Revolutions always bring violent fights and deaths, but sometimes they are the only choice for the struggling populations to fight for one’s rights and freedom. The Mexican Revolution was a significant overthrow of social order that consisted of armed struggles from 1910 to 1920. It had a long-lasting effect on the Mexican government and culture. The revolution was triggered by the disapproval of the contemporary regime of Porfirio Díaz. As a result, several belligerent camps were formed throughout the years of revolution to fight for Mexico’s presidency.
The distribution of forces among various revolutionary camps was different throughout its development over the years. In the first half of the war, the main revolutionary force laid in Maderistas and Magonistas (Knight 2016, 20). Maderistas were revolutionary armies led by Francisco I. Madero in 1910-11, but were not as active after his assassination. They were the primary force that unified various smaller camps in it. Magonistas were a military camp of Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) under the Flores-Magon brothers’ leadership (Knight 2016, 20). They managed to organize abortive local uprisings and revolts.
In the later years, the opposition flourished significantly. The followers of Felix Diaz, a nephew of the former president, created a conservative army. On the opposite, the Zapatistas, led by Emiliano Zapata, were radicals fighting for land redistribution and political autonomy (Hart 2016, 406). The main opposition forces were in Carrancistas and Villistas. The followers of Venustiano Carranza became a constitutional insurgent group who fought with Villistas for power (Hart 2016, 406). Villistas were mainly underprivileged protestants who fought for socialism. However, in the end, the constitutionalists defeated Villistas, and Carranza became the president of Mexico.
Revolutions are an unavoidable part of political and social life that allows the population to change the order that overlived oneself. The power of ordinary people to fight for their views was a significant feature of the Mexican Revolution. The various camps throughout the country united based on their views and perception of their nation and bravely fought for freedom from oppression.
Reference List
Hart, Paul. 2016. “The Great Call-Up: The Guard, the Border, and the Mexican Revolution.” Hispanic American Historical Review 96 (2): 406-407.
Knight, Alan. 2016. The Mexican Revolution: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.