Madero clearly wanted change and was tired of Diaz’s long-reigning regime. He was a typical elitist, being educated in Paris and UC Berkeley, and had ties to American investors. He was from one of Mexico’s most wealthy families but, like the peasant revolutionaries, he wanted Diaz removed from office. He was so concerned about Diaz’s rule that he wrote in his book, The Presidential Succession of 1910 (pp. 96, 172), about Diaz and Absolute Power. Upon Diaz’s challenge in Creelman’s interview, it was the perfect opportunity for opposition. It was with Madero’s strong northern support, from the likes of Villa and Orozco, that Madero could begin a political campaign. These two revolutionaries with their attack on the City of Juarez began to turn the tide against Diaz and, ultimately, forced him out of office.
Madero’s influence on the people in Northern Mexico was evident but he was not as well-liked by the revolutionaries of Central and Sothern Mexico, specifically the Zapatistas.
The lower-class participants, who supported the cause of getting rid of Diaz, were hopeful that Madero would truly clean house. Instead, he kept many of Diaz’s ministers and appointees in office both during his pre and post-Presidential win. Instead of supporting Zapata, Madero went after him when he was elected and tried to quell his farmer uprisings. He was in support of the courts settling land issues instead of outright giving the lands to the farmers. This was not what Zapata thought was going to happen. This is an example of how he was never able to really form his own administration. Instead, in some ways, he was just a continuation of Diaz’s long rule. Many of the same wealthy people kept their same offices and lucrative empires. In some ways, it’s as if he had lost his deceased brother’s vision of “working for a lofty ideal that will raise the moral level of society…” (Krauze, p. 248).
The early period of the revolution and counterrevolution was important because it gave the revolutionaries hope that change was possible. They never, completely succeed in their quest but they were able to enact some change. They were able to get Diaz to resign and for his dictatorship to end. This made future politicos take note of their demands and realize that a truer democracy was coming. They looked to other revolutions as examples, including the American Civil War, the French Revolution of 1848, and the (simultaneous) Russian Revolution as signs that change could occur. Mexico wanted to be truly independent, without foreign rule or monarchial-like leadership. This early period served as the kindling to what was about to come.
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References:
Krauze, E. (2013). Mexico: Biogaphy of Power. United States: HarperCollins.
Madero, F. I. (1990). The Presidential Succession of 1910. Germany: P. Lang.
