The Mexican Revolution

Pancho Villa

After the proclamation of the Mexican independence in 1821, two different groups fought for the control of the country, and eventually the Mexican revolution took place.

The “Conservadores” (Conservatives) and the “Liberales” (Liberals) clearly had different ideas about how to rule a nation. Although most presidents that came after the Mexican independence were ideologically conservatives, a liberal called Benito Juarez became president.

Interrupted only when the French invaded Mexico (aided by the conservatives), Juarez administration proved to be benefic for the Mexicans. He raised the cultural level, built roads and, among other things, separated the state from the church. The conservatives didn’t like Juarez’s actions, and in 1876 General Porfirio Diaz rebelled against him and seized power, becoming president of Mexico. His administration was called “The Porfiriato”.

The Porfiriato achieved great improvements in Mexico’s infrastructure, but the relative prosperity was not such. The Mexican people were submerged in poverty, the workers and farmers were extremely exploited and forced to work for very little money. Besides, the Porfiriato suppressed every form of democratic expression, and those who publicly showed dislike for the form of government were often tortured to death.

The Porfiriato lasted more than thirty years. In 1910, as the people’s opposition to his government was evident, Diaz (who had 80 years old) tried to convince the masses that he had the acceptance of the people by holding an election to serve as president for another term. The opposing candidate was Francisco Madero, an intelligent, well educated man with liberal ideas. Madero quickly gained popular support, even after Diaz imprisoned him in jail.

The election was held, and Diaz was declared the winner… with more than 90 percent of the votes.

Mexican people couldn't swallow this flagrant fraud, and a general insurrection broke out. Madero prepared the “Plan de San Luis Potosí”, a document in which he urged Mexicans to take armed action against Diaz on November 20. This started the Mexican Revolution, the crudest Mexican war of the 20th century.

Madero was put into jail in San Antonio, Texas, but his plan was already in motion. The revolutionary forces were guided by popular leaders, like Emiliano Zapata in the south, Francisco “Pancho” Villa in the north, and many others. However, they were never able to form an united revolutionary army, mainly because they didn’t have the same ideals.

The Mexican revolution itself didn’t last long, as Porfirio Diaz resigned in 1911 and was exiled to France, where he died in 1915.

However, the significant differences between the different revolutionary groups led to the second and most brutal part of the Mexican revolution: the civil war.