1. Revolution and Nationalism in Latin America THE WORLD BETWEEN THE WARS (1910-1939)

2. MEXICAN REVOLUTION By 1910, the dictator Profirio Diaz had ruled Mexico for almost 35 years, winning re-election as president again and again. On the surface, Mexico enjoyed peace and economic growth. Diaz welcomed foreign investors who developed mines, built railroads, and drilled for oil.

3. The countries prosperity benefited only a small group The majority of Mexicans were mestizos or Indian peasants who lived in desperate poverty Most worked on haciendas (large plantations controlled by the landowning elite) In 1910, Francisco Madero, a liberal reformer from an elite family, demanded free elections. After being imprisoned by Diaz, he hoisted the flag of revolution. Soon, revolutionaries all across Mexico joined Madero’s cause…Diaz resigned in 1911. Seeds of Discontent

4. A COMPLEX STRUGGLE Madero became president of Mexico, but he turned out to be too liberal for conservatives and not radical enough for the revolutionaries. In 1913, he was murdered by one of his generals, Victoriano Huerta. Huerta ruled as a military dictator, but was quickly faced with rebellion.

5. Emiliano Zapata: Southern Mexico Led a peasant revolt He was an Indian peasant farmer, and understood the misery of peasant villagers. Francisco “Pancho” Villa: Northern Mexico Fought mostly for personal power but won the intense loyalty of his peasant followers. DURING A LONG, COMPLEX POWER STRUGGLE, SEVERAL RADICAL LEADERS EMERGED. THEY SOMETIMES JOINED FORCES BUT THEN FOUGHT EACH OTHER.

6. Villa and Zapata formed an uneasy coalition with Venustiano Carranza. Venustiano Carranza: Rich landowner who wanted political reform but opposed social change.

7. FIGHTING Flared across Mexico for a decade Killed as many as a million Mexicans. Peasants, small farmers, ranchers, and urban workers were drawn into the violent struggle. Soldaderas, women soldiers, cooked, tended the wounded, and even fought alongside men.

8. FIGHTING CONTINUED… U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, sent troops to Mexico, TWICE. In 1914, U.S. Forces helped remove Huerta. In 1916, they tried to hunt down Pancho Villa, whose raid into New Mexico had killed 16 Americans. After the overthrow of Huerta, Carranza turned on Villa and Zapata and defeated them. In 1917, Carranza was elected president of Mexico and he reluctantly signed a new constitution.

9. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REFORMS Carranza had called for a new constitution during the Mexican Revolution; but he did not like the one he had signed in 1917 and did NOT institute its reforms…In 1920, rival revolutionaries arranged for his assassination! The Constitution survived with some revision, it is still in effect today!

11. PRI TAKES CONTROL In 1929, the government organized what later became the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The PRI made political choices to accommodate many groups in Mexican society, including business and military leaders, peasants, and workers. Backed social reform, but kept power in its own hands and suppressed political opposition. Over time, the PRI brought stability to Mexico and carried out many desired reforms; it dominated Mexican politics until 2000!

12. Lazaro Cardenas In the 1930s, President Cardenas made the decision to redistribute millions of acres of land to peasants under a communal land program.

13. SOCIAL REFORM Government supported labor unions Launched a massive effort to combat illiteracy Mexico became the first Latin American nation to pursue real social and economic reforms for the majority of its people Under the PRI, the government also took a strong role in directing the economy. Nationalized Mexico’s oil resources

14. NATIONALISM SPREADS IN LATIN AMERICA Economic Nationalism: or emphasis on home control of the economy, swept Latin American countries. It was directed largely at ending economic dependence on the industrial powers, especially the United States and Britain. Political Nationalism: In the midst of economic crisis (Great Depression) authoritarian governments with strong nationalist goals gained power in many countries. Cultural Nationalism: By the 1920s, Latin American writers, artists, and thinkers rejected European influences. Instead, they took pride in their own culture, with its blend of Western and Native American traditions.

15. RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES During the Mexican Revolution, the United States stepped in with military force to support the leaders who favored American interests. This interference stirred up anti-American feelings, which increased throughout Latin America during the 1920s. In the 1930s President Franklin D Roosevelt pledged to follow “the policy of the good neighbor” Under this policy: the US agreed to stop interfering in the affairs of Latin American nations…we withdrew troops stationed in Haiti and Nicaragua, lifted the Platt Amendment (limited Cuban independence) This policy survived until 1945 when global tensions led the US to intervene once again in the region……