Early 20th Century Revolutions

The Mexican Revolution 1910-1920 *keep seperate from Atlantic Mexican Revolution

  • Causes c1876-1910

    • Authoritarian rule

      • President Porfirio Diaz (ruled for over 30 years) *caudillo

        • corrupt and rigged elections as his popularity decreased

        • jailed opponents (ex. Madero 1910)

          • this sparked a call for revolution against Diaz

    • Political & Economic dominance by creoles and foreigners

      • monopolized land and natural resources

        • tight control of land by minority population of creoles

        • Hacienda system: ranching/farming estates that produce food that are worked by amerindians and mestizos

          • Amerindians and mestizos are in debt to work on the land and their debt only increases

    • American neo-colonialism *aka economic imperialism

      • Oil

        • Built railroads to bring in oil

      • Diaz supported

    • Majority impoverished

      • Mestizos and Amerindians

      • economic underdevelopment

        • agrarian (limited industrialization)

        • landless

      • lack of educational opportunities

      • no implement of enlightenment freedoms

    • Francisco Madero calls for revolution, 1910

      • Regional factions arose (tons of support)

        • Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata

          • Build up of amerindian and mestizos local forces

            • Opportunity for Madero to take control

  • Emiliano Zapata “Plan de Ayala” 1911

    • What complaints about Mexico does Zapata express

      • Continued dictator leadership; caudillo

      • Dictators control land and resources to benefit themselves without sharing

    • What evidence is there that Zapata supported socialist responses to Mexico’s ongoing problems

      • Land previously controlled by creoles should be taken and controlled by the state

    • socialism: an economic/political ideology in which property and resources are owned in common, usually controlled by the state, in order to create a more equal society

    • indemnization: money paid as compensation

    • intrigue: the secret planning of illegal activity

    • expropriated: taken away from its owner

  • Outcomes of the Mexican Revolution

    • Political

      • Constitution of 1917 granted universal suffrage

      • Term limit set to a 1 year term of 6 years

      • One-party system “Party of the Institutionalized Revolution”

        • encourages compromise

    • Land and natural resources

      • Land redistribution

        • Zapata initiated this socialist response but assassinated

        • Cardenas continues land redistribution to communal farms

        • Relieves country from Great Depression

    • Economic imperialism

      • Constitution of 1917 guarantees resources to Mexico use only

      • Nationalization of resources done by Cardenas

        • Controlled by Mexico for Mexico

        • Kicks out USA

      • Private > state control

        • socialism

    • Enlightenment-based rights

      • Diaz overthrown

      • Constitution of 1917

        • universal suffrage

        • public education for everyone

        • separation of Church and State

The Russian Revolution 1917-1922

  • Causes c1900-1917

    • Authoritarian imperial rule

      • Czar Nicholas II (r. 1894-1917) *conservatism

        • absolute monarch

          • divine right from god

        • Romanov dynasty

    • Unpopular foreign wars and losses

      • Russo-Japanese War 1905-1905

      • World War I, 1914-1918

    • Lack of Enlightenment Rights

      • no meaningful reforms from Revolution of 1905

      • Creates duma and parliament but they end up being ignored

      • Censorship and secret police continued

    • Majority impoverished

      • peasants

      • industrial workers

        • low wages/harsh conditions > strikes

        • industrialized lagged behind West

          • debts owed to foreign investors

      • WWI > food and fuel shortages > famine

      • radicals strengthen

        • Socialists & Marxists (communists)

          • Bolshevik Party

  • 2 Revolutions in 1917!

    • March: Liberal revolution

      • liberalism: some enlightenment ideas, limited suffrage, republic government

    • October: Bolshevik Revolution

      • old Russian empire collapses > soviet union

        • Communist Soviet Union 1922-1991

          • Red in communism symbolizes blood of workers of the soviet

  • Outcomes of the Russian Revolution

    • Absolute monarch removed from power

      • Czar Nicholas II overthrown

        • ends Romanov dynasty of absolute monarchy

      • Kerensky’s Provisional liberal government overthrown

        • Liberal government problems

          • Continued involvement in WWI

          • no land reform or economic improvements

    • Civil War

      • Kerensky’s Liberal government vs. Lenin’s Bolsheviks

        • Bolsheviks won 1920

    • Enlightenment-based rights

      • Rights weren’t extended to Russia’s people

      • Secret police to keep citizens in line and eliminate opposition: Cheka

      • Major censorship

        • Moving making, newspapers, etc. controlled by government

      • Dictators reestablished

      • People who oppose are put in gulags or executed under Stalin’s rule

        • Purges

    • One-party political system established

      • One party: communist party

      • Politburo: entirely control the Congress of Soviets

        • They decide who runs for election in the Congress of Soviets

    • Socialist minded reforms enacted by the new government

      • Nationalized the country’s factories and heavy industries

      • Land redistribution

      • 5 year plans

      • Government strict political control on economic liberties

      • Collectivized farmland from private owners

    • Foreign powers removed from nation

      • Resign from war to remove German interactions

      • Nationalized the country’s factories and heavy industries

      • Men and women are used as soldiers in the Red Army

The Chinese Revolution 1911-1949

  • Causes c1900-1911

    • Anti-Qing Dynasty Revolution

    • Authoritarian imperial rule

      • Opposed to absolute monarchs

      • Qing Dynasty

        • ultraconservative Confucianists

        • bureaucratic corruption

          • lost the mandate of heaven

        • Puyi (r.1908-12)

    • Occupation by foreign powers

      • Opium Wars and unequal treaties

      • Western spheres of influence

      • Paris Peace Conference 1919

        • Japanese empire expands further

        • Unequal treaties

    • Weak economy

      • No industrialization

        • ultraconservative confucianists

      • export market dominated by West

        • economic dependency

    • Majority impoverished

      • peasants = 95%

        • at mercy of wealthy landlords

      • famines

        • major immediate motive for revolution

    • No enlightenment rights

      • taught by western spheres of influence

      • not immediately enacted because the focus was on famine

    • Lack of political unity

      • Foreign powers occupy (esp. Japan)

      • no one able to claim the new dynasty

      • warlords

      • pro-Republic

        • Nationalist Part (Guomindang)

          • Sun Yat-Sen (1911-1925)

          • Jiang Jieshi

      • Radicals

        • Chinese Communist Party (CCP) est 1921

          • influenced by Russia and Lenin

          • Mao Zedong

            • didn’t start but lead it

  • Major outcomes of the Chinese Revolution

    • Absolute monarch and dynasty removed from power

      • Qing Dynasty (Puyi out in 1912) overthrown by Guomindang (Nationalist Party)

        • declare Republic of China by Sun Yat-Sen

          • Problems:

            • no political unity

            • continued foreign imperialism, esp. Japan

            • ignored peasants’ needs

          • weakness exploited by CCP

    • A period of civil war 1927-1949

      • Guomindang vs. Chinese Communist Party

        • Guomindang

          • lost and exiled to Taiwan

        • Chines Communist Party

          • won in 1949 by support of the peasants

          • Mao proclaims communist “People’s Republic of China”

    • Enlightenment freedoms

      • no more footbinding

      • secret police

      • imprison camps

      • religion discouraged

      • compulsory membership to the CCP

      • public education to enforce commitment to the party

      • equal rights for women

        • eliminated force marriages, access to divorce, legalized abortion

    • One-party political system *all 3 revolutions turn to this

      • Communist Chinese Party

        • till present

      • Capital of Beijing

    • Socialist-minded reforms *communism shared in Russia and China

      • collectivization of agriculture

      • nationalized Chinese industries

      • 5 year plan

      • agrarian laws promoting transfer of wealth

      • redistributing wealthy landlords land to peasants *all revolutions share this

        • Mao believes in peasant power

    • Foreign powers removed

      • nationalized Chinese industries

      • Peoples’ Liberation Army/Red Army

        • freeing Chinese people from republic control and foreign occupation (Japanese)

        • men and women

        • Guerilla Warfare: small surprise attacks

          • organized hit and run