Obregón’s Success
The Mexican Revolution started out as a political revolt, turned into a social revolution, and into a series of civil wars [1]. One key reason for the Constitutionalist victory over the Conventionist was that the Constitutionalists under the leadership of Carranza and Obregon wanted to establish a liberal democracy and enact some land reform. As Gonzales writes, “Obregon’s approach to social and political reconstruction depended less on ideology than on pragmatism that led to compromises with Porfirian elitists, foreign business interests, ruthless caudillos, and land-hungry peasants.” For the Conventionalists under the leadership of Villa and Zapata, land reform was key. The Constitutionalists under Obregon were successful because Obregon was able to secure the loyalty of high-ranking federal army officers (Gonzales, 185), which were “bought” with generous financial incentives. Another key reason was the radio. The radio was used for military purposes. The Constitutionalists knew how important it was to use the radio to their advantage. The Constitutionalists utilized the radio for their benefit by broadcasting propaganda that was flattering to their beliefs. Military radio is an example of a serious program of military reform and modernization not just for Mexico. “Radio played an important role in building this new military culture, putting down the rebellions of the 1920s, and spreading state propaganda to the public, troops, rebels, and foreign audiences” [2]. In May of 1923, the United States and Mexico met at what would be known as the Bucareli Agreements, in which Obregon allowed US business to continue to operate in Mexico and Mexico would not enforce Article 27 retroactively (Wasserman, Document 39). Obregon signed these treaties to have better relations and peace between the two nations. The agreements dealt with: How to calculate compensation, Forms of payment, Respecting the rights of US oil companies, and Recognition of the sitting Mexican government by the US.
A number of factors contributed to factionalism within the Constitutionalist coalition during and after the negotiations that led to the Constitution of 1917, including political ambitions, agrarian reform, Mexican government debt, poverty, rough presidential successions, and the need for international legitimacy. I would argue that the Revolution had ended with his administration because after 10 years of a civil war, Obregon was able to achieve peace and bring wealth to Mexico. Obregon also recognized the political utility of forging closer ties with organized labor, and Luis Morones, the powerful leader of CROM, became extremely influential to the Obregon administration (Gonzalez, 202). CROM stands for Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers in English. In exchange for increased political power, Obregon signed a secret pact with CROM that secured labor confederation’s backing.
In the beginning of these readings, I had a distaste for all these politicians, but seeing what the Revolution did for Mexico is changing my mind. The more I read about the Revolution and how things unraveled the more I am interested in learning. In politics, as John Wayne said, “A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” for their country. This quote is for anyone who is fighting something, especially for a better country.
References
[1] Castro, Joseph Justin. n.d. Radio in Revolution: Wireless Technology and State Power in Mexico, 1897–1938. UNP — Nebraska.
Gonzales, M. J. (2002). The Mexican Revolution, 1910–1940. University of New Mexico Press
Wasserman, Mark. n.d. The Mexican Revolution A Brief History with Documents. Bedford/St. Martin’s.
[2] Castro, Joseph Justin. n.d. Radio in Revolution: Wireless Technology and State Power in Mexico, 1897–1938. UNP — Nebraska.
