mexican revolution
caudillos
men on horseback - dictators who rose to prominence in the decades after independence in latin america (brazil a notable exception)
cauldillos were usually regional military figuers or large landowners. often local leaders of non-elite origins.
strong charismatic leaders. popular, identified with “the people” and with gendered power relations (machismo)
examples
juan manuel de rosas (argentina, 1829-1852)
rafael carrera (united provinces of central america)
jose gaspar rodriguez de francia (paraguay)
antonio lopez de santa ana (mexico)
stability and chaos
nations that had achieved relative stability by 1850
brazil
chile
costa rica
mexico from colony to the porfiriato (1810-1910)
“Independence and liberty” mexican independence
two seperate waves of the mexican revolution movement
1. a grassroots social, multiracial movemnet led by radical priests
2. a far more conservative movement led by creole elites
spanish king ferdinand vii abdicates throne in 1808, sets up a crisis in mexico.
mexicanidad
father hidalgo
miguel hidalgo y costilla
a true revolutionary, called for the end of slavery and the exploitation of indians and the redistribution of land. alienated many wealthy creoles with his radicalism
the grito de dolores - sepetember 16th 1810
called the indians adn mestizos to help oust the spanihs, apparently thinking, mistakenly, that the elite creoles would control them. hidalgo triggered the war for independence.
hidalgo executed in 1811.
father jose maria morelos
early leader in mexico’s fight for independence from spain. a roman catholic priest, he joins father hidalgo in launching the revolt against spanish rule in 1810.
took over as leader of revolution after hidalgo’s execution in 1811.
had military skills that hidalgo lacked, won important victories at oaxaca in 1812 and alcapulco in 1813. but after his defeat in tezmalaca in november 1815, he was captured and shot.
augustin de iturbide
elite, wealthy creole. a tragic and weak figuer, not the equal of bolivar or san martin. called for a constitutional monarchy. by 1822 declared himself emperor of mexico.
the plan de iguala 1821
three gaurenees
1. mexico would declare independence
2. creoles and peninsulares equal
3. catholic church supported
instability and invasion
the wars of independence had ravaged mexico, shutting down its silver mines, halting production on the haciendas, and creating debt and disorder
open warfare between liberals and conservatives in the 1820s led to the rise of general san antonio lopez de santa ana, who would dominate, and some say destroy mexico from the 1830s to the 1850s.
during the first 40 years after mexican independence, the nation would have 50 presidents.
a revolving door of caudillos and military coups.
general antonio lopez de santa ana
a group of mexican military leaders led by antonio lopez de santa anna overthrew iturbide in 1823.
mexican inpendence was achieved and social revolution was averted but stability in mexico would prove to be elusive
the pastry war
1838-39
named after damages done to a french pastry shop by rowdy mexican soldiers in port city of veracruz
french navy blocked by veracruz
santa anna becomeos a hero in the short lived writing
the clash of eagles
angelo-tejano revolt in mexican state of coahulia y tejas in 1835. texas independence in 1836 (battle of san jacinto)
republic of texas 1836-1845, annexed by the US
mexican-american war (the war of the north american invasion), 1846, 1848
decisive US victory over mexico
treaty of guadalupe hidalgo, 1848
ended war between mexico and US, granted US nearly half of Mexico’s territory.
“poor mexico! so far from god, so close to the united states”
1848
end of war between us and mexico
revolutions of 1848, liberal constitutional revolts crushed
paris, germany, budapest
treaty of guadalupe hidalgo 1848
the united states received present day new mexico, arizona, california, texas, and parts of colorado, utah, and nevada
525,000 square miles — half the territory of new mexico
the mexican government recieves 15 million for those lands
the border between the two nations will now be fixed at the rio grande
the united states pledges to protext the rights of mexicans living in the newly acquired areas
benito juarez (1806-1872)
five term mexican president 1858-1872
first indigenous leader of latin american nation
not very friendly, wears all black, doesn’t cheat on his wife. stern.
la reforma (the reform)
catholic church: owned 1/3 of all land in a post-independent mexico
the lerdo law: forced catholic churches to sell large land-holdings
the war of the reform (1858-1861)
mexico: civil war and intervention
mexican civil war 1858-1860
french intervention 1862-1867
maximillian von habsburg
“emperor” of mexico, 1864-67
killed by firing squad 1867
they stopped paying unfair payments forced upon them by spain, us, uk, and france.
spain doesn’t want to be involved, us is too busy, and uk doesn’t do anything.
napoleon iii of france. nepo baby.
tries to come to power in 6 takeovers.
1848 comes into power because of the revolutions.
mexico under the porfiratio
porfirio diaz (1830-1915)
“president” of mexico between 1877 and 1911
in essence, a dictator with close ties to outside foreign investments (especially from the US)
the porfiriato
by-word for corruption
1910: diaz’s 8th re-election campaign; jails his apponent francisco maduro
a decade of chaos
1910-1920 a civil war and rebellion engulfed the nation
1-2 million mexicans died in the conflict out of a population of 15 million - roughly 10% of the entire mexican nation as a point of comparison, only 2% of the us population died in the civil war.
the election of 1910
diaz and corruption
lock him up!
madero and the plan de san luis potosi
1911: victory for mexico
revolutionary mexico 1910-1920
first phase (1910-1913), the poririato under diaz collapsed, and formers led by francisco madero took power. hopipng to institue a truly demmocratic, representative society.
the enemies of change, led by general victoriano huerta, overthew and executed madero in 1913, and initiated the next phase: the counterrevolution.
while the overthrow of huerta in 1914, the firecest and bloodiest phases of the revolution began when revolutionary leaders- pancho villa, emiliano zapata, venustiano carranza, alvary obregon- turned theri armies on each other to gain control of the country.
cararanza, temporarily, emerged from this internal chaos and oversaw the constitution of 1917.
mexico: a frozen revolution?
plutarco elias calles
the “maximato”: “jefe maximo” (maximum chef)
partido revolucionado intitucional (pri)
an insitution, yes, but how revolutionary?
the constitution of 1917
article 27
outlined an agragrian land freform demanded of peasant armies of the revolution
populism in the mid-twentieth century
lack of a coherent, well-defined ideaology
ecleectic and pragmatic approaches to government and leadership styles
populism and the personal style
populism often seen as urbran phenomenon, although many populists were from rural areas
lazaro cardenas
mexican president 1934-40
asserts independence from calles
more ideological and less bombastic and flamboyant than vargas or peron
nationalized mexican petroleum companies in 1938 (PEMEX)
mexico and the world, 1914-1945
US intervention during mexican revolution
us marines occupy port cities of tampico and veracruz in 1914
incurison into northern mexico in 1916 to chase “bandit” pancho villa
world war I
the zimmerman note
mexico neutral in war
the politics of oil
us oil companies opposed to the mexican constitution of 1917, especially article 27 which imposed limitations in foreign land ownership.
world war ii
mexico technailly (perhaps reluctantly) on side with allies
ironically, war restrictions lead to greater econimic growth as mexico is forced to substitute imported products with those made in mexico
order, stablility, and growth: 1945-1970
the economic miracle
120 percent industrial growth
100 percent agricultural growth
world war ii fuels growth
the revolution moves to europe
mexican politics become more conservative after cardenas
pri: single party politics, more authorotarian
manuel avila camacho
miguel aleman valdis
afolfo lopez mateos
gustavo diaz ordaz
mexican government moves toward closer ties with the US
world war ii
trade and manufacturing
partners in the cold war
1968
tlateloco massacure
mexico on the world stage and repression
1968 summer olympics, 1970 world cup
“sportswashing”
zocala protest 8/28/68
tlatecoco plaza massacure 10/2/1968
role of ordaz and the pri
the search for stability, 1970-2000
the events of 1968 exposed reactinoary, corrupt, and repressive nature of pri government
by late 1980s, new independent political parties emerged (pan, prd) and others.
pri (institutional revolutionary party; partido nactional revolucionario) dominated mexican politics from 1929-2000
pan (national action party; pantido accion nactional) founded in 1939. conservatives, close ties to roman catholic church and big buisness interests.
economic crisis of the 1970s-1980s
1976: mexican peso devalued, mexican currency lost more than 50% of it’s value in 2 months.
inflation over 70% by 1983. the mexican miracle was officially over.
mexican economy increasingly dependant on oil.
9/19/1985 - mexico city earthquake. 20k dead.
growth of narco gangs.
guerilla fighting in chiapas by zapista army of liberaton (ezln)
election of 2000
vincente fox (pan)
ened the electoral monopoly of pri since 1929
regional integration
nafta (north american free trade agreement)
formed 1994
usa, mexico, canada
opposition to nafta
environmentalism
us job loss
maquiladoras
impact on mexican farmers
exporting processing zones: ex. maquilators in northern mexico
3,000 factories in northern mexico
average wage is 1-2 dollars an hour
“sweatshop” like conditions
result primarily of nafta
mostly american, european, japanese companies
competition from china is putting many of these mexican factories out of buisness
immigration