Mexican Revolution

After Francisco Madero lost the 1910 presidential election against dictator Porfirio Diaz in results that were widely considered rigged, Madero and other men belonging to the Liberal Party fled to the United States to make what became known as the Saint Louis Plan[?] (since it was written and proclaimed in Saint Louis, Missouri). It declared the nullity of the election, and invited the population to raise in arms in November 20th that same year. It ignited many rebellions (with their own Plans) around the country from men like Aquiles Serdan[?], Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and later Venustiano Carranza[?] and Alvaro Obregon[?].

Although Porfirio Diaz was thrown from office into exile in less than a year, personal ambitions and lack of a single leadership caused the fighting to extend for many years. The new elected president Madero had neither the support of his former allies who claimed the revolution goals hadn't been met nor from the members of the old regime, and in 1913 it was murdered along with his vice-president. Former revolutionary and Chief of Armed Forces Victoriano Huerta[?] then took power, and was quickly accused of plotting the murder of Madero in accordance with the US ambassador, causing the war to continue.

After years of political and military turmoil, characterized by revolutionary heroes assasinating themselves (Obregon killed Carranza, who had killed Zapata in an ambush), the country stabilized in 1930s after the foundation of the Nationalist Mexican Party (P.N.M, which later became the Institutional Revolutionary Party, P.R.I) by then President, General Plutarco Elias Calles[?]. The P.N.M succeeded at convincing most of the remaining revolutionary generals to dissolve their personal armies to create the Mexican Army, and so its foundation is considered by some the real end of the Mexican Revolution.

The Revolution also created a political tradition of loyalty (some claim submission) to the current President, a tradition that lasted around sixty years.

see also: History of Mexico