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Porfirio Diaz's Presidency
Porfirio Diaz ruled during the Porfiriato. He was known to be dictatorial and harsh; he ruled as a caudillo. His initial campaign called for the end of re-election, but he was reelected for eight terms. His main concern was improving the economy of Mexico. During his time there was a lack of upward mobility and towards the end of his presidency, there was also a recession. He is considered a reactionary. -
Madero and the Elections
In 1910, Francisco Madero wrote and published a book entitled The Succession of 1910 that harshly criticized Diaz's presidency and his regime, naming it unconstitutional and undemocratic. Because of this Diaz held elections, and despite overwhelming support for Madero, Diaz won again. Madero and his supports claimed that the elections were a farce and solely for show and claimed that he was the real President of Mexico. He called for a fight against Diaz and Pascual Orozco led the first battle o -
Orozco leads forces against Madero
Orozco, upset that Madero did not fulfill promises of land reform and did not put Orozco at the head of the army, led his forces in a revolution again Madero. This was the maneuvering of different power groups all trying to get control of parts of Mexico. His supporters included peasants to supporters of the Diaz regime. Madero had Victoriano Huerta and Pancho Villa attack Orozco. -
Huerta defeats Orozco and Madero; Claims Presidency
Huerta, known as ruthless and drunk, defeats Orozco, who is sent into exile, and became the head of the army. In this position, he arrests Villa for conspiring against the government and murders Madero in February. He names himself President. -
Battle of Zacatecas
This was Huerta's bloodiest battle in his campaign and it resulted in victory by Villa. Huerta's loss in this battle led to the end of his regime and Villa and Carranza working together with the constitutionalists. The Carranza Villa coalition jockeyed for power just before Huerta went into exile in August. Carranza names himself provisional President and leaves Villa in the dust so he denounces Carranzas authority. This leads to Villa adopting the Plan of Ayala and a constitutional convention i -
Constitutional Convention
At this convention, it was declared that Carranza's rule and regime was unconstitutional and "in rebellion" because he refused to share his power and that made him unfit to lead Mexico as he lacked the support of Villa and Zapata and their supporters. Once Villa led an army of Villistas towards the convention, the delegates were frightened and Obregon and the delegates threw their support behind Carranza. In November, the constitutional convention delegates affirm that Carranza is "in rebellion. -
Crumbling of Villa
Once Carranza left the city, Villa and Zapata took over Mexico City and December brought the beginning of the reign of terror in Mexico City by the Villistas. At this point, it was believed that Villa was constantly drunk and let his army run amok. Villa even had the interim President, Gutierrez shot. Carranza and Obregon began to plan to destroy Villa. Carranza had won the civil war by 1915. -
Constitution of 1917
At this point Carranza's government had already been recognized by the US, so when he and Obregon wrote the Constitution of 1917 that restricted clerical rights, provided rights of labour, and named property rights, he just gained more support. But with the right for more military funding in the constitution, Villa reappears and gathers support. -
Carranza's Presidency
Carranza was President and abided by the constitution he wrote. Towards the end of his Presdiency, he made the mistake of trying to hand pick his successors so that he could control them. He and Obregon were to alternate presidency, but Obregon had another idea. Carranza tried stripping him of all rank and denouncing him but it didn't work, and Carranza ended up trying to flee with the treasury, records, and a part of the army. He was killed by rebels before he could reach his destination -
Obregon-Villa Negotiations and Amnesty
Obregon and Villa negotiate for presidency and come to an agreement. Obregon would be president and Villa would get fifty acres and security, but he had to quit his public life and accept peace. Obregon was a natural politician because he was an appeaser and negotiator. He offered amnesty to the rebels and they would not get arrested. It is with these agreements of amnesty that the Mexican Revolution ended. -
Villa's Press Release
At the end of his presidency, Obregon wanted to ensure that there would continue to be progress and Villa would not start another uprising. Obregon has Villa speak at a press conference and say he will accept Plutarco Elias Calles as the next president and will not rebel. Villa does the exact opposite and says that he will gather up 60,000 men in an instant. Obregon has Villa assassinated. This is important because with Villa's death comes the death of any real threat of rebellion. -
Calles and the Maximato
Calles, as President, encourages industrial and commercial development. He began distributing land to peasants but stopped. After his presidency, Obregon was supposed to return, but a Cristero murdered him. Calles ruled as Jefe Maximo by controlling presidential surrogates. He ruled politics for ten years. He didn't really believe in agrarian reform, only saw it as a way to appease peasants. He brought modernity to Mexico. -
Cristero Rebellions
The Cristero Rebellions were a result of the Calles Laws that eliminated most clerical education and practice. The enforcement of these laws angered priests and religious peoples and so they rebelled. The rebellion was centered around the city of Jalisco. The Calles Laws were a result of the church denouncing the Constitution of 1917 as "wounding the sacred rights of the Catholic Church." Obregon was killed by a rebel of the Catholic church. -
Creation of PRN/PRI
Calles created the National Revolutionary Party, and even though it changed to the Institutional Revolutionary Party in 1946, it remained the most prominent political party in Mexico until 2000. It's intent was to institutionalize the agreements of the Mexican Revolution. -
Cardenas' Presidency
Calles wanted Lazaro Cardenas to succeed him because he was the leader of the PRN and he thought he would be a puppet for Calles. He ended up changing laws around. He distributed land to peasants, cut the President's salary in half, made himself and the government accessible, and ultimately alienated Calles. He invested in the people and the standard of living improved under him. Major improvements were seen under Cardenas.
