Broad Base of Support of the Mexican Revolution

An important feature of the Mexican Revolution was its broad base of support. Revolution was brought about because, after more than 30 years in power, Porfirio Diaz succeeded in disenfranchising almost all socioeconomic groups who were not members of the power elite. Revolution occurs when individuals are pressed to the limits of their endurance; such a situation existed in Mexico under Diaz, which explains why so many segments of society risked personal safety to participate.

Diaz pandered to foreign influence to such an extent that being a Mexican became a disadvantage, particularly the more than ninety percent mixed breed Indian population. The government regarded itself as superior to the common people: "The government must be an aristocracy, an aristocracy of brains, technicians, wise and upright elders, scientists" (Brenner, 1971, p. 10). To encourage foreigners to regard Mexico as a land of opportunity, Diaz realized he had to make his country appear a safe haven for business. Toward this end, he ruthlessly repressed political dissidents, manipulated municipal elections, and established a brutal police force (rurales) that terrorized the peasant population. As a result of Diaz's single-minded pursuit of foreign capital, Mexico became a nation infiltrated by foreign influence: "by the early twentieth century, the banks were 94 percent foreign-owned, and electric power, most large mining enterprises, and the railroads were all controlled by foreign companies" (

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y heroes like Emiliano Zapata. The slogan of the Zapatista revolutionary army was "Land and Liberty." Zapata operated independently of other revolutionaries and advocated immediate direct action: "The [Zapatistas's] first act on raiding an hacienda or municipal center was sharp and symbolic; they got to the safe and destroyed all papers dealing with land titles, and then invited the neighborhood peasants to homestead on the hacienda lands" (Brenner, 1971, p. 45). Zapata's army included peasants, former prisoners, and professionals. The importance of the demands made by the revolutionaries is evident by the risks they took to secure change. The Mexican Revolution was a particularly violent struggle: "in 1910 Mexico counted a population of only 14.5 million people, and as many as 1.5 million Mexicans lost their lives over the next decade" (Hellman, 1994, p. 49). An even greater number of people were injured and lost their livelihoods. Entire villages were destroyed. As a result, the Mexican economy suffered a severe disruption which left many dead from starvation and malnutrition. Mexican women played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution because of their direct involvement in the fight for political advancement.

Category: Foreign - B