The Restoration of Mexico
Conventionists and Constitutionalists
The Conventionists of the Mexican Revolution included leaders such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. They wanted radical land reform including the immediate redistribution of land to the people who had lost land under Diaz. Villa didn’t care that all people got land; he just wanted his soldiers that fought for him to get land and not the cowards who didn’t contribute. Conventionists also wanted state power over a federal power.
The Constitutionalists included the leadership of Venustiano Carranza and Álvaro Obregón. They were a middle group that appealed to the people and not just the elite and they claimed that they just wanted peace. When these two groups of people waged war over their views, the Constitutionalists came out on top for a couple of reasons. Villa used old school fighting and Obregón used modern warfare like what was being done in Europe. The second and main reason for the success of the Constitutionalists is because the United States turned against Villa who was known to be violent and ruthless, but because he had lost several battles to the Constitutionalists. The United States just wanted a quiet and stable Mexico in which Americans didn’t have to worry about the violence crossing the boarder from the south.
The Constitutionalists were reformers and Carranza wanted political change, but not that much change. He didn’t care about land reform or social change. He wanted minimal change that helped him, his government and the elite. He is credited with calling for a constitutional convention that created the Constitution of 1917. Even though Carranza didn’t necessarily care about the poor people of rural Mexico, the Constitution ended up providing rights to the people Mexico including the poor and the landless.
Factions were still dividing the country of Mexico even after the Constitution. There were so many groups that remained loyal to their leader and maintained a distrust and even hate for the groups that they fought against. Trying to find common ground and goals between the Maderistas, Carrancistas, Villistas and Zapatistas was going to be difficult.
Alvaro Obregón
Obregón challenges revolved around Mexico’s failing economy that included the growing number of unemployed non-agricultural workers. These workers has low and fixed incomes. Obregón also was concerned about the governments of the United States and Britain. There had been a loss of business for foreigners and they wanted the money that they felt that they were owed for their losses. Also, there was instability in places like Chihuahua and Obregón worried about the return of Poncho Villas’ followers.
With all of these problems, Obregón found a way to be successful. He was an outstanding soldier and businessman. He was a compromiser between rich and poor, businessmen and peasants, and workers and bosses. He befriended those involved in organized labor and was able to balance Mexico socially and politically. He gave people what they wanted and needed even if that meant going against the constitution that he was supposed to be defending. What mattered to Obregón was what would benefit Mexico the most. Obregón established relationships with his rivals and rotated his military commanders so that they did not make overly loyal followers that might stage a coup. He used petroleum exports and taxes on those exports to attempt to pay off the debt of Mexico.
The end of the revolution?
Obregon’s administration did not bring the revolution completely to a close, but a new era. Plutarco Elias Calles replaced Obregón as Mexico’s president. He promoted land reform, but only just enough to keep the peace among the people. Labor reforms also occurred, but they were just to support unions. Mexico under Calles became very corrupt with labor bosses and a government that cared more for the state than the people.
In the following election, Obregón was elected as president, but was assassinated. Calles continued to have a string of “puppet presidents” that did everything he wanted them to do and discontent among the people continued.
Murals
Mexican murals are a cultural result of the revolution. There was a need to mend divisions of the people into Mexicanos. There was also a need to communicate with the poor and illiterate and murals were the answer. These murals encouraged pride in the Mexican people and gave them identity by portraying history and traditions in murals.
