Mexican Revolution 1914 1915 (1960) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

People edit see section history

• Porfirio Díaz: (1830-1915) Life-time President of Mexico. His reluctance to find a way where he could be succeeded peacefully precipitated the Revolution.
• Francisco Madero: (1873-1913) Ran for President against Diaz in 1910. Claiming fraud, he called for violent revolution in November 1910. His supporters drove Porfirio Díaz from office. He was elected President of Mexico in October 1911. In February 1913, a right-wing coup d’etat over-threw him, and he was murdered shortly thereafter.
• Francisco ‘Pancho’ Villa: (1878-1923) From obscurity, he rose to prominence during the Madero revolt of 1910-1911 as a supporter of Francisco Madero. He achieved his greatest fame after the death of Madero when he joined the Constitutionalist rebels to remove Victoriano Huerta from power in 1914. As commander of the Division of the North, Villa achieved spectacular victories against Federal forces and caused the collapse of the Huerta government. The victorious Constitutional forces then split into two factions: one faction favored the continued leadership of Venustiano Carranza; the other faction favored his removal from leadership. Pancho Villa became the leader of the forces opposed to Carranza’s continued leadership. In the spring of 1915, Villa’s forces were defeated by Carranza’s General Alvaro Obregón. Villa continued to fight as a guerrilla leader against Carranza’s government until 1920 when Obregón drove Carranza from office. With Carranza removed, Villa retired from public life, but in 1923 he was assassinated under suspicious circumstances.
• Emiliano Zapata: (1879-1919) Leader of the southern revolutionary forces. Zapata rose to leadership commanding Madero’s rebel forces in Southern Mexico in 1911. When Madero came to power in late 1911, Zapata quickly became disenchanted with him, and initiated a rebellion. When Madero was overthrown by conservative elements in 1913, Zapata continued to war on the new government of Victoriano Huerta. When Venustiano Carranza’s Constitutional forces were successful at driving out Huerta in 1914, Zapata could not come to terms with Carranza, and continued his rebellion. Carranza’s forces lured Zapata into a trap in 1919, and he was killed.
• Alvaro Obregón: (1880-1928) Successful farmer from Sonora, he did not participate in the Madero revolution of 1911. He rose to local prominence during the Pascual Orozco revolt of 1912. After the murder of President Francisco Madero in 1913, Obregón was appointed command of the Constitutional rebel forces in Sonora by the state governor. In 1914, Venustiano Carranza appointed him Commander of the Division of the Northeast. Obregón’s forces won a succession of victories against Federal forces in 1914, and lead the Constitutional forces into Mexico City, where he accepted the surrender of the Federal Army. He supported Carranza against Poncho Villa, and in the spring of 1915, his forces destroyed the forces of Poncho Villa. In 1916, Carranza appointed him Secretary of War. He resigned from public life in 1917, but decided to run for the Office of President in 1920. President Carranza did not believe Obregón was the right man to succeed him, and did everything in his power to derail the Obregón campaign. Obregón had sufficient support to drive Carranza from office in 1920. He was elected President shortly thereafter. He again retired from public life at the conclusion of his term in 1924, but maintained close contact with his successor. Obregón was re-elected President in the 1928 election, but was assassinated before he could be inaugurated.

Quotes edit see section history

• “When Zapata decided not to corporate with Carranza, he had his secretary Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama write a poignant call for justice for the underprivileged classes of Mexico. He denied that the Carrancistas were true revolutionaries or had any real concern for the people. The reforms they promised were less than useless; they were inimical to the progress of the rural classes. “The country wants something more than the vague utterances. It wishes to crush feudalism once and for all. What do the Constitutionists offer the people: Reforms in administration, complete integrity in the handling of public funds, freedom of the press for those who cannot read, freedom to vote for those who do not know the candidates, an equitable administration of justice for those who have never had any business with a lawyer. All these beautiful democratic principles, all these grand words, with which our father and grandfathers delighted themselves, have today lost their magical allure and meaning. The people of Mexico have seen that with elections or with out elections, with effective suffrage or without suffrage, with Porfirian dictatorship or with Madero’s democracy, with a muzzled press or with a free press, their portion is bitterness. They continue to suffer poverty and humiliations. What reason is there now to think that today’s “liberators” would be any different from yesterday’s warlords?””

  author

• “Carranza, like Madero, never favored legislated social reforms or breaking up the large estates. He might have swallowed the Plan of Ayala in theory, in order to gain the support of Zapata, but he gagged at the Zapatista rigidity. Even agrarian reforms could have been made more palatable if presented in ambiguous terms. But Zapata had learned the hard way that vague promises of reform are worthless. Land reform must come by decisive direct action, not through the ephemeral good intentions of middle-class politicians.”

  author

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Aguascalientes: Capital of the state of Aguascalientes. Site of the important Convention of Aguascalientes, October 1914.
• Torreon: Important city in the state of Coahuila. Several important Revolutionary battles were fought at this city.
• Ciudad Juárez: Important border town in Chihuahua across the river from El Paso Texas.
• Ciudad Chihuahua: Capital of the State of Chihuahua
• Mexico City: Capital of the Republic of Mexico
• Cuernavaca: Capital of the State of Morelos
• Puebla: Capital of the State of Puebla
• Mazatlán: Important west coast port city. Attacked by Obregón in May 1914 in the drive to Mexico City
• Tepic: Capital of the state of Nayarit. Southern terminus of the western railroad. Captured by Obregón May 1914.
• Zacatecas: Capital of the State of Zacatecas
• Irapuato: Important rail junction in the state of Guanajuato.
• Bajío: The broad central plain of Mexico near the cities of Leon and Celaya, Guanajuato. Site of three decisive battles between Pancho Villa and Alvaro Obregón in the spring of 1915. The first battle of Celaya occurred between April 5th and 7th and results in Villa’s lines being breached and a mass retreat of 15 kilometers. Villa regroups and clashes again with Obregón at Celaya on April 13th and they battle for nine days. The battle is a major defeat for Villa. Villa regroups again and attacks Obregón at Leon Guanajuato, and they battle for 40 days in an ugly battle that resembles the worst trench warfare of World War I. After an exhausting 40 days of combat, both sides are exhausted and short of ammunition. On June 3rd, Obregón is seriously wounded and loses an arm. On June 5th, Obregón’s army rallies and they overrun’s Villa lines. This time the Obregón’s victory is decisive, and Villa’s army is destroyed.
• San Luis Potosi: Capital of the state of San Luis Potosi
• Matamoros: Major border town in Northeast Mexico. Site of the first Constitutionalist victory in 1913.
• Tampico: Major port city on the east coast of Mexico. Site of the 'Tampico Incident'.
• Veracruz: Most important port city in Mexico. Occupied by American troops between April 1914 and November 1914.
• Ojinaga
• Piedras Negras

Organizations edit see section history

• Mexican Federal Army: Add a description of this organization.
• Division of the North: Commanded by Pancho Villa
• Division of the Northeast: Later called the Army Corps of the Northeast. Commanded by Alvaro Obregon
• Division of the Northwest: Commanded by Pablo Gonzalez
• Liberating Army of the South: Commanded by Emiliano Zapata

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Robert E. Quirk (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: F1234 .Q63 1960
• Dewey: 972.08

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › History › Americas › Mexico