The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela as a Reflection of the Mexican Revolution

The Plan of San Luis Potosi simply was for the people of Mexico to raise their arms to overthrow the dictatorship of Diaz and reinstitute democracy. The countryside and city joined together under the leadership of Francisco Madero to overthrow Porfirio Diaz after 1910. There were a number of revolts and uprisings around the country in Madero’s name. In February 1911, Madero and his men attached the city of Casas Grandes in Chihuahua and defeated Diaz’s federals. Madero and his men continued attacking other cities and they were warned not to get too close to the U.S. border because it might hurt Americans in the process of them fighting within their own country. However, his generals, Pascal Orozco and Francisco Villa, were eager to fight. They attacked Juarez against Madero’s orders, and defeated Diaz’s federal troops again. On May 1911, a peace treaty was signed and Porfirio Diaz agreed to resign and to go into exile. On November 1911, Francisco I. Madero became the first new President of Mexico in almost 30 years. From the beginning, he was a moderate. He wanted to challenge Diaz, but he did not want to institute policies that went against the rich landowner class to which his family belonged. He kept most of the power structure created by Diaz intact, much to the dismay of those who had hoped for significant change. Very quickly, Madero alienated his former allies, Pascal Orozco and Emiliano Zapata.

The Mexican Revolution is a complicated part of the Mexico history and it is very hard to pin down when the revolution had ended. It is something that is highly debated about even in today. History of this period of Mexico is every changing as people interpret what the revolution was about. Some Scholars say 1940’s like Mexican historian Daniel Cosio Villegas while other professors would say that it ends later or early then that. It depends on what you think the Revolution was being fought for. I think that is some ways the Villegas is right, but that depend on my definition of the Mexican Revolution, but overall I must disagree with the statement. I think that it had the end of the tail end of the 1910’s into the 1920’s. I believe in some

After the people of Mexico freed themselves from Spanish control, they faced difficulties trying to officially establish themselves as a country. Despite their independence, Mexico had to also live with the aftermath of Spanish colonialism. Part of the aftermath included socio-political issues amongst the Mexican people. In an effort to establish themselves as a nation, they first had to free themselves from a Spanish ideology, for Mexico truly was not free after their independence. The socio-political predicaments contribute to the evolution of modern day Mexico.

Economic strife during the 1907 to 1909 years allowed for opposition parties to rise up to challenge Diaz. One such leader was Francisco Madero, who campaigned across Mexico for democratic elections in a bid to oust Diaz. Diaz responded to Madero’s Presidential bid by having him and five thousand of his supporters arrested. Madero escaped across the border in 1910 and called on the citizens of Mexico to rise up and overthrow Diaz. Other leaders like Emiliano Zapata and Francisco (Pancho) Villa and Venustiano Carranza martialed their forces were able to force Diaz to

Díaz, afraid of losing his presidency, rigged the election and had Madero arrested. After his release, he fled to the United States and planned a revolt for November 20th, 1910. While this revolt did fail, it inspired many people who were tired of being dictated to join in a revolution.

In 1910, he breaks his promise and runs for reelection, but so does Francisco Madero. Diaz imprisons Madero on charges of “fomenting a rebellion and insulting the authorities”, and Diaz wins the election, being the only candidate. Madero escapes prison and flees to Texas from where in October, he publishes the “Plan de San Luis Potosí” calling for a revolt on November 20. That is where many mark the start of the revolution.

Alexander Avina’s book, Specters of the Revolution: Peasant Guerillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside, provides insight into the contextual relationship of Mexico’s habitual revolutions with in their turbulent history, and the failure of leadership from Lucio Cabanas and Gerno Vezquez , as well as the overall divisive culture that plagues Mexican history. Though his arguments are often lengthy and complex, Avina’s work manages to chronologically document the extensive history of Mexico’s revolutionary upheaval. In addition, Avina addresses the flawed leadership of Lucio Cabanas and Gerno Vezquez as they scrupulously debated various ideologies in attempt to find the solution for the people. Meanwhile the Mexican people whom they were theorizing

Throughout history around the world where countless revolutions have been fought, it is those that are victorious that are recognized and praised as the heroes. As “Revolutions” are being fought it is the leaders that become the icons of the revolution and are chosen as the heroes and become the face of the “Revolution”. In the book “La Revolucion” by Thomas Benjamin he describes the leaders of the Mexican revolution with different ideals, but at the end it is the “Revolution” as a whole in order to create change in the nation that united these leaders in being known as the heroes of the revolution. As Emiliano Zapata, Alvaro Obregon, and Francisco Madero became the face representing the revolution in Mexico and may have had differences differences

The Mexican Revolution first started off when President Diaz was being unfair to the people and took their land that they had full rights of and gave their land to his friends or himself, leaving the people homeless. People challenge the president and demanded for a election but President Diaz declined in order of him to still be in charge and have full power. Madero calls for a revolution (Gonzales)

Michael J. Gonzales, noted Peruvianist and author of two articles on copper mining in northern Mexico, in this latest book describes the revolution and provides extensive coverage (nearly one-third of the text) of the Porfiriato. Lucid, engaging, and containing interesting anecdotes, this political survey of the Mexican Revolution makes liberal use of relevant photographs. As such, the book will engage college students as a part of a Mexican history class.

In The Underdogs written by Mariano Azuela, we are introduced to a character that strongly symbolizes the fuel of the Mexican Revolution. Heroes like Demetrio Macias brought the Serrano's hope of giving them what they felt they truly deserved. Although Demetrio Macias, the general (colonel) of a rebel army is hunting down the army of Pancho Villa, he seems to have the same ideals as the enemy. In addition to Demetrio Macias, we meet women like Camilla and War Paint who represent the different roles that women played during the Mexican Revolution.

Though throughout Mexico’s history its citizens had gone violent due to poor living conditions, and in the aftermath chaos and destruction. So, it was understandable why Diaz had an unrelenting emphasis in the Mexican economy, as well as order. Diaz may have not played a part in making social welfare and society better, but he did put strong emphasis on law and order as the backbone of Mexican society. Under the circumstances on the Diaz administration and the instability of respect for legal adherence in Mexican society, Diaz did put law and order as top priority in his early years of office. The rurales was a resolution to the banditry that was going on in the Mexican countryside and enforced compliance of the law with the Pan o Palo (bread or stick) option for any bandit or criminal arrested by the

Before the Mexican Revolution, Mexico was originally a colony of Spain. Division between social classes grew originally because the majority of the Spanish used the native Mexicans as slaves. This was the beginning of the resentment Mexicans-born Spaniards had toward Spain. A century after a group of peasants led by Father Hidalgo declared war and led a revolt against Spain, the people of Mexico rose up in rebellion again in 1910. The dictator at the time, Porfirio Díaz, greatly expanded Mexico’s industry and economy, yet made the people of Mexico suffer. The gap between rich and poor continued to grow as he neglected to improve the lives of the great number of peasants who lived in poverty.

Mariano Azuela’s The Underdogs, is about a brotherhood of the Mexican people taking a journey with only one thing on their mind; revenge against Huerta and the Federales. In this story, we as the reader are confronted with characters, such as Demetrio Macias, who is destined to lead his people into the depths of retaining an incorrupt lifestyle and hopes to find peace from the effect of war. Although Demetrio is seen as one of the main characters in the novel, we are also briefly engaged in the other revolutionary forces under Pancho Villa, Carranza, Obregon, and by peasants under Zapata. These appositional forces gain strength against the Huerta government as well. The Underdogs almost symbolizes a Robin Hood story, in which, Demetrio and

He describes some details of Villa’s upbringing and the life he lived before being an active revolutionary. He had a simple life as a farmer and did not come from a lot of money. However, he had lofty ideas of caring for the poor and needy long before he ever became a leader in the revolution. The author describes him as wanting to see lower-class Mexicans advancing in good jobs and sending their kids to schools so they will not be illiterate. Boalt’s article is a primary source that tells a lot about the relationship between the United States and Pancho Villa and the impact their actions had on the Mexican