Essay On The Causes Of The Mexican Revolution

The cause: The initial cause of the Mexican Revolution was a huge dispute among the Mexican people about the dictator, President Porfirio Diaz. Very few people had any say in the government for the 31 years the Diaz was in power. The Mexican people could not elect public officials or gain wealth and were treated unjustly.

The results: The old government was destroyed and the Mexican revolutionary government put in its place radically different social and economic systems. This new government recognized labor unions and peasant organizations and made them a part of the state-party. Land estates were taken from the wealthier and divided up among the peasants. A new Mexican business grew based on banking and manufacturing rather than land. Mexico was still capitalist but it was a mixed economy. Parts of Mexico were owned by the state and other parts were privately owned by Mexicans or

foreign private capital.

Porfirio Diaz: He was in power for 31 years before being defeated by the revolutionaries. Diaz’s army was defeated in 6 months in 1911 and then he was forced to resign after which he fled to France where he died in 1915.

Francisco Madero: He was the man who triggered the revolution. He was born into a very wealthy family but had sympathy for the common people. Madero formed an organization that promoted democracy and started several newspapers that spread and made popular the idea of democracy. He was the main leader in the anti-reelection movement and was elected president himself.

General Venustiano Carranza: He was a strong supporter of the anti-reelection movement which was trying to remove Diaz from power. He was not liked by many revolutionary leaders which resulted in revolutionary armies chasing him out of Mexico City, making it difficult for him to gain supporters.

Emiliano Zapata: His main cause was to return stolen land back to the peasants, the rightful owners.

He initially supported the anti-reelection movement and formed the Liberation Army of the South to fight the people against this movement. After Madero was elected president Zapata no longer supported Madero because he realized he would not be affective.

Francisco “Pancho” Villa: He was the most iconic, best-known personality of the Mexican Revolution. He was supported by the U.S.; they provided him with weapons. He developed an extraordinary army and became Provisional Governor of his home state of Chihuahua. Under his control he was in charge of politics and economy in his state.

President Lazaro Cardenas: He was President of Mexico from 1934-1940. To this day he is beloved and considered a hero to the Mexican people. He fought in the revolution. Cardenas won the election by a landslide because the people believed he was no going to be corrupt. He cut his own salary, allowed labor unions, and instituted the land reform that divided large estates and gave the new plots to

peasants.