The Revolution

In October 1910, Madero would issue is Plan of San Luis Potosi from American soil in Texas. His plan declared the Mexican people had been offered peace, but a shameful one to him that was based on force and not law. He believed the goal of Mexico’s leaders was for the enrichment of a small group of the population and not the betterment nor prosperity of the homeland. Madero’s Plan called for a revolt against the Diaz regime on November 20, 1910 (pg. 296, Russell). He wanted free elections, and a legal review of the previous land thefts.

Once Madero returned to Mexico in 1911, he acted as the leader of the revolution. Unlike Madero had originally thought the rural countryside peoples were the ones who embraced him and the revolution. Madero wouldn’t be the only leader to rise up for the occasion Villa, Zapata, and Carranza would also lead some of the revolts. Villa and Orozco would capture Ciudad Juarez, which secured a railroad lines to the United States and military supplies.

Madero then fought forces in the north which occupied much of Diaz’s troops, and consequently opened the door for the peasant rebellion in the state of Morelos lead by Zapata. Morelos was made up of sugar planters, who oppressed the local peasants by taking away their water and land supply. Zapata lead the forces that took back and redistributed the land they thought was rightfully theirs.

Once Diaz’s forces were defeated at Ciudad Juarez the end of his regime was closing to an end. Diaz’s army lacked power and Diaz would have to agree to the Treaty of Ciudad Juarez that called for his resignation and for him to go into exile. He would be quoted to say, “Madero has unleashed a tiger, let’s see if he can control it.” (pg. 299, Russell) Madero would preach that land reform would happen to the Zapatistas to persuade them to put their arms down. What he actually did was different, he basically kept same regime as Diaz and moved his people to the top. He also didn’t reward those that fought for him and left hacienda owners to do what they always had done. This caused millions of peasants to be the labor of haciendas just as they were under Diaz. Soon even elites turned against Madero and would now lack support from anyone.

The Huerta Dictatorship was next. He like those before him also favored the hacienda owners and the Elites. He would create enemies when did not allow Felix Diaz to become president as he said he would. His major enemy would be the Governor of Coahuila, Venustiano Carranza. Carranza would issue the Plan of Guadalupe to create a coalition to go against Huerta. He built an army and his followers would be known as the Constitutionalist. Huerta would also bring about himself more enemies in the likes of Villa and Zapata. These were the leaders of the peasants in the north and the south. The three forces of Zapata, Villa, and Carranza would ultimately bring down Huerta’s army.

The three leaders now dashed to make it to Mexico City to take over Mexico. Villa and Zapata didn’t want to become president, but Carranza did, and he made sure he was the first one to arrive. This would not bring about a Civil War where Zapata and Villa would work together to try and overthrow their once ally Carranza.