Mexican Revolution
I believe the Mexican revolution of the 1910s was a war of the people, against the harsh rule of dictatorships. The role of Mexico’s leader quickly changed hands from Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911), to Francisco I. Madero (1911-1913), to Victoriano Huerta (1913-1914), and finally to Venustiano Carranza (1914-1920). It all started due to Diaz and his hunger for power and unwillingness to let go of it; he went as far as blaming the people by claiming the indigenous and mixed people were “practically subhuman, degenerate, apathetic, irresponsible, lazy, treacherous, superstitious… destined to be a slave race.” (Brenner, 1984, p. 9) Throughout next ten years revolutionaries, and their constructed armies, fought to free Mexico from foreign control and for the rights of the middle and peasant classes.
Little had changed from the colony days by 1910. Foreigners still owned and operated most of the land, mines, factories and businesses using locals to be laborers making little money. By the day, Indians were losing more and more of their land, struggling to support even the simplest of lifestyles. In fact more than ninety percent of the total population was landless peasants and the unemployed. Under Diaz’s rule, Mexico was very welcoming to globalization, but gave little room for growth to the middle and peasant classes. Foreign investments were at an all-time high and the value of import export trade had risen by ten fold. (Chasteen, 2011)
Diaz’s continued to rule seven consecutive terms due to little opposition, securing votes through subtle manipulations and vote misrepresentations. Little changed until Francisco Madero was jailed and Diaz proclaimed a landslide victory; Madero simply demanded more power for the elites in the Diaz government. (Chasteen, 2011) From jail Madero wrote a letter calling for a revolt against Diaz. When Madero was let out he went to the peasants and middle class stirring up radicalism and making the people into revolutionaries.
Emiliano
Little had changed from the colony days by 1910. Foreigners still owned and operated most of the land, mines, factories and businesses using locals to be laborers making little money. By the day, Indians were losing more and more of their land, struggling to support even the simplest of lifestyles. In fact more than ninety percent of the total population was landless peasants and the unemployed. Under Diaz’s rule, Mexico was very welcoming to globalization, but gave little room for growth to the middle and peasant classes. Foreign investments were at an all-time high and the value of import export trade had risen by ten fold. (Chasteen, 2011)
Diaz’s continued to rule seven consecutive terms due to little opposition, securing votes through subtle manipulations and vote misrepresentations. Little changed until Francisco Madero was jailed and Diaz proclaimed a landslide victory; Madero simply demanded more power for the elites in the Diaz government. (Chasteen, 2011) From jail Madero wrote a letter calling for a revolt against Diaz. When Madero was let out he went to the peasants and middle class stirring up radicalism and making the people into revolutionaries.
Emiliano