The 20th Century
Mexican, Russian, and Chinese Revolutions
Mexican Revolution
Causes
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The need for political and land reforms,
education, and nationalism
World War I affects - Economic recession
caused by the U.S.'s limited purchasing of
Latin American products led to an
unhappy population
Foreigners controlled large amounts of
the economy
Large land amounts under the hacienda
system were mainly controlled by the elite
(Economic unbalance)
Consequences
• Overthrew dictator Porfirio Diaz
• Created the Modern Mexican state
• Mexican Constitution of 1917- Promised land reform,
- Limited foreign land and resource
ownership
- Offered rights to workers
- Limited churches ability to own land
- Allowed for educational reforms
• National confederation formed to represent
workers in workers
• Party of the Institutionalized Revolution
formed into a powerful political force
Politics and Culture in Mexico
Political
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Porfirio Diaz's regime was in control
Corruption in the government and political
opponents were exiled
Government oppressed workers who
disagreed with the land distribution or
forced labor
Rigged elections kept Diaz in power
Marxist socialism grew among the
intellectuals
US intervened
Cultural
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Nationalism grew (ex. Secular schools that
focused on Mexican heritage)
Diego Rivera and Jose Orozco painted
murals and designed public buildings that
"informed, convinced, and entertained"
Novelists analyzed and wrote about past
events and heroes
The Catholic church opposed
secularization and education reforms
Peasant movement supported by the
church occurred in 1920 (Cristeros fought
against secularization)
Mexican Revolution
Key Players
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Francisco Madero- Democratic reformer in Mexico that proposed moderate
reforms in 1910
o Believed in moderate democratic reforms to relieve social tension wiothout limiting
economic growth
o Arrested by Porfirio Diaz and began the revolution against him when released from
prison
o Temporarily gained power but assassinated 1913
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Porfirio Diaz- A Mexican president from 1876-1911 (35 years officially and
unofficially)
o Imposed strong central government
o Under his rule Mexico modernized:
 Built mines, plantations, telegraph lines and railroads
 Modernization brought wealth to the nation-- Most wealth was maintained within
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a few families
Many lower classes were repressed and participated in forced labor
More Key Players
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Victoriano Huerta-Attempted to reestablish the central dictatorship in
Mexico following the removal of Madero in 1913
o Forced from power in 1914 by:
 Emiliano Zapata- A peasant leader who hoped rebellion would bring
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land reform
Pancho Villa- Mexican revolutionary and military leader in northern
Mexico along with Zapata
Alvaro Obregon-Emerged as leader of the Mexican government in 1915
and became president in 1920
I must-ache you a question,
who are these people?
Francisco Madero
Emiliano Zapata
Porfirio Diaz
Victoriano Huerta
Alvero Obregon
Pancho Villa
Russian Revolution
Causes
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Attempts to incorporate Lenin's version of
Communism
Economic strains from World War I
Many men joined the armies leaving farms
unattended causing food shortages (famine)
Workers rebelled due to poor working
conditions and they wanted higher pay
Government was corrupt and oppressive
-Tsar refused to initiate reforms
The rise of radical socialist parties who
wanted to overthrow tsarism and capitalism
(Mostly among the intelligentsia and
educated)
Consequences
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Ends tsarist rule in Russia
Creates the first Communist state
Withdrawal of Russia from World War I
Industrial growth and organization of
economy on five-year plans
Lenin redistributes land
Formation of Soviet Union
Russia eventually evolves into a world
power
Communism spreads and the world
begins to pick sides (communists versus
capitalists---ex. Cold War)
Rapid spread of education
Comintern (International office of
communism) developed
Russian Stabilization
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Leon Trotsky develops a new Red Army that used lower classes and peasants to
build a successful army that is loyal to the government
Lenin develops a New Economic Policy which promised some freedom to small
business and landowners
Food production began to recover under new economic policies
A new constitution set up a system of socialist republics
U.S.S.R.- The federal system of socialist republics established in 1923 in various
ethnic regions of Russia and was dissolved in 1991
o Controlled by Communists
o Diminished nationalities protest under the Bolsheviks
o Had mixed impacts-- it preserved ethnic Russians but did little to impact minority
groups like Jews
o Supreme Soviet developed which acted as a parliament but was controlled by
communists
o Comintern-Encourages the formation of communist parties elsewhere
o Overall: Communists take over with authoritarian rule and make it more efficient than
the last form of government, even enforced a political police
Key Players
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Vladimir Lenin- Russian founder of the Bolsheviks and leader of the Russian
Revolution
o First head of the U.S.S.R
o Communist radical
o Supported his New Economic Policy (combined capitalism with socialism),
redistributed land, and nationalized banks and industry
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Joseph Stalin- Successor to Lenin as head of the U.S.S.R. and led them through
World War II
o Fought for position by crushing his opponents
o Strong nationalist view of communism
o Represented the anti-Western strain on Russian tradition
o Established a series of five year plans to replace the New Economic Policy
o Pushed agricultural collectivization
o Furthered Cold War with the U.S.
o Comintern developed- International office of communism
More mustaches...
Vladimir Lenin
Joseph Stalin
"Have you signed
up as a volunteer?"
-Red Army"
Chinese Revolution
Problems After the Fall of the Qing
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Power struggle between warlords, students, politicians, and secret
societies
Japanese intruders
Communist movements
Internal divisions and foreign influences
Military commanders or warlords held the most power and that often
led to domination in politics
New ideologies developed
Poor/Weak military = DEFENSELESS
Western powers continuously intervened
Chinese Revolution
Causes
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Western Interference
Unfair treatment of peasants
Communism's spread
Weak rulers and warlord domination
Wish to unify China under a single
government
Wish for social reforms to solve poverty
problems
Japan's thirst for expansion and
imperialistic conquering in China
Chinese thinkers and younger generations
wanted to modernize China (Women's
rights, education, literacy, and Westernstyle culture)
Consequences
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End of the final Chinese dynasty
Internal fighting over power
-Marxist and Communist
Marxist Study Club developed
Communist Party for China develops,
which offers a solution to the void left
from the Qing
Guomindang forms as a Nationalist party
Communist Alliance forms between the
Soviet Union and China
-Whampoa Military Academy is founded
Events
• Long March
• May Fourth Movement: Attempt at
making China a liberal democracy
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Chinese Revolution
Key Players
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Yuan Shikai- A warlord in northern China after the fall of the Qing
Dynasty
o Hoped to seize the imperial throne
o President of China after 1912
o Resigned due to the Japanese invasion of 1916
Sun Yat-Sen- Head of the Revolutionary Alliance organization that led
1911 revolt against the Qing Dynasty
o Briefly elected president in 1911 before Yuan
o Created the Guomindang in 1919:
 A Nationalist party in China
 Drew support from local warlords and Chinese criminals
 Initially forged an alliance with communists in 1924 until the civil war
More Key Players...
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Chinese Marxists
o Li Dazhao-Chinese intellectual who gave attention to Marxist
philosophy
 Headed a study circle at the University of Beijing
 Saw peasants as the leaders of revolutionary communism
o Mao Zedong- Communist leader
 Advocated the rural reform and the role of peasants in the revolution
 Led Communist action against the Guomindang
 Long March of 1934- Communist escape from Hunan province during
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the civil war with the Guomindang ( Mao becomes the head of the
Communist Party
Seized control of all mainland China by 1949
Initiated the Great Leap Forward in 1958
Conclusion: Mustaches = Power
Yuan Shikai
Sun Yat-sen
Li Dazhao
Mao Zedong