November’s Third Monday– Mexican Revolution Day (Día de la Revolución)
November’s Third Monday– Mexican Revolution Day (Día de la Revolución)
The Mexican Revolution That Began In1910 The MexicanRevolution that began in 1910 brought about legal, social, and cultural changes which mark the beginning of modern Mexico. The revolution started as a rebellion against President Porfirio Díaz. Díaz was an accomplished general and the President of Mexico from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N. Mendez as interim president, and a four-year term served by his political ally Manual Gonzalezfrom 1880 to 1884. The 1910 Mexican Revolution was composed of several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarian movements. Over time the Revolution changed from a revolt against the established order to a multi-sided civil war. This armed conflict is often categorized as the most important socio political event in Mexico and one of the greatest upheavals of the 20th century. After the death of Benito Juárez in 1872, Porfirio Díaz became Mexico’s leader. Juárez and Díaz, as allies, had fought against the French in the Battle of Puebla. Initially Díaz was a liberal, but changed his views after Juárez took office. With the support of conservative factions in Mexico, which were opposed to the liberal reforms instituted by Benito Juárez, his onetime ally and current opponent, Porfirio Díaz, tried to unseat Juárez. Porfirio Díaz beganhis reign as president in 1876, and ruled until May 1911 when Franciso I.Madero succeeded him, with Madero taking office in November 1911. Díaz’s regime is remembered for the advances he brought in industry and modernization, at the expense of human rights and liberal reforms. He worked to reduce the power of the Roman Catholic Church and expropriated some of its large property holdings. Díaz is commonly considered by historians to have been a dictator and is a controversial figure in Mexican history. The period of his leadership was marked by significanti nternal stability (known as the "paz porfiriana"), modernization, and economic growth. However, Díaz’s conservative regime grew unpopular due to repression and the failure of the poor to improve their economic conditions. The years of 1876-1910, in which Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico, are referred to as the Porfiriato. Initially, Díaz had a strict “No Re-election” policy in which presidents could not serveconsecutive terms in office. He followed this rule when he stepped down in 1880 after his first term and was succeeded by Manuel González. Gonzalez was controlled by Díaz and was commonly known to be Díaz’s puppet. González’s tenure was marked by political corruption and incompetence. When Díaz ran in the next election, in 1884, he was a welcome replacement. In future elections Díaz conveniently put aside his “No Re-election” promise and ran for president in every election. While Díaz’s presidency was characterized by promotion ofindustry and the pacification of the country, it is usually seen as coming at the expense of the “peasant class.” Farmers and peasants both claimed to have suffered exploitation. The economy tooka great leap during the Porfiriato, with his encouraging the construction offactories, roads, dams, industries, and better farms. This resulted in the rise of an urban classand the influx of foreign capital (principally from the United States). Part of his success in maintaining power camefrom mitigating United Statesinfluence through European investments, primarily from Great Britain and Imperial Germany. (German influence can still be seentoday in Mexican music and beer. Also in its citizens of German heritage, such as Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, and Jorge Hank Rhon, the former mayor of Tijuana.) Progress, however, came at a price, with basic rights, such as freedom of the press, being suspended under thePorfiriato. Díaz changed land reform efforts that were begun underprevious leaders, especially under BenitoJuárez. Díaz’s new land laws virtually undid all the work by leaderssuch as Juárez. No peasant or farmercould claim the land he occupied without formal legal title. (About 95% of Mexico’s land was owned by only 5%of the Mexican population. Many of theworkers on the Hacienda farms were beaten like slaves and were constantly beingput into debt from their previous generations. Díaz allowed this corrupt behavior to continue during the entire time ashe was in power.) Helpless and angrysmall farmers felt a change of regime would be necessary if Mexico was to continue beingsuccessful. For this reason, manyleaders including Franciso I. Madero, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata wouldin time launch a rebellion against Díaz. Díaz became the dictatoragainst whom he had warned the people. Throughthe army, the Rurales, and gangs ofthugs, Díaz frightened people into voting for him. (The Rurales—Guardia Rural or Rural—wasa mounted police force that existed from 1861 and 1914. It wasestablished by Benito Juárez tocombat the widespread banditry that existed in Mexico during the 1860s and 1870s; a task at which it mostly failed under Juárez. President Porfirio Díaz expanded the Ruralesfrom a few hundred to nearly 2,000 by 1889 as part of his program ofmodernization and eventually of repression.) When bullying citizens intovoting for him failed, Díazsimply rigged the votes in his favor. (Díazknew he was violating the constitution by using force to stay in office. He justified his acts by claiming that Mexicowas not yet ready to govern itself. Aclaim that, because the pervious conflict between liberal and conservatives groups as well as the extensive banditry, was not without some merit.)