The Fall and Rise of Power
The Mexican Revolution was the battle to limit the power that the government could induce upon its people. A nation tired of corruption and deceit was ready to begin something new. The Revolution that started as a movement to end the presidential power of the corrupt Porfirio Diaz, ended with the creation of perhaps the most powerful Mexican President, Lazaro Cardenas. Two presidents, one causes the spark of a revolution to reduce the presidential power, and the other ends the revolution more powerful than anyone had imagined.
Porfirio Diaz was Mexico's President from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a single four-year period (http://en.wikipedia.org). After Diaz overthrew the government of President Tejada in 1876, and proclaimed himself President, he had a very corrupt and incompetent approach to the government of Mexico. Diaz's right hand man was Don Jose Limantour, who was the secretary of the Treasury.
Porfirio Diaz
A Escobar C, digital Archive Mexico's hundred year...
Francisco I. Madero, former Mexican president.Diaz's principle advisors known as los cientificos were keen to the doctrine, "Let us be scientific, let us be realistic" (Brenner, 9). Infact, Limantour felt that democracy is a utopian dream, "It's Bad Government" (Brenner, 9).
The population of Mexico had more than three quarters of the people being nearly full Indian. Diaz, a mestizo, felt that the people he represented were, "subhuman, degenerate, apathetic, irresponsible, lazy, treachourous, superstitious-destined to be a slave race" (Brenner, 10). To let these people have a role in the shaping of the government was ludacris. His method of pan y palo, which is a job that paid a few pesos and included blackmail, would maintain the peace, while the wise, older, scientists shaped the government into an aristocracy. Diaz's perception of his own people led him to handpicking his own governors, who were typically wealthy land owners or...