Mexican Revolution Notes

The Porfiriada

  • Dictatorial regime led by Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911).

  • Economic prosperity, but inequality favored foreign capital over national, causing poverty.

  • Lack of worker protection laws; corruption and unequal wealth distribution.

  • Diaz promised to leave office but manipulated elections.

Francisco y Madero's Challenge

  • 1908: Diaz stated he was tired of power.

  • Francisco y Madero ran for president (1910) with the motto "effective suffrage, no reelection".

  • Madero was jailed, Diaz declared victory.

  • Madero proclaimed the Plan of San Luis Potosi, calling for armed resistance.

Revolutionary Uprising

  • November 20, 1910: Uprising against Diaz led by Vascua Orozco, Francisco "Pancho" Villa, and Emiliano Zapata.

  • May 1911: Treaty of Ciudad Juarez; Diaz resigned and exiled.

  • June 7, 1911: Madero's triumphal entry into Mexico City.

Madero's Presidency and the Plan de Ayala

  • Madero elected president, promised agrarian reform.

  • He dissolved the revolutionary army and didn't fulfill land reforms.

  • Emiliano Zapata proclaimed the Plan de Ayala against Madero, calling for land redistribution controlled by peasant communities.

La Desena Trágica and Huerta's Government

  • February 9, 1913: Zapata and Villa rose up against Madero.

  • La Desena Trágica: Ten days of clashes in Mexico City.

  • Madero resigned, succeeded by Victoriano Huerta, then executed.

  • Huerta's government: Restoration of Porfiriada practices.

Constitutionalist Revolution

  • Venustiano Carranza, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata formed a constitutional army.

  • June 1914: Huerta resigned and fled the country.

Revolutionary Convention and Carranza's Government

  • October 1914: Revolutionary Convention sought reforms but fractured.

  • Carranza ignored the convention's election and established his government in Veracruz (January 1915).

  • Carranza issued agrarian laws, recognizing the agrarian movement.

  • Alvaro Obregon defeated Pancho Villa, giving Carranza victory.

Promulgation of the Mexican Constitution

  • February 5, 1917: The Mexican Constitution was promulgated.

  • The country was divided into 27 states, a federal district, and three territories.

Key Aspects of the 1917 Constitution

  • The state's right to expropriate lands for public benefit.

  • Prohibition of slavery and division of powers (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial).

  • Creation of labor laws: eight-hour workday, days off, minimum wage.

  • Separation of church and state, freedom of worship.

  • Agrarian reforms and the return of oil to Mexican government control.

  • Creation of the National Revolutionary Party.

The Porfiriada refers

The Porfiriada refers