The same side of the Coin
Francisco Madero never had the interests of the Mexican people at heart. According to an expert on the Mexican Revolution, author and academic Michael J. Gonzalez, Madero was content with looking out for his own best interest. Gonzalez states, “Before election day, Madero went to Diaz with an offer. Madero would withdraw from the campaign if he could run as Diaz’s vice president” (p. 73). It’s clear from this quote that Madero was keener on raising his stature amongst the field of Mexican politics, and not so bothered by the dastardly deeds perpetrated by the Diaz regime. Furthermore, even after the unrequited attempts and blackmailing his way into Diaz’s political graces, his pocketbook got in the way. Madero’s plan, “Plan de San Luis Potosi”, ignored the plight of so many Mexican laborers and lower economic classes. He never intended on undoing the social wrong in the country, his concerns were solely placed on his political gains, which as Gonzalez (2002) proves, “Madero’s commitment to political stability and administrative efficiency…revealed his desire to only tinker with the system rather than overthrow it” (p. 74).
Some the first divergent ideas regarding this revolution showed themselves early in the revolution. Madero had trusted his military and diplomatic leaders to work on his behalf to suppress Diaz and force him into resignation. However, one of his most talented military leaders (although they didn’t necessarily see eye to eye), Pascual Orozco, had differing ideas. While Madero was keen to take over for a deposed Diaz, Orozco decided to take matters of revolution into his own hands. Without Madero’s knowledge of permission, Orozco laid siege to the border town of Ciudad Juarez. As Gonzalez (2002) states, “The Treaty of Ciudad Juarez, signed on May 17, 1911, changed those in charge, but left the old Diaz regime largely intact” (p. 80). This can be likened to the Hunger Games trilogy, when Katniss Everdeen quickly realizes President Coin is going to rule in the same fashion President Snow did. Both Orozco, Zapata and Katniss alike decided this would not be in the best interest of their brethren.
By my estimation, the early part of the Mexican revolution and the counterrevolution were incredibly important because it shaped the way the rest of Mexico’s history would play out. Madero’s lack of revolutionary ideas stuck Mexico in a hamster wheel of sorts, never ever being fully able to break free of the Diaz regime. The Diaz regime was dictatorial and selfish, but the conservative form of Diaz’s politics never actually escaped Mexico’s political landscape. Madero wasn’t the revolutionary that Mexico needed. In order to truly form Mexico into a liberal democracy that northern frontera or southern hinterland leaders envisioned, a much more radical approach needed to be taken. The true nature of what the people of these areas was shown during the early part of the revolution. Thus, there was little change from Diaz to Madero, and withholding the social democratic leanings during the Great Depression, Mexico has retained many of those ideas until today.
