Dia de la Revolucion - San Miguel de Allende

The Mexican Revolution was a period of political, social and military conflict and turmoil that began with the call to arms made on 20 November 1910 by Francisco I. Madero.

The initial period of armed conflict culminated in the overthrow of dictator Porfirio Díaz Mori and Madero's rise to presidency. Madero was deposed in 1913 and the country was engulfed in civil war, as several political and armed groups fought each other for control of the country. A major step towards the end of armed conflict involved the promulgation of the present constitution of Mexico in 1917, the official end of the Revolution. Nonetheless, conflict and political unrest such as the Cristero War persisted up to the late 1920s.

In 1936, president Lázaro Cárdenas arrested and deported Plutarco Elías Calles, the ex-president whose continuing political power had overshadowed the 3 intervening presidents. This act would mark the beginning of post-revolutionary Mexico, characterised by the rule of the Partido Nacional Revolucionario founded by Elías Calles in 1929, later known as the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI).

The Mexican Revolution should not be confused with the Mexican civil war (known as la guerra civil or War of Reform) of Benito Juarez of the 1850's, or the Mexican War of Independence of 1810-1821. While the Revolution was, technically speaking, a type of civil war, in Spanish language historical documents[1] the conflict is almost invariably referred to as la revolución mexicana, in order to distinguish it from the earlier Reform War.

The Mexican Revolution was a violent social and cultural movement which brought the beginning of changes in Mexico. The changes in turn brought a sense of freedom to the citizens of its country. The revolution started because of the actions of the Mexican President Porfirio Díaz. His regime not only favoured the involvement of the United States in Mexican life but also was centered on expanding the Mexican economy. If successful, this would have eventually classified Mexico as a capitalist country. The Díaz regime can be considered the main cause of the revolution but the governments who followed him can be seen as factors in the continuation of the revolution.

Francisco Madero, Victoriano Huerta, Pancho Villa and Venustiano Carranza were all important individuals in the revolution because of the role they played in attaining a stable government in Mexico. All four leaders were important in gaining a sense of what was important to the people of Mexico and what was needed to gain stability and freedom in Mexico. Emiliano Zapata can be seen as a Mexican hero because of the stand he took against Porfirio Díaz. Zapata helped the peasant class take back their land and regain Mexico as their own nation. These individuals are significant when classifying important individuals who were seen in the revolution.

The Zapatistas were members of Zapata’s revolutionary guerilla groups. They took their name from Zapata who led these groups into attaining a stable Mexico. These guerilla groups were important in involving the Mexican population in their government. Guerilla groups were seen all across Latin America and were highly effective because of their ability to organize and attack in small groups.

The effects of the Díaz regime were greatly felt in agrarian land reform. Laws were implemented to benefit foreign investors. The Díaz regime confiscated large sections of land from the people of Mexico. The Mexican Revolution saw new agrarian land laws passed to give back the people what was rightfully theirs. The laws were seen as an important step in achieving a stable government and country.

The involvement of women in the Mexican Revolution was substantial, especially because of the way they were regarded in the early 20th century. Women took part in politics and in life on the battlefields. This was a significant advancement for women because their role in the revolution became as important as a male role. The United States also played a vital role in the Mexican Revolution. Early on they wanted to stabilize the Díaz government to ensure that relations between the two countries would remain stable. This would also ensure that the foreign trade between the two countries would remain. United States involvement in the Mexican Revolution began as monitoring the revolution and ended in militaristic intervention. Further, the Mexican Revolution influenced the United States with the increase in immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. and their push for change in Mexico from across the border.

The role the Mexican Catholic Church during the Revolution is also an important aspect because of the many transformations it takes. The Roman Catholic Church in Mexico has a very influential role during the course of Mexican history. This role was greatly altered during the course of the revolution.

The youth movement in any revolution is important because youth are seen as the future of a nation. In Mexico, the results were not very positive because the many university students had been given the title of anti-revolutionaries. They were accused of being unaccepting of the ideals and beliefs of the revolution.

Mexican culture, such as cinema, music and literature, was also a driving factor in gaining support during the revolution. All parts of the culture were organized to show people that change was needed in order to gain a free Mexico. Mexican nationalism was an evident theme among most music, cinema and literature because of the way it could persuade people to join the fight.

The Mexican Revolution is found to be similar to the many revolutions of Latin America. The revolution was one of the first to recognize labor rights, which made it a significant event in the world’s history.