The Mexican Revolution and its Historical Context

Financing and Initial Context

• Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the San Francisco Foundation.
• Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, but faced instability and wars.
• Lost half of its territory after the Mexican-American War of 1848.
• Was invaded by France, which installed a monarch.

The Mexican Revolution

• Was a social process linked to Mexico's 19th-century history, marked by exploitation, racism, and class differences.
• The Porfiriato (1876-1911) under Porfirio Díaz, a period of peace and economic progress, but also oppression of indigenous people and peasants.
• The Mexican Revolution was a response to exploitation and inequality.

Porfirio Díaz and the Porfiriato

• Díaz ruled with an "iron fist" favoring foreign interests, especially those of the U.S.
• He surrounded himself with technocrats called "los científicos."
• Land and wealth were controlled by a small elite.

Francisco Madero and the Struggle for Power

• Madero criticized Díaz's dictatorship and called for free elections in 1910.
• Launched the Plan of San Luis Potosí, calling for revolution.
• His movement led to the fall of Díaz's regime, although it did not achieve deep reforms.

Revolutionary Leaders: Villa and Zapata

• Francisco Villa: Represented northern Mexico with regionalist ideas and innovative military strategies.
• Emiliano Zapata: Advocated for agrarian reform in the south and demanded respect for indigenous communities.

Division and Internal Conflicts

• After Díaz was overthrown, Mexico faced divisions among the revolutionaries.
• Madero was assassinated in 1913 and Huerta took power, intensifying the conflict.
• Villa and Zapata clashed with the forces of Carranza and Obregón.

Foreign Intervention

• The U.S. played a role in the conflict, supporting different factions according to its interests.
• Villa's 1916 raid on Columbus increased tensions with the U.S.

The Constitution of 1917

• A new constitution was drafted promising social and agrarian reforms, though its implementation was limited.

Lázaro Cárdenas and the Reforms

• Cárdenas implemented significant reforms, including the expropriation of oil and land redistribution.

Cultural Impact

• The Revolution inspired a cultural renaissance, with muralism as a prominent example of public art.
• Literature and cinema also reflected the stories of the revolution.

The Legacy of the Revolution

• The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) dominated Mexican politics for decades, losing the original revolutionary momentum.
• Social and economic inequalities persisted, keeping revolutionary ideals relevant.