Hunter 2A
IB History of the Americas HL
7 November 2012
Paper 3 Guide: Mexican Revolution
Bullet Points: Defined and Summarized: 1. Causes of the Mexican Revolution: social, economic, and political; the role of the Porfiriato regime * Porfirio Díaz was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 to 1910. His regime is known as the Porfiriato regime. Díaz’s social ideologies and aims were to divide and rule, obtain absolute power Díaz’s methods were the Pan o Palo policy and the spoil system. Díaz wanted to increase industrialization without increasing foreign investment and he used the spoil system to gain the support of the wealthy landowners. Díaz’s political goals were to have autocratic rule, have absolute power, and obtain these through this policies and systems mentioned earlier. * Through Díaz’s spoil system, the wealthy became wealthier and the poor, common Mexicans were starving. Hacienda owners were benefiting from the economic situation of Mexico but the people were being oppressed socially, economically, and politically, until Madero began spreading non re-election campaigns and revolutionary leaders began to form groups and later armies, starting the Mexican Revolution.
2. The revolution and its leaders (1910-1917): Ideologies, aims, methods of Madero, Villa, Zapata, Carranza; achievements and failures; Constitution of 1917: nature and application * Madero: Came to power through the overthrowing of Diaz- Popular for his book, Presidential Succession of 1910. Sought democracy, gained presidency through popular vote. His 15 months in office were followed by resistance political disaster, non-cooperation, and disunity between his followers and eventually Huerta. (His supposedly appointed commander of the government forces who conspired with the rebels for Madero’s fall) * The aims of Madero were to remove Díaz from power and then take Díaz’s power. Villa’s aims changed impulsively and for immediate convenience. Zapata’s