Mexican Revolution Paper 3

Paper 3 review

Porfirio Diaz

Dictator from 1884-1911; mestizo but repressed Native Americans; encouraged foreign investment; "pan o palo" policy

Cientificos

Elite and prosperous advisers to Diaz; believed in "survival of the fittest"

Ley de fugas

Diaz law allowing rurales to shoot fleeing prisoners, in practice allowed them to kill any opponents

Creelman Interview

Diaz told a US journalist he did not plan on running for presidency again and thought Mexico was "ready for democracy"

"Pan o Palo"

Diaz's policy of rewarding supporters and punishing opposition

Haciendas

Large plantation that controls much land; opposed by land reformers

Healthcare under Diaz

Poor couldn't afford it, horrible infant mortality (50% didn't make it past 1 year)

Mestizo

Person of mixed Spanish and Indian blood (vast majority of Mexicans, including Diaz)

Rurales

Diaz's repressive police force against opposition

Ejidos

Ancestral land of Indians; taken in order to develop Mexico in late 1800s

Dedazo

Diaz's policy of handpicking governors, legislators, and even his successor, making a de facto dictatorship

Church under Diaz

Separation of church (Catholic) and state not enforced, powerful influence and supporter of Diaz

Foreign Investment in Mexico

Mostly from America, US heavily involved in Railroad, mining, and utilities industries in Mexico, resentment

Patronage System

Diaz had policy of clientelism and made sure people loyal to him were in power and favored

Yaquis and Mayas

Two Indian tribes that resisted influence to assimilate and become Christian. Their land was expropriated and they were often deported to labor camps or enslaved

Debt peonage

When one is put into forced labor to pay off debts, common due to low wages and overpriced goods at company stores

Vagrancy laws

Forced the unemployed into labor for haciendas that needed more men

Law for employers (regarding workers)

No murder, slavery, or corporal punishment; everything else is fine

European investment

Mostly from Britain (50 year oil contract) and France, also some imports/exports with Germany (geopolitical factor for WWI)

Labor unions

Diaz tried to crush them, but several still emerged in big industries (Grand MX League of Railway Employees)

Miner wage gap

Mexicans were paid 3.5 pesos per day, but Americans were paid 5 pesos per day

Railroads in Mexico

Developed greatly under Diaz, extended to seaports and US border, land often expropriated from Indians or small villages, causing resentment. Relied on foreign investment and loans to fund. Helped break strikes

Discontent during the Porfiriato

Upper class (Madero): no chance at political advancement unless one of Diaz's favored
Middle: restricted job access
Working: foreigners take jobs, bad working conditions/pay
Zapata: agrarian reform
Villa: increase states power and autonomy

Historiography: Causes of Mex Rev

Villegas: Confrontation between landowners and peasants

Herzog: Blamed Diaz for treatment of agrarian workers

Recent: Displaced rural masses resorted to violence

Mexican Liberal Party (PLM)

Anarchist Party formed against Diaz; Madero joined it and then left it to make PNA

Anti-Reelection Party (PNA)

Madero's political party when running against Diaz; supported by excluded elite, middle class, intellectuals, lower class and peasants

"Sufragio efectivo, no reeleccion"

Slogan by first Diaz, then taken up by Madero

Plan de San Luis Potosi

Statement made by Madero claiming to be the legitimate president and calling for revolution; also promised land reform and clean elections; Revolution took several months to get momentum

Francisco Madero

Opposed Diaz in 1910 elections under the Anti-Reelection Party; initiated Mexican Revolution; member of upper class who appealed to elite first and poor later

Madero's Ideologies/Aims/Methods

Wanted Democracy, tried to please everyone (elite and peasants) but couldn't, slow reform as a result. Left too much of the Porfiriato in power

Emiliano Zapata

Revolutionary who fought for Morelos and agrarian reform; Mayor; Tried to get expropriated land back legally before switching to force; Cared more about his state, did not want a national position of power
Assassinated under Carranza's orders in 1919

Zapata's Ideologies/Aims/Methods

Wanted land reform and justice, freedom from interference from the capital (for Morelos), armed peasants and supported by disgruntled workers

Morelos

Zapata's region in Southern Mexico; largely agrarian; had a long history of political unrest and activism

Plan de Ayala

Statement by Zapata for redistribution of land from hacendados to peasants (especially for expropriated land), rejects Madero and calls for elections

Pancho Villa

Bandit from Chihuahua (Northern Mexico) that became a revolutionary leader, somewhat similar to Zapata but more bloodthirsty; supported stronger state gov't, workers rights and education reform

Villa's Ideologies/Aims/Methods

Opportunist, looking out for himself and his army; no main ideology; lived and died violently

Chihuahua

Villa's province in Northern Mexico; close to US border so Villa could get supplies or terrorize people there

Venustiano Carranza

Revolutionary in North; a hacendado that was not very progressive; Constitutionalist

Plan de Guadalupe

Statement by Carranza; called for pure political overthrow of Huerta (no reforms); war to the death and kill all prisoners

Pascual Orozco

General who helped revolt against Madero; backed by conservatives who wanted power; beaten down by Huerta who fear his power

General Huerta

Helped Madero come to power before betraying and succeeding him; cruel man, authoritarian (abolished congress), drinker
Defeated by Zapata, Villa, Carranza, and Obregon

Decena Tragica

Revolt in DF against Madero, he put Huerta in charge of leading siege. An agreement with H.L. Wilson had Huerta replace Madero, Madero was arrested and later shot (Huerta suspected)

Alvaro Obregon

Generally followed Carranza's orders in 1910s, led army to seize DF first (before Zapata or Villa)

Aguacalientes Convention

Convention after Huerta was overthrown; Zapata and Villa (conventionists) and Carranza and Obregon (constitutionalists) couldn't agree; Carranza didn't even attend; not much accomplished

Conventionist

Zapata and Villa; wanted land reform from local level (peasants) based on Plan de Ayala

Constitutionalist

Carranza and Obregon; Wanted land reform from gov't, secular Mexico, and increased international trade and economic development

Constitution of 1917

Very progressive document (more so than Carranza wanted) that was not always enforced by the government

Article 3 (1917)

Secular and obligatory education; 4 years free education; anticlerical (reduced number of kids in school b/c many Catholic schools shut down for not following protocol); not enforced due to low budget

Article 27 (1917)

Land reform; limited property rights to Mexicans, upset foreign investors (eventually determined as non-retroactive); gave land back to peasants

Article 123 (1917)

Regulations on work day (8 hour max) and wages; labor unions controlled discipline (no unjust firing), benefits and job security

Other Effects of the Constitution of 1917

More women's rights, more presidential powers, reelection banned

End of Carranza's Reign

Set up Bonilla to win, Obregon was angry and turned public against him, Carranza fled and was murdered

Plan de Agua Prieta

Obregon's call for fair elections (against Carranza)

Adolfo de la Huerta

Interim President that later revolted against Obregon, revolt put down fairly easily

Presidency of Obregon

A hacendado, minimal land reform (enough to placate masses), emphasized Indian past to unite country, slow educational reform and increaed literacy

Bucareli Agreement

Solved the dispute on subsoil rights (especially oil) and said that the Const of 1917 wasn't retroactive

Obregon ties to USA

Showed independence publicly; secretly, sold goods from farms to US for big profit

Regional Confederation of Mexican Labor (CROM)

Workers' union under Obregon

Reforms under Calles (Historian Krauze called it the Constructive Phase)

National Bank, 7k km of road (out of 10k), more land reform, system of health clinics, National postal, National Agri Credit Bank

Cristero Revolt

Catholics went on strike, then staged violent protests about anticlerical laws (Calles' Law). Government killed suspects, which increased support for revolt

Law Reforming the Penal Code (Calles' Law)

Big anticlerical law by Calles

Ambassador Morrow

Helped make compromise to end Cristero Revolt

Nicaragua Incident

Calles supported Liberal Sacasa, US supported Conservative Diaz, led to trade war between the US and Mexico (no US imports, no weapon sale). Ended shortly after US ended conflict there

Bolshevism (Accusations)

USSR put embassy in Mexico City, US Secretary of State accused MX heads of Agro, labor of bolshevism.

Harding = no negotiation, war talks, defused by business leaders

The Maximato

Term for when Mexico was led by Calles's puppets

1928 Elections

Constitution of 1917 forbade Obregon's reelection, Calles got it amended for 6 years (sexenio) + reelections, killed opposition to Obregon. Obregon elected but assassinated by religious fanatic before he could take office

Sexenio

Six year terms for presidents: Obregon's was filled by Gil, Rubio, and Rodriguez

Partido Nacional Revolucionario (PNR)

Calles' party, "loose amalgamation of political interests"

Emilio Portes Gil

Continued policy of Calles + Obregon, more land reform, broke contact w/ USSR, ended Cristero Revolt, fixed crisis at U of MX

1929 Election

Rubio (PNR) vs Vasconcelos (PNA). Vasconcelos wanted womens' rights, end to tyranny. Rubio won (w/ PNR manipulation). A revolt following it was crushed

Pascual Ortiz Rubio (presidency)

Couldn't escape Calles's influence (e.g. when fired Palacio, Calles engineered his cabinet). Election fraud throughout the country. Great Depression hurt Mexican GDP and economy. Forced to resign in 1932 by Calles

International Problems under Rubio

Foreign bankers wanted MX to pay debts before lending more money. Conflict w/ US over oil industry. Great Depression sent MX workers back from US (repatriation). However, MX got to join League of Nations

General Abelardo Rodriguez (presidency)

Millionaire from Sonora, malleable to Calles. MX economy improved (despite Depression), export value up + peso could 'float' (not pinned to dollar).Petroleos de Mexico (PEMEX) for oil, fairly weak but national. Stressed allegiance in Army. Minimum wage, but poor factory conditions. PNR made Six-Year Plan

Six-Year Plan

Cardenas: Land reform, healthcare, 15% of budget for education

Church views on educational reform

Disliked "socialist" ed + sex ed, government had marches of supporters against Catholicism educational views in response

Woodrow Wilson

president of the US during the Mexican Revolution
Not recognize Huerta's gov't; revert to selling arms to revolutionaries

Tampico affair

Mexico troops arrest US sailors; Wilson requests 21 gun salute and public apology; Huerta refuses; Wilson invades Veracruz

Veracruz

city invaded by US after Tampico affair; allowed US to practice amphibious warfare as prep for WWII; doom Huerta's government (can't get arms)

Lazaro Cardenas

President during the "renewal of the revolution" (1936-40); agrarian reform, nationalize oil and railways; slowed down in later years

Calles-Cardenas confrontation

Callista Tomas Canabal has camisas rojas attack Catholics to stir up trouble

Cardenas replaced Calles's cabinet and Calles leaves to US

1934 Nationalization Law

law used by Cardenas to initiate land reform

Banco de Crédito Ejidal

agency made to give loans to peasant (not enough loans)

Cardenas agrarian reform

Success: Break up haciendas, loans, cultural and social reform, La Lagua ejido

Failure: many haciendas remain, hacendados keep best land, not enough loans, 1930 econ collapse ends reform, Yucatan (landowners and peons rebel)

"socialist education"

Cardenas's education policy of universal edu; no religion; more than literacy \-- farming, hygiene, sex ed (hated by Church)

Indigenismo

cultural, artistic movement praising indigenous, help assimilate

Expropriation Law of 1935

Cardenas government power to nationalize industries for public good, compensated

Nationalized railways and oil in 1937 and 1938

CTM

largest trade union encouraged during Cardenas's presidency

Nationalization of Petroleum

CTM demands more pay for oil workers, Supreme Court upholds demand but cos refuse, nationalized by Cardenas

Britain and France end diplomatic relations --> sell to future Axis and USSR

US and FDR maintain Good Neighbor Policy

Public view on Cardenas

Support: peasant farmers, labor, call him "Tata"
Opposition: hacendados, Catholic Church, Calles supporters, traditionalists

Mexican Revolutionary Party (PRM)

Cardenas reformation of PNR
Four sections: Agr, labor, military, "popular"

National Sinarquista Union

quasi-fascist anti-Cardenas coalition

Historiography: Cardenas

Hagiographic (Townsend): idolize -- agrarian reform, Indians, free press, labor unions, nationalize oil, edu

Not a great reformer (Shafer): strengthen single party, little to change income gap, helped private businesses, especially at end of term


Marxists (1930s-40s): like Cardenas, subsequent presidents undo his work
Marxists (1970s) (after Cuban Rev.) -- see as capitalistic

Mexican Central Railroad Company

US company, first railroad company in Mx

Taft

US prez during Porfiriato; approve of protection of foreign investment but not preference to Brt
Pass law that US could only sell arms to legitimate gov't

Amb. Henry Lane Wilson

US ambassador
"Big Stick" and "Dollar Diplomacy" advocate
Supported Huerta's overthrow of Madero after he passed oil tax and protective tariffs; recalled by president

ABC Powers

Three main LA powers; helped mediate during Veracruz invasion

Argentina, Brazil, Chile

Carranza Doctrine (1918)

reject Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary, foreigners must adhere to laws and pay all taxes (anger foreigners, esp US)

Good Neighbor Policy

FDR policy to work with LA so they didn't join Axis; replaced "Dollar Diplomacy" and Monroe Doctrine

US agree to compensation for expropriation of US petroleum companies and a US-Mx defense agreement

Soldaderas

Women who follow male soldiers to cook, clean, medicine, care for children, etc., to avoid rape
Some fight/spy
Encouraged by Zapata, hated/killed by Villa

Congreso Femenino (1916)

meeting in Yutacan to discuss women's rights