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Santa Anna
In 30 years after independence, Santa Anna dominated Mexican politics; he was a President 5 times between 1833 and 1855 and was relied on for military victories. His power was aligned with liberal reformers, but as his power rose, he became more conservative. He was exiled several times and in 1855, a group of reformers finally overthrew Santa Anna and he did not return. -
Benito Juarez
Benito Juarez was a leader of the reformers that overthrew Santa Anna. He put a series of major reforms, reducing the power of the Catholic Church and military. Consequently, many conservatives were outraged and a civil war erupted. With help from the US government, Juarez and his liberal allies won. After the Mexican Republic was restored, Juarez was reelected as President and he became one of Mexico’s greatest national heroes. Juarez eventually lost power in 1911. -
Napoleon III
French emperor Napoleon was the first President of France and his goal was to restore a French empire in the Americas. In 1861, he sent French troops into Mexico, overthrew the Mexican government, and installed Austrian archduke Maximilian as emperor of Mexico. -
Austrian Archduke Maximilian
Austrian Archduke Maximilian was installed the emperor of Mexico by Napoleon III. Mexican conservatives supported him and believed he would restore the power of the church. However, Maximilian ended up alienating both the conservatives and liberals. When the French withdrew troops, Maximilian did not have enough support to stay in power. He was then forced to surrender and was executed by Republican troops. The Mexican Republic was then restored and Juarez was reelected as President. -
Porfirio Diaz
Porfirio Diaz came to power in Mexico after the death of Benito Juarez in the 1870’s and helped modernize Mexico by encouraging foreign investment. In order to win the 1910 election, he jailed his opponent Francisco Madero. But in 1911 Madero and Francisco Villa captured the city of Juarez ending Diaz’s government. -
Jose Marti
Jose was well reversed in many different topics. He was a poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher. In the end though, he was well known for his role in Cuban liberation. He traveled to Spain, Latin America, and the US to gain support for the Cuban independence movement. He died on May 19th, 1895 in military action. -
Emilio Aguinaldo
He was a very accomplished man who was the former president of the Philippines, a politician, and a military man. He used his skill set as a Filipino revolutionary. He was one of the leaders that led the army against Spain in many battles. After the revolution, he was the youngest president of the Philippines ever, and he was the first one where it was a republic. This took place in 1899. -
Teddy Roosevelt
Roosevelt's main accomplishment was becoming the 26th president of the United States back in 1901. He was known to be a very unique man who had many interests like guns and horses. There were many policies and ideas introduced during his presidency that we still see today. Possibly his biggest accomplishment was the Panama Canal in 1904 which cut travel time between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. This was useful for trading between countries through boats. -
Francisco Madero
Francisco Madero was the reformer minded presidential candidate in the 1910 election but was wrongfully put in jail so that his opponent could win. He declared himself president of Mexico after being released from jail and fleeing to Texas. Madero late overthrew Diaz as president of Mexico. Within months of his presidency, army chief Victoriano Huerta imprisoned Madero and he was executed in 1914. -
Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa led a band of rebels who supported Madero’s ideas and helped Madero overthrow Diaz in 1911. When Carranza declared himself president, Villa led attacks against his government including an attack across the U.S border. U.S forces were unable to capture him but he stopped the attacks in 1920. -
Victoriano Huerta
Victoriano Huerta was an army chief who seized power and imprisoned Madero. Many Mexicans did not support his government causing a string of revolts against him. Huerta resigned in July of 1914 after struggling to stay in power and fled to Spain. -
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata was a Mexican revolutionary who called for land reform. He helped Madero overthrow Diaz as president and led a campaign that seized land and returned it to the rural poor. Zapata also occupied Mexico City and implemented land reform with Pancho Villa. But he was ambushed and killed by Carranza’s forces in 1919. -
Venustiano Carranza
He was a Mexican Revolutionary that led the way for the Mexican revolutionary army. He was a big reason why the army was successful in overthrowing Portfirio Diaz and creating a new government in Mexico. After the war, he became the first president of the new republic on May 1st, 1917.