Blog Post #1
How did the Revolution as envisioned by Francisco I. Madero and his middle-class supporters differ from the goals that lower-class participants (campesinos, laborers, etc.) had in mind?
Francisco I. Madero was a man with personal fortune and nepotism, as well as involved in politics. Madero was a politician and a revolutionist, though mislead during his term after Diaz’s domain after the free election. He would step in as president at a complicated time in Mexico. He would battle Porfirio Diaz’s domain and reform Mexico as the 37th president. Madero during the election was intimidating to Diaz due to having actual competition. Francisco Madero as an upper-class had the advantage to invest in campaigns and rallies. He was also well-educated, he wrote a book, The Presidential Succession in 1910 with the foundations of promising upper and middle-class voters democracy without social or economic change (Gonzales, pp.72–73). Madero from the beginning comes from a privileged background, similar to Diaz’s followers, who only sought to gain more riches. The Madero family came from political richness, therefore there were interpersonal political issues between Diaz and Madero.
The lower class was not mentioned or advertised for, as discussed before Madero comes from a nepotism and political gain angle, therefore Madero needed to gain more knowledge of the circumstances of the working people. Elite people, middle class, and laborers were severely separated in the early 1900s. He would have opportunities as President to witness the reality of the country and laborers. Therefore, as a self-claimed political reformer, and promised of taking down Diaz and his decades of the domain. Madero had followers from all classes and revolutionists during the early revolution and elections. He had many followers with the overall promise of reforming the country for the better gain of the people(Gonzales, pp.74–75). Though the days of the election were successful for Madero and battled the government and Diaz’s army, and was left with much to fix. However, he was missing the support of the Revolutionists after his election.
How and why did those diverging goals create problems for Madero once he had been elected president of Mexico? By your estimation, why was this early period of revolution and counterrevolution significant?
Francisco I. Madero was a descendant of nepotism and a politics-involved family. His family gained money from being involved with the government. The Madero family had deep political connections, however, this was cut short when President Diaz denied them political influence on native Coahuila (Gonzales, pp. 72), yet granted competitors economic advantages and tax breaks. Madero founded his own electoral campaigns and held rallies due to his own personal fortune. This is relevant to show his devotion to being taken seriously as a presidential candidate. Madero in reality would have been content as Diaz’s Vice President, however Diaz refused this and had him arrested (Gonzales, pp.73). These events, I believe, influenced the outcome of Madero’s presidency.
At the time, politicians sought to gain riches by selling goods and native lands to elites or outsiders. Madero was not any different, despite being considered a revolutionist simply because he was the only one in power to take down Diaz. If it wasn’t for Diaz being intimidated by Madero’s advantages and siding with the Revolution, I believe he wouldn’t have had a chance as it was prominent during his arrest. During elections, he might have diverted from his original goals to support the upper and middle class and take away from Diaz’s influence. However, even fellow revolutionist, Francisco Zapata, insisted on showing him the reality of the poor villages (Gonzales, pp.84).
Even after winning by a landslide, Madero rose to power and contributed further to former President Diaz. The counterrevolution began shortly after being elected, where Maderistas faced Zapatistas and other icon revolutionists. The revolution further rose and the government and people were further complicated. General Victoriano C. Huerta eventually and Bernardo Reyes come into the picture in 1911. Eventually, this ends in Madero being ultimately taken down in a coup done at the president’s house.
Works Cited:
Gonzales, Micheal J. The Mexican Revolution (1910–1940). Published by University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 2002. Chapters 2–3.
