Unit 2: THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION Flashcards
Porfirio Diaz (P.D.)
-Ruled Mexico for 30 years
-Established and maintained a dictatorship limiting political freedoms.
-Encouraged economic development and modernization, attracting foreign investment.
-Economic growth led to significant social disparities, benefiting a small elite.
Land and Labor Issues:
-Unequal land distribution and labor exploitation fueled social unrest.
-Controversial pursuit of reelection triggered opposition and contributed to the revolution.
- Forced to resign in 1911 amidst revolutionary pressures.
Cientificos
Diaz’s advisors that believed that the native population was inferior and that they needed to rely on native white and foreigners’ capital to solve Mexico’s problems.
Rurales (Federal Troops)
- created by Porfirio Diaz (rural police force)
- maintain order, protect property, enforce authority
- suppress opposition
- abuses = discontent (one reason for wanting to overthrow P.D.)
- eventually disbanded
Campesinos
- rural peasants or farmers
- landlessness, low wages, exploited
- wanted land reform (redistribution of land)
- Wanted better working conditions
Peninsulars
- Spanish descent/born in Spain living in Mexico
- top of social hierarchy
- another reason for discontent
- wealthy landowners/controlled haciendas
- exploited labor of indigenous
- Many lost privileges after the Mexican Revolution
Criollo
-pure or mostly Spanish descent born in Mexico
- lower social status than peninsulares but still more privileged than mestizos/indigenous
- excluded from political/economic power
- Porfiriato made them elite
- some joined revolution others resisted
Mestizos
- A person of mixed race, especially of a Spaniard and indigenous
- limited access to poltical/economic resources
- landless, low wages, exploited by laborers
- Appealed to Emiliano Zapata with agrarian reform
Madero/Maderistas
- President 1911
- Madero not meeting “expectations”
- La Decena Trágica
- democratic reforms
- against reelection
- Plan de San Luis Potosí
- rebellion against the Porfiriato
- Assasinated in 1913
- Intial Phase of the Mexican Revolution
Maderistas: - supporters of Madero
- Pressure = Diaz Resigning
Zapata/Zapatistas
- advocated for agrarian reform and rights of peasants
- Demanded for the redistribution of land and the return of communal land to indigenous communities
- Plan of Ayala
- worked alongside others
Huerta
- general
- under Porfirio Diaz and Francisco Madero
- Role in removing Madero from office
- organized a coup against madero
- 1913 President
- Suppressed opposition
- opposition from Zapata/Carranza
- US disapproved his power
- Woodrow Wilson undermined his Presidency
Felix Diaz
- P.D. Nephew
- Role in removing Madero
- Conservative Forces: Huerta
- Aimed to assume presidency
- Opposition from Zapata and Carranza
- Exiled
Bernardo Reyes
- General during Porfiriato
- maintain order / suppress opposition
- role in the coup for the removal of Madero
- allies : Porfirio Diaz And Felix Diaz
- opposition from Zapata and Carranza
- Died in 1913
- tried to reinstall a conservative regime
- resisted revolutionary changes
Carranza
- Against Diaz but at first supported him
- Carranza joined Madero in the revolutionary forces
- Role in organizing revolutionary efforts against Diaz, and Huerta
- President in 1917
- Drafting the 1917 Constitution
- 1920 forced to flee Mexico
- captured and executed
- Democratic / constitutional gov’t
Constitutionalists
- Led by Carranza and obregon
- advocated for constitutional principles, democratic government
- restore and uphold the Mexican Constitution
- Addressed social/economic issues
- Implementation of 1917 constitution
- land reform, labor rights, foreign ownership restrictions
- conflicts with Villa and Zapata
- redistribution of land to peasants (ejidos)
Obregón
- Initially for Madero
- switched and joined forces with Carranza
- Constitutionalist
- Defeated Villa forces
- Agua Prieta Plan
- stable political order
- 1920 president
- social and agrarian reforms
- modernize mexicos infrastructure (economic development )
- foreign investors while maintaining national control over key industries
- relection in 1928 - violated 1917 principles
- Cristero revolt
- assasinated
Conventionalists
- Faction during the Mexican Revolution opposing revolutionary changes
- Led by Victoriano Huerta and other conservative figures.
- Sought to maintain traditional power structures and resist radical reforms.
- Fought against revolutionary
- Ultimately defeated
Caudillos
- Military strongmen or political leaders with significant regional influence.
- Often emerged during times of political instability, leading armed factions.
Calles
- Mexican president (1924-1928) and influential political figure.
- Implemented anti-clerical and secular policies known as the Calles Laws, limiting the power of the Catholic Church.
- Informal period of continued influence after his presidency (1928-1934), known as the Maximato.
- Played a role in the founding of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1929.
- Initiated land reforms, redistributing large estates to peasants.
CROM
Created under Obregon in 1918. He believed that labor organization was important to stabilizing capitalist relations.
- Advocated for workers’ rights, better wages, and improved working conditions.
- Initially led by Luis Morones, who later became a key political figure.
Maximato
- continued political influence of Calles after his presidency.
- control over succeeding presidents without holding the formal office.
- Shaped policies and decisions, through puppet presidents
- Cárdenas in 1934, broke away from Calles’ influence.