The Mexican Revolution

1
The Mexican Revolution

• 1910 - 1940

2
Jose de la Cruz Porfirio Diaz1876 - 1911

• Led coup against President Lerdo de Tejada in
  1876
• Ruled from 1876-1911 as a caudillo
• Industrialized Mexico with foreign money
• Created differentiation of wealth and industrial
  inequalities within communities
• Was responsible for 1 of Mexican families
  controlling 85 of country's wealth
• Was blamed for formation of 900 large haciendas
  with 60 of population landless

3
Military Phase

• 1906 - 1920

4
Causes of the RevolutionNovember 20, 1910

• Political unrest led to founding of Mexican
  Liberal Party by Ricardo Flores Magon to support
  peasants labor force
• Beginning of Military Phase in 1906- Consolidated
  Copper Mine Strike- Cananea, Sonora
• -3 pesos for 10-11 hrs for Mexican 7 pesos for
  8-10 hrs for Americans
• -State troops and then U.S. forces to put down
  strike- 23 killed.
• 1907 Rio Blanco Textile Workers Strike 200
  killed by soldiers.
• 1907- 1910 Food crisis due to crop failures
• 1909- Francisco Madero, Anti- Reelectionist
  Partys presidential candidate

5
Francisco I. Madero

• Educated in France US
• Was leading critic of Diaz political machine
• Family of landowner class with political and
  economic ties to Diaz
• Madero and over 5000 supporters jailed
• Heard of fraudulent election of Diaz, wrote Plan
  of San Luis Potosi

6
Plan of San Luis Potosi-1910

• Published when fled to Texas
• Provisions
• Declared 1910 elections null and void
• Assumed title of Provisional President
• Called for free elections when conditions
  permitted
• No references to Mexicos social problems

7
Madero Supporters or Diaz Despisers?
Alvaro Obregon
Pancho Villa
Emiliano Zapata
Venustiano Carranza
Pascual Orozco
8
Maderos Power?

• Returned to Mexico only to find no rebel army.
• Jan. 1911- rebellion led by Pascual Orozco
  Francisco Pancho Villa in the North.
• 1909- Emilio Zapatas army of thousands of
  hacienda workers landless peasants in the
  South.

9
Treaty of Ciudad de JuarezMay 1911

• Capture of Juarez by Villa Orozco
• Several state capitals fell
• Demand by mobs for Diazs resignation
• Provisions
• End to hostilities
• Resignation and exile of Diaz to France
• Francisco de la Barra as provisional president

10
El Presidente Madero1911-1913

• Elected in 1911
• Dispute with Zapata over land reform
• Attempted revolts by Bernardo Reyes (Diaz aide)
  Felix Diaz (nephew)
• "Plan Orozquista, calling for social reforms and
  the removal of Madero, issued by Orozco.
• Pascual Orozco
• Coup led by Victoriano Huerta aided by American
  ambassador Henry Lane Wilson
• Revolt aided by release of Reyes and Felix Diaz
  (bombarded Mexico City)
• La Decena Tragica- Assassination of Madero VP
  February 22, 1913, supposedly shot while escaping
• Huerta assumes control

11
Emiliano Zapata

• Agrarian Revolutionary with Slogan of Tierra y
  Libertad
• Leader of hacienda workers landless peasants
• Demanded return of land taken under Diaz
• Opposed Maderos desire for orderly land reform
• Wrote Plan of Ayala
• Assassinated in 1919 by orders of General Pablo
  Gonzalez

12
Plan of Ayala November 1911

• Announced his presidency of Morelos
• Took land of Zapata enemies
• Returned ejidos (communal land) to peasants
• One-third of supportive hacendados redistributed

13
Victoriano Huerta1913- 1914

• General under Diaz
• Not recognized by Woodrow Wilson due to method of
  gaining power Recalled Henry Lane Wilson
• U.S. aids Huertas opponents
• Wanted to reestablish a form of Diaz regime
  dissolved both Houses of legislature
• February 1914- ¾ of Mexico controlled by rebel
  Revolutionary leaders.
• July 1914, forced into exile by Zapatistas,
  Pancho Villa, Carranza and U.S.
• With Orozco, attempted revolt from U.S.
• Arrested, jailed, died of illness

14
US Intervention? We never Intervene!

• Tampico incident- 1914
• - Arms embargo by US blockade of Vera Cruz
• - 14 US seamen arrested by Mexicans
• Vera Cruz occupation by US
• - Other Mexican leaders against U.S. actions
  thought theyd be happy
• - Troops pulled from from Revolution to
  Veracruz, leaves him vulnerable
• Mediated by ABC powers of South America

15
Pancho Villa

• agrarian revolutionary
• different land reform plan
• - All land confiscated to be used for revolution
  by government and distributed after end of
  revolution
• Leader of small ranchers, cowboys and unemployed
• Created well equipped and well paid professional
  army
• Later formidable opponent of Venustiano Carranza
  when he prevents Villa from entering Mexico city
  before Alvaro Obregon
• 1923- assassinated while driving car

16
Venustiano Carranza

• Governor of state of Coahuila
• Dissident member of landowning elite
• Believed Mexico needed energetic middle class
• Huertas most dangerous enemy
• Issues Plan de Guadalupe (March 1913) to counter
  Zapatas Plan de Ayala
• Took control of Mexico City in July 1914

17
Plan de Guadalupe-March 1913

• Carranza assumed leadership of rebellion
• Declared Huertas claim to power illegitimate
• Declared himself First Chief of the
  Constitutionalist Army
• Followed by edicts stating (Obregon)
• restoration of ejidos and establishing national
  agrarian commission
• called for improved conditions of poor

18
Aguacalientes ConventionOctober 1914

• Convention of Zapata, Villa, Carranzas
  supporters
• Hall controlled by Villa troops
• Carranza refused to attend, Obregon joined him in
  Veracruz
• Beginning of Civil War between Carranza Villa
• Villas statement- both should commit suicide for
  good of country
• Adoption of Plan de Ayala

19
Carranza gains power!

• Obregon defeated Villa, Villa returned to the
  north, Zapata continued to attack in the south
• Carranza moved to Mexico City
• conducted Constitutional Convention in February
  1917
• Became President in March 1917
• Broke politically with Obregon
• Obtained Wilsons support, accused by Villa of
  betrayal

20
The U.S. Rides Again!

• Attack of Columbus, NM by Villa
• General Pershing sent to capture and punish Villa
• Villa bigger hero- Mexico for the Mexicans!
• Carranza saw action as a "foreign invasion" of
  Mexico
• Expedition unsuccessful
• Recalled Pershing sent to Europe for WWI

21
Constitution of 1917

• Final document more liberal than Carranza
  intended
• Major clauses
• Article 3 - Secular education
• Article 27 - Land reform
• Article 123 - Labor reform
• Article 130 - Restrictions on Church

22
Article 3

• Compulsory elementary education
• Free Public education Prohibited religion from
  having any influence in public education

23
Article 27

• Nation owner of all lands, waters, and subsoil
• Expropriate with compensation
• All acts since Law of 1856 regarding ownership of
  the ejidos null and void

24
Article 127

• 8 hour work day
• No child labor
• Equal pay for equal work
• Wages in legal tender not goods, tokens or
  vouchers (end of tienda de raya)
• Right to bargain collectively, organize and
  strike

25
Article 130

• No law establishing a state religion
• Marriage a civil contract
• Ministers born in Mexico
• Limited property ownership by church

26
Carranza Beginning of the End

• Did not fully implement Constitution
• Announced Article 27 was retroactive, confiscated
  US oil companies land
• Remained neutral in World War I
• Zimmerman Telegram- Germans recover Texas, New
  Mexico, Arizona for Mexican alliance
• term end 1920 supported puppet Ignacio
  Bonillas
• Obregon a candidate
• Carranza manipulated electoral process to favor
  Bonillas
• Revolt by Obregon and Adolfo de la Huerta to oust
  Carranza
• Killed by bodyguard escaping by train with gold
  bullion, May 7, 1920

27
Reform Period

• 1920 - 1940

28
Alvaro Obregon

• Elected to office, replacing Adolfo de la Huerta
  who was provisional president
• Reestablished diplomatic links with US
• Pragmatic business approach to government
• Sought accommodation with all groups except
  reactionary clergy and landlords
• Modern version of "pan o palo

29
Obregon PoliciesLand Reform

• Created national agrarian commission to oversee
  state commissions
• Expropriated hacendado land for landless villages
• Paid with 20 year bonds
• Slow Reform due to
• - Litigation by landlordsArmed resistance by
  landlords
• - Opposition by clergy
• - Million acres distributed
• - 320 million acres in hands of hacendados
• - Government did not provide seeds, tools,
• credit, training

30
Obregon Policies Labor

• 1924- Confederacion Regional Obrera Mexicana
  (CROM) - labor union headed by Luis Morones
• Ties to Samuel Gompers and the AFL in the United
  States
• Semi-official status, supported by the government

31
Obregon Policies Education

• Jose Vasconcelos - Secretary of modern
  educational system
• Created rural school, La Casa del Pueblo
• - Designed to serve all of village
• - Taught Three Rs, art, music, sports, theater,
  instruction in sanitation and agriculture
• - Idealistic but many unprepared teachers
• - Itinerant teachers sent to train those in
  villages
• Murals on public buildings
• Priests denounced secular education
• did not enforce Article 3 (ban on religious
  primary schools)
• better to be taught by priest than stay
  illiterate

32
Obregon Policies Indigenismo

• Supported greatness of old Indian arts, Indian
  cultural heritage
• 1st director of Office of Anthropology-
• Manuel Gamio
• Preserved restored cultural heritage, i.e.,
  Teotihuacan
• Idealized Aztec Mexico through paintings and art

33
Obregon Policies US Relationship

• Bucareli Agreement - August 1923
• - Obregon- non-retroactivity of Article 27
• - Recognition of Obregon government by US
• Coup attempt - December 1923
• Prevented coup with military supplies from US

34
El Presidente Calles1924 - 1928

• Dominated next decade of Mexican politics
• Continued policies of Obregon
• Rapid growth of national capitalism
• Created National Bank, strengthened
  fiscal/monetary policy
• Organized National Road Commission
• Enacted National Electric Codes, stimulated
  growth of construction consumer goods
  industries
• Protective tariffs subsidies to industry
  (foreign and domestic)
• Land distribution increased, twice as much land
  distributed 8 million hectares

35
El President Calles (contd)

• Problems
• - Hacendados were able to choose the land they
  gave up, most of it was not arable
• - Calles did not provide tools or other items to
  make the land productive
• Government bank to lend money to ejidos
• - 4/5 of money to the hacendados due to
  superior credit ratings
• - Land reform seen as failure due to grain
  production of 1930 below production of 1910
• concluded peasant proprietorship not economically
  viable and ended land redistribution

36
Calles Labor

• Purpose of Trade unions, keep growing power of
  capitalism in check
• CROM- corrupt leaders low wages
• Formation of independent unions

37
Conflict with US-Say it aint so!

• Laws passed implementing Article 27
• Oil ownership a lease arrangement
• exchange title for 50 year concession (possible
  30 year renewal, possible further extension
• Mexican view
• Gave oil companies firm titles
• Stopped calls for nationalization of oil
• Oil Company view
• Confiscatory Law
• threatened to drill without concessions
• Saber rattling American hardliners

38
Conflict with US(contd)

• Intervention stopped by
• - progressive senators
• - press, church, academia
• - would have little us national support
• Mexican Supreme Court ruled time limit of law
  unconstitutional
• provided for confirmatory concessions
  reaffirmed national ownership of subsoil

39
Church vs. Modernization of Revolution

• January 1926- Church disavowed Constitution
• Enforced anti-clerical clauses by Calles
• Calles law
• - registration of priests
• - closed all religious primary schools
• Suspension of all religious services in Mexico
• boycott of all goods except necessities
• Cristeros targeted government schools teachers
• Severe government repression

40
Presidential Election of 1928

• Deal between Calles Obregon
• change in Constitution- allow former presidents
  to be reelected after one term
• term extended from 4 to 6 years
• Two opponents conspired against Obregon and
  Calles
• Arrested and shot by Calles orders
• Obregon elected
• Three weeks assassinated by Cristero in Mexico
  City

41
El Jefe Maximo

• Three different men placed as president by
  Calles- each resigned
• 1929 military uprising crushed

42
National Revolutionary Party (NPR)

• Established official political party of Mexico by
  calles.
• Name changed to Party of the Mexican Revolution
  (PRM) to Party of Institutional Revolution (PRI)
• Turned conservative with Great Depression
• Progressive wing of PNR with General Lazaro
  Cardenas as party chairman in 1930
• Nominated for presidency with Calles blessing
• Cabinet picked by Calles

43
El Presidente Cardenas1934 - 1940

• Continued reformation
• Established spirit of service in bureaucracy
• Closed gambling houses
• Cut own salary in ½
• 45 million acres of Land distributed
• land given to both the ejido the rancho
• large collective farms established
• provided with seeds, machinery, credit
• Increased productivity

44
Cardenas Problems with Agrarian Reforms

• Dealt with land hunger, not real agricultural
  development
• Ejido size too small
• Distributed land of poor quality
• Inadequate technical assistance

45
Labor Reforms of Cardenas

• Corrupt leaders removed
• Confederacion de Trabajadores Mexicanos (CTM)
  replaced CROM
• Strikes supported by government when appropriate

46
Fall of Calles

• Actions angered Calles, plotted against Cardenas
• Cardenas installed new Anti-Calles cabinet
• 1936- Calles deported for "plotting against the
  government
• Reorganized and purged party of Calles influence.
  
• Renamed Party of the Mexican Revolution (PRM)
• Three pillars- Labor, Peasantry and Army

47
Oil Crisis

• American British oil companies vs. workers
  unions
• Strike to arbitration, but companies refused
  settlement
• March 18, 1938- oil companies
• nationalized by Cardenas
• Economic Independence
• 90 of mining still in foreign hands
• No strong action by US due to
• Good Neighbor Policy under Franklin Roosevelt
• Ambassador understood Cardenas policies and
  reasons
• Timing of move fortunate
• Coming war in Europe
• Mexico pay all just claims

48
El Presidente Camacho

• 1940 election- Avila Camacho
• Conservative, but loyal to Cardenas