This work is the intellectual property of MrHubbshistory.com. Content copyright 2009-2012. MrHubbsHistory. All rights reserved. The Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution was brought on by a tremendous disagreement among the Mexican people over the dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz. Diaz stayed in office for thirty one years. During that span, power was concentrated in the hands of a select few; the people had no power to express their opinions or select their public officials. Wealth was concentrated in the hands of the few, and injustice was everywhere, in the cities and the countryside alike. Early in the 20th Century, a new generation of young leaders arose who wanted to participate in the political life of their country, but they were denied the opportunity by the officials who were already in power. This group of young leaders believed that they could assume a role in Mexican politics once President Diaz announced publicly that Mexico was ready for democracy. Although the Mexican Constitution called for public election and other institutions of democracy, Diaz and his supporters used their political and economic resources to stay in power indefinitely. Francisco I. Madero was one of the strongest believers that President Diaz should renounce his power and not seek re-election. Together with other young reformers, Madero created a new political party, which he represented in presidential elections. Madero was a supporter of democracy and he wanted to make the government follow the law. The success of Madero's movement made him a threat in the eyes of President Diaz. Shortly before the elections of 1910, Madero was captured and imprisoned. Learning of Diaz's re-election, Madero fled to the United States in October of 1910. In exile, he issued the ''Plan of San Luis,'' a manifesto which declared that the elections had been a fraud and that he would not recognize Porfirio Diaz as the legitimate President of the Republic. Instead, Madero made the daring move of declaring himself President Pro-Temp until new elections could be held. Madero promised to return all land which had been confiscated from the peasants, and he called for universal voting rights and for a limit of one term for the president. Madero's call for an uprising on November 20th, 1910, marked the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. In Chihuahua, Mexico Madero was able to persuade Francisco “Poncho” Villa to join the revolution. Though he had no military experience, Villa proved to be excellent strategist, and he earned the allegiance of the people of northern Mexico. In March of 1911, Emiliano Zapata, another local revolutionary led an uprising of the peasants. At the same time, armed revolt began in many other parts of the country. These revolts, and the national anger which inspired them, defeated the army of Diaz within six months. The decisive victory of the Mexican Revolution led Porfirio Diaz to resign as President and he fled to exile in France, where he died in 1915. With the collapse of the Diaz regime, the Mexican Congress called for national popular elections, which resulted in the victory of Francisco I. Madero as President. 1.Who was Porfirio Diaz? 2.Why were the Mexican people unhappy? 3.Who was Francisco Madero? 4.How did the Mexican Revolution start?
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This work is the intellectual property of MrHubbshistory.com. Content copyright 2009-2012.
MrHubbsHistory. All rights reserved.
The Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was brought on by a tremendous disagreement among the Mexican
people over the dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz. Diaz stayed in office for thirty one years.
During that span, power was concentrated in the hands of a select few; the people had no power to
express their opinions or select their public officials. Wealth was concentrated in the hands of the few,
and injustice was everywhere, in the cities and the countryside alike.
Early in the 20th Century, a new generation of young leaders arose who wanted to participate in
the political life of their country, but they were denied the opportunity by the officials who were
already in power. This group of young leaders believed that they could assume a role in Mexican
politics once President Diaz announced publicly that Mexico was ready for democracy. Although the
Mexican Constitution called for public election and other institutions of democracy, Diaz and his
supporters used their political and economic resources to stay in power indefinitely.
Francisco I. Madero was one of the strongest believers that President Diaz should renounce his
power and not seek re-election. Together with other young reformers, Madero created a new political
party, which he represented in presidential elections. Madero was a supporter of democracy and he
wanted to make the government follow the law. The success of Madero's movement made him a threat
in the eyes of President Diaz. Shortly before the elections of 1910, Madero was captured and
imprisoned. Learning of Diaz's re-election, Madero fled to the United States in October of 1910. In
exile, he issued the ''Plan of San Luis,'' a manifesto which declared that the elections had been a fraud
and that he would not recognize Porfirio Diaz as the legitimate President of the Republic.
Instead, Madero made the daring move of declaring himself President Pro-Temp until new
elections could be held. Madero promised to return all land which had been confiscated from the
peasants, and he called for universal voting rights and for a limit of one term for the president. Madero's
call for an uprising on November 20th, 1910, marked the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.
In Chihuahua, Mexico Madero was able to persuade Francisco “Poncho” Villa to join the
revolution. Though he had no military experience, Villa proved to be excellent strategist, and he earned
the allegiance of the people of northern Mexico. In March of 1911, Emiliano Zapata, another local
revolutionary led an uprising of the peasants. At the same time, armed revolt began in many other parts
of the country. These revolts, and the national anger which inspired them, defeated the army of Diaz
within six months. The decisive victory of the Mexican Revolution led Porfirio Diaz to resign as
President and he fled to exile in France, where he died in 1915. With the collapse of the Diaz regime,
the Mexican Congress called for national popular elections, which resulted in the victory of Francisco I.
Madero as President.
1.Who was Porfirio Diaz?
2.Why were the Mexican people unhappy?
3.Who was Francisco Madero?
4.How did the Mexican Revolution start?
This work is the intellectual property of MrHubbshistory.com. Content copyright 2009-2012.
MrHubbsHistory. All rights reserved.
5.Who are Poncho Villa and Emiliano Zapata?
6.How did the revolution end?
In 1911, counterrevolutionary revolts crushed under General Victoriano Huerta. This led to a
dependency on the disloyal army. In 1913, Madero was overthrown and killed, along with vice
president, in a coup d'état headed by the army's commander-in-chief, the same General Victoriano
Huerta.
With Madero dead, Huerta seized power. This seizure of power was supported by the wealthy
aristocracy, who saw this as an effort to restore the Diaz system. Local leaders redirected their efforts,
this time fighting against the new government and accusing Huerta of plotting Madero's murder in
cahoots with the U. S ambassador. Leaders such as Villa, Zapata, Carranza and Obregón led the
fighting against Huerta. Pressure from the United States combined with the assaults of the rebels,
eventually led to the fall of Huerta.
In an attempt to restrain the slaughter, the governor of the northern state, Venustiano Carranza,
formed the Constitutional Army to create a new constitution. He managed to create the Constitution of
1917. The Constitution addressed foreign ownership of resources, an organized labor code, the role of
the Roman Catholic Church in education and land reform. Education itself was to be free and without
religious involvement. One other important clause was one that protected the rights of the workers,
giving them the right to strike and eight hour work days.
The Carranza government also did not last or enforce many of the reforms in the Constitution of
1917. In 1920, General Álvaro Obregón, who had served as Minister of War and of the Navy, revolted
against him along with two other leading generals. Carranza was assassinated on May 21, 1920;
Carranza had already had Zapata killed in an ambush in 1919.
Obregón assumed power and by bringing peace to the country proved to be not only a capable
military man, but also an able politician. Under Obregón's control, an artistic and creative renaissance
took place in Mexico: mural and fresco techniques from Pre-Columbian cultures were revived and
honored. He was responsible for the creation of a number of unions. Obregón sought reelection in 1928,
an illegal act under the Constitution of 1917, and was in fact reelected, but was assassinated by a
Catholic extremist before taking office.
1. How did Huerta take control of the government? How did the Huerta government fall?
2. Who was Venustiano Carranza?
3. Why was the creation of a constitution important to Mexico?
4. What are some things that the constitution granted?
This work is the intellectual property of MrHubbshistory.com. Content copyright 2009-2012.
MrHubbsHistory. All rights reserved.
Mustafa Kemal
The Ottoman Empire was destroyed after WWI. In Turkey this brought a call for independence.
The person in control of Turkey was the sultan; a harsh, corrupt ruler who did not care about the people
of his country.
Mustafa Kemal wanted to free Turkey from oppressive rule. He said, “This nation has never
lived without independence. We cannot and shall not live without it. Either independence or death."
Mustafa Kemal emerged as the national liberator of the Turks when was in its last days. Already a
legendary hero of many battles, he became in 1919 the leader of the Turkish emancipation. With a small
and ill-equipped army, he repelled the invading enemy forces. He even had to contend with the Sultan's
troops and local bands of rebels before he could gain complete control of the Turkish homeland. By
September 1922, he had received one of history's most difficult triumphs.
Within a few weeks, the Turkish mainland was completely liberated, the armistice signed, and
the rule of the Ottoman dynasty abolished. In 1923, the Republic was proclaimed and Mustafa Kemal
was unanimously elected President of the Republic.
As the national struggle ended, the heroic leader proclaimed:" Following the military triumph we
accomplished by bayonets, weapons and blood, we shall strive to win victories in such fields as culture,
scholarship, science, and economics," adding that “the enduring benefits of victories depend only on the
existence of an army of education."
The New Turkey's ideology was, and remains, "Kemalism", later known as "Atatürkism". Its
basic principles stress the republican form of government, secular administration, and nationalism, a
mixed economy, and most importantly modernization. Atatürkism introduced to Turkey the process of
democracy. This was the first Muslim nation to become a Republic; Turkey has served since the early
1920s as a model for Muslim and non-Muslim nations in the emerging world.
Atatürk as Kemal became known means “Father of the Turks.” He was given that name because
of his love for his country and for liberating its people. When he finally gained control he began to
reform Turkey. The most important goal was to Westernize, which means begin to make Turkey a
modern industrial nation. He encouraged people to wear western clothes, this would help them
westernize more rapidly. He also encouraged incorporating western ideas into government, the economy
and civil rights.
He also made many cultural reforms. With faith in the importance of women in society, Atatürk
launched reforms to give Turkish women equal rights and opportunities. The new Civil Code, adopted in
1927, abolished polygamy and recognized the equal rights of women in divorce, custody, and
inheritance. The entire educational system from the grade school to the university became
coeducational. He gave women the same opportunities as men, including full political rights. In the mid-
1930s, 18 women, among them a villager, were elected to the national parliament. Later, Turkey had the
world's first female Supreme Court justice. He died in 1938, but it still hailed as the Father of modern
Turkey.
1. Who is Mustafa Kemal?
2. What does Atatürk mean?
3. What were some of his reforms?
This work is the intellectual property of MrHubbshistory.com. Content copyright 2009-2012.
MrHubbsHistory. All rights reserved.
The Rise of Fascism
Between the First and Second World Wars, fascist parties emerged across Europe. The
main idea of fascism was to destroy the will of the individual in favor of the “people.” Fascists
wanted a unified society, but they were not concerned with eliminating private property or class
distinctions. Instead, fascists pushed for another identity, one rooted in extreme nationalism,
which often relied on racial identity.
Fascism is a division of totalitarianism. A totalitarian ruler rules absolutely, attempting to
control every aspect of citizens’ lives. Fascists are a little different because they rely heavily on
nationalism. Their particular brand of nationalism is racism. This means that all the power was in
the hands of one militaristic leader. There are a few countries in which fascism rose, in Russia
under Stalin, Italy under Mussolini and Germany under Hitler.
1. Define fascism.
2. Define totalitarianism.
Italy: The First Fascist State
Italy was going through many problems after World War I. Italy had 600,000 deaths and
received nothing in the Versailles Treaty. The lack of acknowledgement by the Allies, coupled
with Post-war problems like national debt, high unemployment, poverty, anger, strikes, riots, and
demands for land reform caused Italy to need a change.
Italy was the first state to have a fascist government. The founder of this government was
Benito Mussolini, who created the Nationalist Fascist Party in 1919. Mussolini recalled the
glories of the ancient Roman Empire, in contrast to the defeat and poverty of the new 20th
century. The members of the party, known as Blackshirts, fought against the violent movements
of Socialists and Communists on the Left. This won them wide support among all of whom
feared disorder. By 1921, the party seated its first members in the Italian parliament.
Although the fascists were just starting out and had limited representation, Mussolini
demanded that King Victor Emanuel III give him and several other fascists some positions in
government. To rally support, Mussolini organized his parliamentary thugs to march to Rome
and seize power. Rather than cause a fight between the army and the fascists, the king named
Mussolini Prime Minister.
Mussolini faced very little opposition to his consolidation of political power. He took
over parliament in 1922. When he did take over Mussolini limited the power of parliament,
banned labor unions, abolished rival political parties, set up a secret police, and used the Black
Shirts to intimidate opponents. He also used propaganda. He was called "Il Duce" (the Leader),
and propaganda photos and documentary films, music, education, television, and parades to help
his image. In addition he rejected Democracy, Capitalism, Liberalism, Free Trade, Marxism, and
just about everything else, “only the Duce can solve your problems.”
1. What were some problems in post-war Italy?
2. What did Mussolini do when he received all political power?
This work is the intellectual property of MrHubbshistory.com. Content copyright 2009-2012.
MrHubbsHistory. All rights reserved.
Italian Foreign Policy
By 1926 Italy was transformed into a fascist totalitarian regime. To rally the people in a
nationalistic cause, Italy started to focus on expansion, mainly in North Africa. Mussolini shifted
to a form of aggressive nationalism. An example of this was Corfu, an island he conquered in
1923. He soon set up a puppet regime in Albania and in reconquered Libya. It was his dream to
make the Mediterranean "mare nostrum” (our sea).
Italy controlled countries in Africa but had failed several times to colonize Ethiopia. In
October 1935 Mussolini sent the Italian Army into Ethiopia. The League of Nations condemned
Italy's aggression. They made an attempt to ban countries from selling arms, rubber and some
metals to Italy.
Over 400,000 Italian troops fought in Ethiopia. The poorly armed Ethiopians were no
match for Italy's modern tanks and airplanes. The Italians even used mustard gas on the home
forces and were able to capture the capital of the country, in May 1936, forcing Emperor Haile
Selassie to flee to England. Adolf Hitler had been inspired by Mussolini's achievements and once
he gained power in Germany he sought a close relationship with Italy. In October 1936 the two