Madero’s Revolution
The beginning of the Mexican Revolution is rather difficult to call a revolution. There was fighting, but the goals of the participants ultimately did not reflect the change that occurred upon conclusion of this first round of the Mexican Revolution.
Francisco Madero and his middle-class supporters wanted to create a democratic society. They were upset that Madero had not been allowed to wage a fair election campaign against dictator/president Porfirio Diaz. However, their goals were limited. They wanted to establish free elections. They wanted term limits. They wanted an end to the Diaz regime. He really did not want Mexico to be destroyed by civil war. Ultimately, he wanted to protect his own wealth.
However, he was greatly assisted by peasants and other revolutionaries who desired one great change: land reform. The land in Mexico had been consolidated under a few families under Diaz. The revolutionaries supported Madero because they believed that democratic change would lead to land reform. They expected the land to be taken from the landowner and redistributed to the masses.
Francisco Madero faced problems throughout his presidency due to the realization among the masses that he would not enact land reform of any kind. He did encourage cases to be taken to the courts, but that process was too slow and uncertain for the landless. Madero also faced problems because he refused to immediately remove the full Diaz administration from power. His decisions forced him to continue to fight regional revolutionaries. These people had once supported him, but now fought against him.
His dependence on Diaz supporters directly led to his demise. General Huerta who led his campaigns, decided to claim leadership for himself, overthrowing the Mexican president. He forced Mexico into a non-democratic state. The rural revolutionaries continued to fight because they wanted the ever illusive land reform.
The significance of this era lies in multiple aspects of this so called Revolution. One, once the people began to rebel, they did not settle for less. They wanted land reform and they did not wait to see if Madero would deliver slowly. They continued to press the issue and even fight as necessary. Second, this era highlighted the differences between the classes in Mexico. The elites were satisfied with the old system because it protected them financially. They were content with more order and less freedom. The middle class was content with the status quo as long as democracy was introduced. They wanted free and fair elections. They did not want dictatorial control. However, the lower class wanted land reform. They believed that they were promised land reform by Madero. When he did not deliver, they continued to rebel against him. Third, this era reflected typical US policy towards Latin America. The Taft Administration allowed for the overthrow of a popularly elected president. The Wilson Administration sought to use US military might to overthrow the Counterrevolutionary leader, Huerta. Finally, this era solidified the leadership of Carranza, largely because he was viewed as standing up to the US.
