Mexican revolution—research paper

Mexico’s president, Porfirio Diaz, possessed an immature attitude towards life. A majority of the people, which were the peasants, started to become disappointed because Diaz stole most of the power in Mexico and this lead to years of oppression for the lower class Mexican citizens. People of higher status had better rights and began to receive most of the land that belonged to the peasants. These people were treated better than the peasants. In 1910, the people of Mexico challenged the status quo because the plantation owners had most of the power, they believed that power should be separated among all the citizens of Mexico and the Madero’s declaration of rebellion caused them to fight back and start the revolution. To make matters worse, Porfirio Diaz wanted to retired from presidency which then caused the revolution. In 1923 U. S. historian, George H. McBride wrote about the life on the plantations of Mexico. According to McBride, “ The great landowners have ruled the country and take every of our possessions. We have lost all our power and civil rights. ” (McBride, 1923). In other words, the plantation owners not only ruled most of the land before the revolution but did not really take good care of it. When people’s lands were stripped away from them, they felt the need to challenge the status quo to earn the respect and equality that they had a right to. George H. McBride was also a historian and the author The Land Systems of Mexico. He once wrote, “ The Hacienda is, therefore…less a farmer than an absentee landlord…” (McBride, 1923). The plantation owners took the rights away from the peasants without warning, which justified the fact that they rebelled and chose to fight back. It is clear that the hacendados, plantation owners, had no right to take the peasant’s land and strip them of their power. According to Charles Louis Montesquieu, all people should have equal access to power. In 1752, Charles Louis Montesquieu, wrote about the separation of power in the book entitled Two Treaties of Government. He once stated, “ To be truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them. ” (Montesquieu, 1752). Montesquieu meant that in order to become strong, you must unite with the people to create a force that is unstoppable. With the support from the people, they must abide by majority rules. To be a rightful human-being, a person should treat people as their equal, not as a lesser person. This inspired the people of Mexico, before 1910, to challenge the status quo because Diaz never stood with his people but placed himself and other investors above them. According to Montesquieu, “ When the legislative and executive power are united in the same person…there can be no liberty…” (Montesquieu, 1752) In other words, there will be no equality and fairness if one person or group obtains all the power. It is clear that true equality is true justice. This was always lacking in Mexico since Diaz took power because he was in control of all braches in the Mexican government. This obviously meant there was not justice or liberty for the Mexicans. In 1910, Francisco I. Madero, co-leader of the Mexican Revolution wrote about the re-institution of democracy. Madero said “ A force of tyranny…oppresses us in such a manner that it has become intolerable. ” (Madero, 1910). An example of this is that Diaz took away natural rights from the Mexican people such as the land, voting, and trials. This triggered the people of Mexico to challenge the status quo because they knew that democracy no longer existed and that if they did not get rid of Diaz they would not get their rights back. In 1910, Madero also wrote about democracy and liberty. He stated, “ The Mexican people are fit for democracy…they are thirsty for liberty and their present rulers don’t measure up to their aspirations. ” (Madero, 1910). This shows that the citizens of Mexico were prepared to fight for their rights through any means necessary. Madero revolted against the Mexican government because he wanted separation of power in Mexico so more people could live in peace and liberty. This is why the people of Mexico understood his plea and supported in the revolution, people of Mexico were also motivated to challenge the status quo because they knew Diaz was not worthy to rule them. It is evident that when a ruler does not know how to hold order, the people were motivated to challenge the status quo because they wanted a ruler that met their standards. The Mexican Revolution shows that people challenge the status quo because they wanted to have equality and more civil rights. The people were justified to fight for their right because they were treated unfairly and had things taken away from them without hesitation. If everyone was approached with equality and true fairness, havoc would not have occurred and society would not have become corrupt. Revolutions are an important part of history because they have potential to cause valuable changes to their society.