History of the Mexican Revolution By ThoughtCo.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.19.17 Word Count 1,098 Level 840L Revolutionaries Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa are among the prominent figures from Mexican history in "Dream of a Sunday afternoon in Alameda Central Park," 1946-1947, by Diego Rivera (1886-1957), a fresco in the Hotel Prado, Mexico City, Mexico. Image from public domain The Mexican Revolution broke out in 1910. At the time, the country was ruled by President Porfirio Díaz. He had held power for decades. A writer and politician named Francisco I. Madero ran against Díaz in the presidential election. Díaz knew he would lose, so he had Madero arrested. Madero called for revolution, and his call was answered by other popular leaders in country: Emiliano Zapata in the south, and Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa in the north. Díaz fell from power in 1911, setting off a civil war as different politicians and warlords fought for control. In 1920, the general Alvaro Obregón rose to the presidency. Many historians say this was the end of the revolution, but fighting continued for several more years. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
The rule of Díaz Porfirio Díaz ruled over Mexico from 1876 to 1911. During those decades, Mexico modernized, building mines, plantations, telegraph lines and railroads, which brought great wealth to the nation. All of the gains, however, went to rich people. Most of Mexico's wealth remained in the hands of a few families. The Mexican people were unhappy. When the economy took a turn for the worse, and jobs and money were hard to get, people demanded changes. So, Díaz promised to let the people hold elections in 1910. Díaz and Madero Díaz expected to win the election easily. He was shocked when it became clear that his opponent, Francisco I. Madero, was likely to win. Unwilling to face defeat, Díaz rigged the elections by arresting Madero on false charges. Madero thought there was only one way to convince Díaz to step down, and that was war. So he called for an armed rebellion to begin. Orozco, Villa and Zapata This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
In the southern state of Morelos, Madero's call was answered by a peasant leader named Emiliano Zapata. He hoped a revolution would lead to changes for farmers and common people. In the north, bandit leaders Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa also took up arms. These rebels controlled armies of thousands. In the south, Zapata attacked large ranches called haciendas, giving land back to the people that had been stolen from under Díaz. In the north, Villa and Orozco clashed with Díaz's forces. They had great success and in February 1911, Madero returned and joined them in the north. As the three generals approached Mexico City, Díaz realized that he could not win, so he went into exile. In June, Madero entered the city in triumph. The rule of Madero When Madero took over, he broke many of the promises he had made to his supporters. He quickly had enemies on all sides, and new rebellions broke out. In November of 1911, Zapata wrote up his famous Plan of Ayala, which called for Madero's removal and named Orozco Chief of the Revolution. Madero sent General Victoriano Huerta to join with Villa and go after Orozco and his troops, however. They were successful. Orozco was forced to flee to the United States. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Huerta then betrayed the president, however, ordering Madero arrested and killed, and declaring himself the new president. The Huerta years With Madero dead, two more powerful figures joined the conflict. In Coahuila, the former governor named Venustiano Carranza took control. In Sonora, a farmer named Alvaro Obregón got people to join his army. Orozco returned to Mexico and allied himself with Huerta. However, Carranza, Obregón, Villa and Zapata (known as the "Big Four") were united against him. They attacked Huerta on all sides. Villa won a crushing victory at the Battle of Zacatecas in 1914, and Huerta and Orozco soon fled the country. The warlords at war With Huerta out of the way, Zapata, Carranza, Obregón and Villa were the four most powerful men in Mexico. Unfortunately for the nation, they soon fell to fighting one another. Zapata's troops defended their lands in Morelos. Villa declared war against Carranza. Obregón decided to side with Carranza. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
The rule of Carranza Carranza did not completely trust Obregón, though. So he sent him to fight Villa, hoping that the two would finish each other off. Obregón lost an arm in his clashes with Villa. Villa, however, lost the war. His army was weakened, so he retreated to the north. Meanwhile, Carranza's forces clashed with Zapata, who was betrayed, captured and killed on April 10, 1919. Having defeated his two main opponents, Carranza was in a strong position of power. He made a deal with Obregón, promising to help him become president in the 1920s. The rule of Obregón Carranza did not keep his promise. This proved to be a deadly mistake. Obregón, who was well liked by soldiers, raised a massive army and marched on the capital. Carranza fled and was killed on May 21, 1920. Obregón was easily elected in 1920 and served his four-year term as president. For this reason, many historians believe the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920, although the nation suffered from horrible violence for another decade or so. Obregón ordered Villa to be killed in 1923. Obregón was later killed in 1928. Women in the Mexican Revolution Before the revolution, women in Mexico had little power in business, government or society. The revolution gave them greater opportunities. Many women spent the revolution as writers, politicians and even soldiers. After the war, many refused to go back to the old ways. Thus, the revolution played an important role in the fight for women's rights. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Importance of the Mexican Revolution In 1910, Mexico was controlled by rich landowners who were in charge of everything. Things needed to change. The Mexican people paid a very high price for change, though. The war took hundreds of thousands of lives and left the economy in ruins. The 1934 election of the honest Lázaro Cárdenas gave the nation a chance to get back on its feet. Today, the scars have healed. However, the memory of the revolution, and the discussion over rights to land and wealth lives on in Mexico. Zapata and Villa are still considered heroes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
Quiz 1 Read the sentence from the section "Díaz and Madero." Unwilling to face defeat, Díaz rigged the elections by arresting Madero on false charges. What is the meaning of the word "rigged" as it is used in the sentence above? (A) (B) (C) (D) invented supplied corrected cheated 2 Read the paragraph from the section "The Huerta years." Then, fill in the blank. They attacked Huerta on all sides. Villa won a crushing victory at the Battle of Zacatecas in 1914, and Huerta and Orozco soon fled the country. The phrase "crushing victory" in the paragraph tells the reader that. (A) (B) (C) (D) Huerta was easily able to escape Huerta was completely defeated by Villa Villa wanted to put all his enemies in jail Villa wanted to talk with Huerta 3 What was the relationship between Carranza and Obregón? (A) (B) (C) (D) They fought on the same side until Carranza broke his promise and Obregón raised an army against him. They joined together with Zapata, and both Carranza and Obregón were given high positions in his army. Carranza decided to fight on the side of Zapata, but Obregón decided to join Villa. Carranza allied himself with Huerta, but Obregón convinced him to switch sides. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7
4 What effect did Madero have on the Mexican Revolution? (A) (B) (C) (D) Madero attacked haciendas, giving back to the people the land that was stolen under Díaz. Madero attacked haciendas, planning to end the fighting with his famous Plan of Ayala. Madero began the revolution against Díaz, but when he broke his promises, it caused new rebellions. Madero began the revolution against Díaz, and his leadership helped bring peace back to Mexico. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 8