Mexican%20Revolution

1
Mexican Revolution

• Enduring Understandings
• International conflict often leads to domestic
  changes.
• In times of crisis, people often turn to strong
  leaders in search of stability.
• Conflicts of the 20th Century were rooted in
  political and ideological differences around the
  world.
• Agenda
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• Questions about India and Southwest Asia
• Mexican Revolution
• Historiography
• Timeline and analysis
• Level 1 and 2 activities. Begin preparing for
  level 3.

2
Historiography How has the Revolution been
studied before?

• Orthodox View (ca. 1930-late 1960s)
• Revolution was a mass, unanimous uprising
  peasant v. small number of exploiters
• Regime of the 1920s was a populist, nationalist
  regime
• Despite emphasis on peasant movement, mostly
  Top-Down
• Myth of the Revolution supported by the
  government, 1930 ?
• Notable purveyors of this view Frank Tannenbaum,
  Robert E. Quirk, Charles Cumberland

3
Historiography (contd)

• Revisionist View (1968-1970s)
• There really was no revolution it was just a
  political shuffle of elites or just a great
  rebellion
• Just a change from one dictator (Diaz) to another
  (Calles/Cardenas)
• As revision develops, studies moved away from
  Top-Down and focused on the social movements
  (e.g. Jean Meyers La Cristiada)
• Development of the Microhistory (e.g. Paul
  Friedrichs Agrarian Revolution in a Mexican
  Village and Luiz Gonzalezs San Jose de Gracia)
• Notable purveyors of this view Ramon Ruiz, Jean
  Meyer

4
Historiography (contd)

• Post-revisionist view (1980s-now)
• Synthesis of the orthodox and revisionist views
• Revolution was first and foremost a social
  movement
• Regional perspective is key generalisation must
  be carefully constructed
• Continued debate over top-down (e.g. E Krauze) v
  bottom-up (regional microhistorians)
• Notable purveyors of this perspective Alan
  Knight, Linda Hall, John Womack, DA Brading

5
Historiography (contd)

• Top-Down v Bottom-up
• Who was more influential the leaders or the
  masses?
• Cannot understand the revolution looking only at
  the leaders it was a social revolution
• Yet can still learn a lot about the revolution
  from the careers of the leaders especially
  leaders such as Villa, Madero, Zapata, Obregon,
  Cardenas
• We will be looking at these leaders

6
Radicals/Revolutionaries v. Reformers

• What is a Radical/Revolutionary?
• Can be divided into 2 groups
• Agraristas groups led to revolt due primarily
  to agrarian grievances. Thus, main goal was
  agrarian reform (e.g. Zapata)
• Serranos groups led to revolt due to threats to
  way of life, varied based on region. Main goals
  included autonomy, political control, cultural
  independence (e.g. Pancho Villa)
• Both groups have common ground they entered into
  revolution due to expansion under the Porfiriato

7
Radicals/Revolutionaries v. Reformers (cont)

• What is a Reformer?
• Working through governmental or legal
  institutions to bring about change
• After the Armed Revolution, succession of
  Presidents who attempted to institutionalise the
  revolution through reforms
• Types of reforms depended on the President e.g.
  Obregon political Calles cultural Cardenas
  socio-economic
• Can a Reformer be a Radical? Are all
  Revolutionaries Radical?

8
Causes of the Mexican Revolution

• Reign of Porfirio Díaz
• Ruled as a dictator
• New Creoles
• Modernized Mexico
• Masses suppressed
• Working class wages declined
• 95 of rural population did not own any land
• Mestizo population grew rapidly after 1850

Porfirio Díaz (1876-1910)
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Start of the Revolution

• Election of 1910
• Francisco Madero ran against Díaz
• Díaz had Madero arrested on election day
• Madero called for Díaz to be overthrown
• Movement supported by peasants and the middle
  class
• Díaz forced to resign in May 1911

Francisco Madero (1911-1913)
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Mexican Revolutionaries (1910)
Francisco Madero
Pancho Villa
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The Revolution Spreads

• Madero was unprepared
• Lack of land reforms led to open rebellion
• Emiliano Zapata
• Land and Liberty
• Pancho Villa
• Madero was overthrown by General Victoriano
  Huerta in February 1913
• Madero was eventually assassinated

Pancho Villa
Emiliano Zapata
Mural to Zapata in Cuba
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Map of the Revolution
13
The Revolution Continues

• Huerta was opposed by a coalition led by
  Venustiano Carranza (top), Alvaro Obregón
  (bottom), Villa, Zapata, etc.
• Huerta was overthrown in 1914
• Carranza appealed to masses
• Mexican Constitution of 1917
• Villa and Zapata continued to rebel until 1919
  and 1920
• Carranza was overthrown in 1920
• Replaced by Obregon (1920-1924)

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Timeline of the Revolution
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Women in the Revolution

• Intellectuals
• Called for equal rights, womens suffrage, and
  other reforms
• Often endured threats, imprisonment, etc.
• Soldaderas
• Served as nurses, cooks, foraged for food, washed
  clothes and other services
• Served in the rebel army and the federal army
• Women Soldiers

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Women in the Revolution
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Women in the Revolution
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Aftermath of Revolution

• Over one million people died
• Revolution lacked a plan, a philosophy,
  intellectual leadership, or political parties
• Farming, ranching, and mining economies were
  destroyed
• Oil industry improved during revolution
• No major bank or newspaper survived

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Constitution of 1917

• Conferred strong powers to the president
• Laid basis for land reform
• No major redistribution until 1934
• Government ownership of mineral and water
  resources
• New labor laws
• No major labor laws until 1931
• Placed restrictions on the church and clergy
• Church went on strike in 1926

20
Aftermath Continued

• Alvaro Obregón (1920-1924)
• Built schools and encouraged nationalism
• Diego Rivera
• Mexico becomes a single-party system
• Party of Revolutionary Institutions (PRI)
• Dominated politics until 2000
• Lázaro Cárdenas (1934-1940)
• Redistributed 45 million acres of land
• 253 million would be redistributed by 1984
• Promoted economic nationalism
• Nationalized railroads (1937) and oil (1938)

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Diego Rivera
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Diego Rivera