The Goals Of Mexican Revolution

Revolutions are supposed to bring changes, but do you think the Mexican Revolution was truly useful? Civil wars have occurred throughout history, trying to achieve a change, either a positive or a negative. For example, we have the Russian Revolution, where the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the government and formed a communist government, which led to the formation of the Soviet Union. Now, we will talk a little bit about the Mexican revolution. We all know it started in 1910 and ended around 1920. We all know some of the most important people during the Mexican Revolution were Francisco Madero, Francisco Villa, Emiliano Zapata, and Álvaro Obregón. Each one of them had some interests based on the groups of people they wanted to defend. But these facts are things that we already know. But the Mexican Revolution was not very beneficial. Several issues were affecting the economy, society, and politics of Mexico.

The Mexican Revolution brought good things to Mexico. One of them was the elaboration of our actual Constitution, written by Venustiano Carranza in 1917. And as this one there were several good things of the Mexican revolution.

First, we will be analyzing the economy of Mexico during and after the war. The economy mostly suffered during the war, the Mexican economy became split due to two reasons: the destruction of the railways and the problems that the national monetary system suffered. These were obvious consequences that everybody knew would happen during war. Fortunately, Mexico could go through the moment and stabilize the economy shortly after the war. But what most impacted the Mexican economy were the limits that private ownership suffered. So, why giving limits to the national economy. One of the goals was to try to diminish the impact of foreign companies on Mexican territory, so why giving limits to the economy in Mexico? It is something that has little sense. This was not something positive. Private property could prosper, but it faced obstacles, it needed to grow under certain conditions, including the lands that were distributed.

Next, we have Mexican society. This area was one of the most important points that were fought for during the Mexican Revolution. There was progress in this sector, there were more rights conceded to workers, among other benefits. But the main problem persisted: inequality. Why giving more rights and privileges if not all of the people can enjoy them equally?

Third, we will see the Mexican political system. After the war, and again, fortunately, Mexico could stabilize its political system. But I will tell you two points that, for me, are reasons why the political system wanted at the time, was not completely achieved. The main figures of the Mexican Revolution wanted to apply a democracy as the system of government, an idea that was not achieved at least in the next few years. We have the proof with the next presidents. Francisco Madero was forced out of power shortly after he became president. Then, Victoriano Huerta’s role as a president was not recognized and soon was forced out of power. Venustiano Carranza was later murdered by Alvaro Obregon, who was not murdered, finally. But does this was truly a democracy? Murdering the previous president to gain power and have your own ideas implemented is something that at least, would not call democracy. Another point that was not eliminated was the role of the president for the next 70 years. From 1924 to 2000, all presidents came from the political party that we know today as the PRI or the Partido Revolucionario Institucional. Leaders from the Mexican Revolution wanted to force out Porfirio Diaz and the group of people that worked with him from the power they had. But the fact that for 70 years, presidents came from the same political party is, for me, the same situation. All the presidents that came from the same political party could have shared at least some ideas about the organization of the country. Another point is the fact, that some presidents have actually wanted to keep power. A perfect example is Plutarco Elías Calles, who influenced a lot the next three presidents. And even nowadays some presidents are trying to place relatives or friends in important political roles to still influence the government.

So, to conclude and according to my point of view, the Mexican Revolution did not accomplish the goals it had. The economy suffered during the war, and private ownership could not flourish freely, since there were several limits. Next, society still suffered from inequality and economic problems after the civil war. Then, the political system of Mexico suffered during the civil war and some things that wanted to be eradicated from the government persisted. So, in my opinion, the Mexican Revolution did not benefit Mexico that much as we think. Look around you, there are still some of the problems that were before the Mexican Revolution. There are still economic, social, and political problems in Mexico nowadays. So, I’ll tell you a question for you to think about it: was the Mexican Revolution truly useful?