic slump
• World wars
• Ideological developments
• Resentment of Western cultural and economic
  hegemony shows up as nationalism

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Intellectual Roots in Liberalism Progress
history, Nationalism and Socialism

• Marxist Ideology (urban workers not peasants)
• Bolsheviks (Marxist-Leninism)
• But in Mexico, different model of revolutionary
  change
• Initally, liberal ideology of constitutions,
  representation and free elections
• Agrarian reform, redistribution of land as basis
  of wealth
• Later, Mao in China
• Peasantry key to revolutionary change

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Leadership
Sun Yat-sen
Lenin
Villa and Zapata in Presidential Palace
5
Intellectual Roots of Leaders

• Western education
• Madero
• Sun Yat Sen
• Lenin

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Causes Mexican Revolution

• Class gap and foreign ownership
• Mexico 1 owned 85 of land
• 95 of population were landless peasants
• American and British owned silver mines,
  plantations, railroads, ranches
• Peasants locked into debt relationships with
  landowners
• Devaluation of Mexican culture

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Mexico

• Prelude to Revolution
• Diaz
• Madero
• Reform Supporters
• Pancho Villa
• Venustiano Carranza
• Emiliano Zapata
• Alvaro Obregon
• Madero won 1912 election based on land reform
  (assassinated in 1913)

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MexicoMilitary Phase

• Agrarian Revolutionaries
• Zapata
• Tierra y Libertad
• Leader of landless peasantsRobin Hood
• Plan of Ayala redistribute land of wealthy
  (Hacendados) and seize foreign ownership of local
  resources
• Pancho Villa

9
Mexico- Reform Phase

• Succession of Presidents (military caudillos)
• Huerta
• Carranza
• Obregon
• (Calles)
• (Cardenas)

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Constitution Convention 1917

• More liberal than Carranza intended and initially
  not fully implemented
• Article 3 Secular Education
• Article 27 Land reform (nation is the original
  owner of all land, water and subsoil)
• Article 123 Labor reform
• Article 130 Restrictions on Church

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Mexico- Reform Phase

• General Obregon
• Land reform
• Labor
• Education
• Indigenismo
• US relationship

• 1920 Obregon wins election (Carranza murdered)

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Mexico- Womens Role

• Soldaderas
• In hope of social change
• Cooked and commanded troops
• Served as spies and couriers
• Shot carbines and pistols
• Fought disguised as men
• Constitution promised social reforms

• Dolores Jimenez
• Working class organization of women opposed to
  Diaz

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Motives for Mexican Revolutionaries

• We are the elements of a social movement which
  will not rest until it has enlarged the destinies
  of our motherland. We are the tools Destiny makes
  use of to reclaim the sacred rights of the
  people. We are not fighting to dethrone a
  miserable murderer, we are fighting against
  tyranny itself.
• Mariano Azuela, The Underdogs

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Legacy

• Mexico
• 2 million died in civil war (15 million)
• Agrarian reforms adopted
• Social programs initiated for workers and middle
  class-- literacy
• Constitution of 1917 social reforms promised
• Restoration of Mexican dignity, equality of
  Indians, mestizos, and whites, peasants and urban
  dwellers
• Political party begun by Madero would dominate
  Mexican politics for next 80 years.
• Trotsky would find exile (and execution) in
  Mexico
• But dependent development continued

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China

• Collapse of Imperial system- 1911
• Republic under Sun Yat-Sen
• 1916-1927 Warlord era

• Background
• Chinese defeat in war with Japan, 1895
• Boxer Rebellion failure 1899
• Death of Empress Dowager, 1908

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China

• Education
• Access for girls to school, work, western ideas
• Christianity
• Decline of footbinding
• New Culture Movement

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China- What Next?

• Resentment towards Japans 21 Demands
• May 4th Movement refusal to sign the Treaty of
  Versailles
• Beginning of Communist Party influence from
  Russia
• Growing nationalism

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February 1917, Russia

• Tsar Nicholas lost support, forced to abdicate
• Provisional Government amidst social revolution
  led by Alexander Kerensky
• Radicals organized soviets
• Continued involvement in the Great War

• Prior to WWI
• Emancipation of Serfs
• Crimean War
• Russo-Japanese war
• Bloody Sunday 1905
• Creation of Duma

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Bolshevik Message

• Peace, Bread and Land
• End to the war
• Land for the peasants
• Workers control of factories
• Self-determination for minorities

Lenin
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Civil War in Russia

• 1917-1921
• Allied invasion, typhoid epidemic, brutal
  fighting
• Communists won, pulled out of the war, signed
  surrender treaty, and changed name USSR.
• Left Germany with only one front to fight on.

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Russia
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Foreign Involvement

• Two US interventions during the Mexican
  revolution Poor Mexico so far from God, so
  close to the United States.
• ChinaSun Yet-sen had a western education, New
  Culture Movement
• Prior to war, foreign investment in Russia high.
• Russian Invasion by US, Britain, France and Japan
  was resented (and successfully resisted) by new
  Soviet state.

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Comparisons

• Causes
• Leaders
• Foreign Involvement
• Women
• Other