Political Figures

Date

Policies

Extra Notes

Porfirio Diaz

1876 - 1910 (Porfiriato)
  • Industrialization
  • Foreign investment
    • 95% land owned by foreigners
    • 15% of Mexicans owned wealth
  • GDP increased by 500%
  • Cientificos: People specialized and made contracts with foreigners
  • Stability for Progress
  • Rurales: state police used to intimidate voters and people into submission
  • 85% of people were illiterate
  • Liberty, Peace, and Progress
  • Nationalized the railroad
  • Made sure Mexicans were equal to foreigners(?)
  • Imprisoned Madero (Nov 1910)
  • Economic crisis (1905-07)
    • Devalued the pesos
    • Strikes throughout Mexico

Madero

1911 - 1913
  • Promised policies such as land reform but never came through with them
    • Zapata went against him
  • Allowed Diaz’s military to stay
  • Plan de San Luis Potosi (1910): Declared Diaz illegitimate, wanted to return peasants’ land and provide universal male suffrage.
  • Increased spending in education
  • Trade unionism
    • Alienated elite and poor, and focused on middle class
  • Killed by Huerta in 1913 (La decena tragica)

Huerta

Feb 1913 - July 1914
  • Turned to Germany for weapons
  • Was not recognized by Woodrow Wilson
  • Wanted to restore the Porfiriato
  • Worked with Felix Diaz, nephew of Porfirio
  • Dictatorial
  • Veracruz (April 1914)
    • Mexicans arrested US Marines.
    • Wilson wanted apology (21 gun salutes)
    • Mexico said no and Wilson said invade Port of Veracruz.

Carranza

1915-1917 as head of state, and 1917-1920 as elected president
  • Constitutionalist
  • He was chosen by the US
  • Became president after Battle of Zacatecas
  • Free and fair elections
  • Villa and Zapata didn’t recognize him as president
  • Worked with Obregon after the Convention of Aguascalientes (Fall 1914)
  • Article 3 and 123 (details below the table)
  • Supported more by the US than Mexico
  • Focused on domestic issues.
  • Wanted political reforms, not change for the poor.

Obregon

1920 -

  • Literacy campaigns in rural and indigenous schools
  • Bucarelli Agreements: allowed US investment bu restrictions on oil and mining; government controlled
  • Mexican identity and pride.
  • Killed Villa in 1923

Vasconcelos

1921 - 1924 as minister
  • Minister of Education under Obregon

Calles

Cardenas

Zapata

Villa

Orozco

Article 3

Article 27

Article 123

Article 130