Mexican Revolution – 1910-1940
I.
Causes of revolution
a. Opposition to Porfirio Díaz’s dictatorship (1876-1911)
i. People of Mexican suppressed and given few benefits
1. workers experienced decline in real wages for a long period of time (inflation
rate greater than increase in wages)
2. women were given inferior social and economic status, as they had lower
wages, abusive living conditions, and legal discrimination
3. no land distribution
a. The majority of the land was in the hands of 1000 Mexican families and
less than 200 families owned 25% of the land with 2 families collectively
owned 24 million acres of land
i. De la Garza hacienda in Coahuila was 11,115,000 acres and the Huller
estate in Baja, California was 13,325,650 acres in size
b. The church owned 25% of land, in which they rented out to people of faith
for money
c. Foreigners owned 25% of the land
d. 95% of campesinos owned no land
e. 90% of ejidos owned no land
ii. Foreign powers able to control the Mexican economy
1. Foreigners had control over many mining sites, oilrigs, railroads
(infrastructure), and many utilities
2. Foreigners owned about 20% of Mexican land
3. The Mexicans did not embrace foreign influence because this meant that the
foreigners were making profits off of Mexican property and the Mexicans did
not like this idea
b. Crop failures and recessions between 1906 and 1908
i. A result of lack of resources, causing huge unemployment since farmers could not
work when there was recession and crop failures; workers could not work without
raw materials
c. Díaz announced in 1908 that he was open to having an opposition party, opening
Mexico for democracy
i. Led to rise of Francisco Madero
1. popular among the people and named candidate for opposition party formed
in April 1910
a. Díaz saw Madero’s popularity as a threat so Madero arrested on charges of
preparing an armed insurrection
b. Díaz won election by unanimous vote on June 21 released Madero on
bail since he was no longer seen as a threat
2. Upon release, Madero opted for an armed struggle since he didn’t think Díaz
could be removed peacefully
a. Went to Texas on October 7, 1910 and announced Plan of San Luis Potosí
i. Madero was allowed to organize his revolution on US soil without
having much interference by the authorities, showing US displeasure
with Diaz due to Diaz favoring Britain over US
II.
III.
ii. Previous election in which Díaz “won” considered null and void
iii. Madero provisional president until free elections could be held
iv. Aimed to overthrow Díaz by use of violence
v. Had vague agrarian policies and promised some land reform
Course of revolution
a. Madero’s return to Mexico
i. Greeted by only 25 supporters when he returned, but soon gathered momentum
and two major movements (one under Pascual Orozco and Pacho Villa in
Chihuahua, the other under Emiliano Zapata in Morelos) were influenced by
Madero
b. Complot de Tacubaya (March 1911)
i. Some maderistas organized an urban revolt against Díaz that advocated a
revolutionary social agenda including protecting indigenous rights, agrarian
reform, 8-hour workday, equal pay for equal work, and equal access to education
ii. Although quickly suppressed, it was successful in undermining Díaz’s confidence
in his ability to rule  seeking compromise with Madero shortly after
c. Treaty of Ciudad Juárez (May 21, 1911)
i. Cause: Zapatistas won two decisive victories in May  Díaz decided to reach an
agreement with Madero instead of face an invasion by Zapata
ii. Provisions
1. Díaz removed from power, but all existing institutions left
2. nothing regarding social change involved
Madero’s presidency (1911-1913)
a. October 1911 – elected president by overwhelming majority
b. Closely tied with old regime and had no sympathy with the revolution, as attempts
were made to disband the revolutionary troops
c. Díaz bureaucracy remained largely intact
d. No fundamental solutions for social and economic problems (little change)
e. Conception of democracy was that masses had illusion of power while all decisions in
hands of elite
f. Allowed organization of trade unions, strikes, and national workers’ center
g. Answer to agrarian problem was an inadequate program of purchase of land from
large landowners and recovery of national land for distribution among the landless
peasants
i. Failure of agrarian reform lost him trust and support from peasants
h. Madero seen as incompetent, so Zapata attempted to overthrow him
i. Plan of Ayala (November 28, 1911) – stated “the lands, woods, and waters
usurped by the hacendados, científicos, or caciques through tyranny and venal
justice” would be returned to their owners
ii. Madero failed to stop the revolt
i. Loss of US support because he didn’t favor Americans
i. February 12, 1913 – Wilson sent Madero a protest against the military operations
conduct in Mexico City since they threatened American life and property
ii. February 14, 1913 – Wilson invited other foreign diplomats to conference and it
was agreed that they would force Madero to resign
j. February 18, 1913 – some of Huerta’s troops arrested Madero and a few others
IV.
i. Huerta headed provisional government; Félix Díaz (nephew) would be given
chance once elections could be held
Huerta’s regime (1913-1914)
a. “Proper” elimination of Madero – Huerta obtained “voluntary” resignations from
Madero and his VP; the two were then murdered on February 22 on way to
penitentiary
b. Seizure of power was greeted warmly by landed aristocracy, capitalists, and church
c. Biggest effort was to restore Díaz’s system of personal dictatorship
d. Félix Díaz would never succeed Huerta
e. Continued Madero’s labor policies, but later closed down Casa del Obrero Mundial
when labors aligned themselves with the anti-Huerta movement
f. Revolutionary wave grew even stronger with Madero’s murder and dictatorship
g. Zapata intensified fight; anti-Huerta coalition formed in North
i. Huerta’s campaigns against Zapatistas failed to gain any decisive victories
ii. Zapata forced Huerta to commit a large amount of troops to south (where he was
attacking), which allowed northern revolutionary movement to succeed
h. Favored Britain over US  US opposed Huerta
i. Woodrow Wilson refused to recognize Huerta regime because he was convinced
Huerta could not provide the stable political climate US interests required
ii. November 1913 – Wilson sent note to British officials basically stating that the
US “intends not merely to force Huerta from power, but also to exert every
influence it can exert to secure Mexico a better government under which all
contracts and business concessions will be safer than they have been”  make
Mexico more US-friendly
iii. Wilson obtained end of British support for Huerta in 1914 by yielding to British
request for uniform rates on all goods shipped through the Panama Canal 
Huerta’s financial position became increasingly difficult
1. Tried avoiding trouble by suspending payment on interest on national debt for
6 months, but that only increased his difficulties
iv. US lifted existing embargo on arms shipments to Carranza’s forces after they
promised they would respect foreign property rights
v. Dolphin Incident – Dolphin cruiser landed in restricted area of Tampico, and US
sailors aboard were arrested but quickly released with an apology
1. commander of Dolphin demanded formal disavowal of actions and various
other things that was the equivalent of political suicide
2. fleet sent into Gulf of Mexico and on April 21, 1914, Wilson ordered seizure
of Veracruz after learning a German merchant ship with munitions was on the
way
3. Huerta’s forces evacuated; US occupied Veracruz  Mexicans not too happy
vi. Huerta fled for Europe on July 15, 1914 after Villa and Obregón seized many
important cities  US had no pretext for continuing armed intervention, but
Wilson delayed evacuation of Veracruz as long as possible in hope of securing
commitments from Carranza that would prevent any basic changes in Mexico’s
social and economic structure; Carranza rejected demands and insisted on ending
military intervention  US evacuates on November 23, 1914 because they feared
revolutionary convention’s radical threat to US economic interests (especially oil)
V.
VI.
VII.
Pancho Villa
a. Pancho Villa, leader of the northern anti-Huerta movement, won control of
Chihuahua after capturing Chihuahua City
b. Employed soldiers as civil militia and administrative staff to restore normal life
c. Reduced meat prices and distributed money, clothing, and other goods to the poor
d. Established about 50 new schools in Chihuahua City (very passionate about
education)
e. December 1913 – announced expropriation without compensation of pro-Huerta
oligarchy holdings in Chihuahua
i. These lands remained under state control until victory of revolution
ii. Revenues from estates used to finance revolution and support windows/orphans of
soldiers
iii. Once victory achieved, used to pay pensions to windows/orphans, to compensate
veterans, to restore village lands taken by hacendados, and pay taxes left unpaid
iv. Cattle on the lands sold to US for arms/ammunition for army, given to urban
unemployed for food, or sold in markets
f. in 1914, he seized Torreón (major railroad center), Monterrey, Saltillo, Tampico, and
Zacatecas  leading to flight of Huerta
g. after 1915, he ceased to exist as a major political and military factor
i. forced out of Mexico City by Carranza (January 19, 1915)
ii. attacked by Obregón in April 1915 in railroad center of Celaya (first time Villa
suffered disastrous defeat)
iii. by end of 1915, he was in Chihuahua; carried on guerrilla warfare for three years
but nothing major
Emiliano Zapata
a. Essentially took land from haciendas and distributed it to the peasants
b. Plan of Ayala (see III.h.i)
c. Anarchist; never achieved presidency
Venustiano Carranza
a. Landowner in Coahuila who served under Díaz but joined Madero in 1911
b. March 26, 1913 – announced Plan de Guadalupe
i. Called for overthrow of Huerta and restoration of constitutional government
ii. Did not mention anything on social reforms
c. assumed title of first chief of the Constitutionalist Army
d. able to recruit Villa and Alvaro Obregón, leader of anti-Huerta group in Sonora
e. disproved of US action in Veracruz and demanded immediate evacuation
f. after flight of Huerta, hostility emerged between Carranza and Villa
i. Carranza had no position on agrarian problem, role of church, and new political
order  Villa proposed a clause which Carranza unwillingly agreed to
1. defined the present conflict as a struggle of poor against abuses of power
2. implant democratic regime
3. secure well-being of workers and emancipate peasants economically
4. equitable land distribution and “whatever else is needed to solve the agrarian
problem”
ii. October 1914 – meeting at Aguascalientes to settle differences between
Villa/Carranza
VIII.
IX.
X.
1. endorsed Plan of Ayala, assumed supreme authority, and called for Carranza
resignation with General Eulalio Gutiérrez provisional president
2. Carranza refused to resign  armies of Zapata and Villa advanced to capital
and occupied it, forcing Carranza to flee to Veracruz
iii. December 4, 1914 – two came to agreement; decided Guitiérrez would have state
power since both were unskilled in politics
1. Guitiérrez sabotaged Conventionist war effort and opened secret negotiations
with Obregón
2. convention unable to forge a clear national program of socioeconomic
reforms that could unite interests of peasantry, industrial workers, and middle
class
3. Constitutionalists (headed by Carranza) adopted a program of social reforms
designed to win the support of the peasants and workers  “Adiciones”
g. “Adiciones” to the Plan of Guadalupe (December 1914)
i. promised agrarian reform and improved conditions for industrial workers
ii. January 6, 1915 – restored lands usrped from the villages and expropriated
additional needed land from haciendas while secretly promising hacendados that
he would return land confiscated by revolutionary authorities, a promise he kept
iii. Gained labor support by promising minimum-wage law that applied to all
branches of industry and by affirming right to form trade unions and to strike
iv. Appealed for women’s support
h. Brought back Casa del Obrero Mundial after fall of Huerta
i. Gained support of US  could exercise more power with less opposition
j. Early 1915 – captured Puebla and threatened the capital  Gutiérrez left the city and
shortly after submitted his resignation
i. Pressured Villa and forced him to evacuate Mexico City on January 19
k. October 1915 – Wilson acknowledged Carranza’s presidency and placed arms
embargo on Carranza’s opponents
i. US still wanted to have significant influence on the revolution, so a memorandum
to Carranza dictated the conditions to be met before he could obtain de jure
recognition
ii. Basically stated that US could determine Mexican policy in foreign economic
rights, role of the church, elections, etc.  Carranza rejected
l. US/Mexican relations deteriorated sharply in 1916
i. Mexican federal/state authorities tried to regulate foreign oil company operations
ii. Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico because angered at arms embargo
1. US responded by sending General John Pershing to pursue Villa into Mexico
2. Carranza denounced invasion, demanded withdrawal, and prepared for war
3. Wilson accepted offer to negotiate settlement after Pershing failed to get Villa
m. Constitution of 1917
Alvaro Obregón
a.
Plutarco Elias Calles
a.
Lazaro Cardenas