The Revolution and Its Leaders (1910–1917) Notes

Background

1. Between 1910 and 1917, the Mexican Revolution evolved from a movement to depose Porfirio Díaz into a fragmented struggle over the nation’s political and social future.
2. Different leaders i.e. Francisco Madero, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, and Venustiano Carranza represented distinct regional, class, and ideological interests.
3. Their conflicts shaped the trajectory of the revolution and culminated in the Constitution of 1917, a landmark document that institutionalized revolutionary ideals but proved uneven in practice.

Francisco Madero: The Liberal Democrat (1910–1913)

1. Ideology
   1. A wealthy landowner and political reformer, Madero embraced liberal ideals of democracy, legality, and moderate reform rather than social revolution.
2. Aims
   1. End Díaz’s dictatorship, establish free elections, and restore constitutional government.
3. Methods
   1. Mobilized middle-class and reformist elites through political organization and the Plan de San Luis Potosí (1910), which declared Díaz’s reelection void and called for armed revolt.
4. Achievements
   1. Overthrew Díaz in 1911; became president after elections; legalized unions and sought to balance peasant and elite interests.
5. Failures
   1. Refused deep land or labor reform, alienating radicals like Zapata and Villa. His moderate policies and weak military control made him vulnerable.
6. Outcome
   1. Overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by General Victoriano Huerta (1913), revealing the revolution’s fragmentation.

Emiliano Zapata: The Agrarian Revolutionary (1911–1919)

1. Ideology
   1. Radical agrarianism rooted in Indigenous communal traditions.
2. Aims
   1. Restoration of confiscated communal lands and redistribution of large haciendas to peasants.
3. Methods
   1. Organized local militias in southern states, especially Morelos; practiced guerrilla warfare and local self-governance.
4. Slogan
   1. “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Liberty”) captured his moral and social vision of equality through land reform.
5. Legacy
   1. Though killed before full realization of his goals, his demands for land justice influenced the 1917 Constitution (Article 27) and later reforms under Lázaro Cárdenas.

Pancho Villa: The Populist Caudillo (1910–1923)

1. Ideology
   1. Nationalist and populist; sought social justice, education, and fair labor conditions rather than a defined ideology.
2. Aims
   1. Protect small farmers and ranchers, redistribute land, and challenge elite privilege.
3. Methods
   1. Commanded the División del Norte, using mobile cavalry and guerrilla tactics to control northern Mexico; funded operations by seizing land and property from elites.