FRANCISCO I. MADERO: BIOGRAPHY - HISTORY - 2024

Francisco I. Madero (1873-1913) was the politician who started the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Born in the state of Coahuila, he reached the post of President of the Republic after overthrowing Porfirio Díaz, who had remained more than 30 years in power.

Madero began his political career by founding the Anti-reelection Party. The long dictatorship of Díaz had begun to show signs of weakness and, even, Porfirio himself declared that he was ready to stand in free elections.

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However, shortly before the voting, Díaz changed his mind and ordered the arrest of Madero, who had been named a candidate for the presidential position. This caused that, once free, he proclaimed the Plan of San Luis. The call for insurrection against the Porfiriato was a success and, in a few months, the change of government took place.

The elections held saw the triumph of Madero. However, the new president met with opposition from his former revolutionary allies, who called him a moderate, and from the conservative sector of Mexican politics. The latter ended up staging a coup, which culminated in the assassination of Madero and his vice president.

Biography

Francisco Ignacio Madero came to the world on October 30, 1873 at the “El Rosario” farm, in Parras de la Fuente (Coahuila). He belonged to a wealthy family, who owned several farms, mines, and other businesses.

Studies and first job

As was customary in many well-off families, Francisco began his training with private tutors. Later, he continued his studies in Saltillo, in the San Juan de Nepomuceno center, a Jesuit college.

At the end of that stage, he traveled to the United States to study agriculture. Later, he moved to France, where he graduated in commercial expertise from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Jouy-en-Josas.

Finally, he returned to the United States to complete his agricultural training at the University of Berkeley, California.

In 1892 he returned to Mexico to take over the ranch that his family owned in San Pedro de las Colonias. His biographers emphasize that already in those years he gave samples of his progressive ideas and tried to improve the conditions of the workers

As for his private life, he began his courtship with Sara Pérez Romero in 1897, marrying her in 1903.

The Porfiriato

Political life in Mexico at that time was marked by the Porfiriato, the name given to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. This had come to power in 1876 with the motto of maintaining order in the country and enhancing its economic growth.

To do this, he used the support of the most privileged sectors of society: the church, the army and the owners of the haciendas.

Porfirio managed to stabilize the nation, as well as an improvement of the economy in terms of large numbers. However, he did the first thing at the cost of ending democracy and repressing any hint of opposition.

The second, for its part, only reached the upper classes of society, while inequalities were increasing and a large part of the population lived in poverty.

Already in the last years of his presidency, when Madero reached maturity, the regime was beginning to weaken. The complaints did not come only from the disadvantaged sectors, but part of the elites began to rebel.

Entry into politics

Madero took a long time to enter politics. Before that, he founded the San Pedro Commercial School, which gave him some influence in some circles.

It was in 1905, as a reaction to the abuse of power by the governor of Coahuila, when he took the step and founded his own party: the Independent Democratic Party. At the same time, he began to spread his ideas in the newspaper El Democrata. The main objective of his political training was to end re-electionism.

His participation in the Regeneración newspaper also dates from that date. Likewise, he made contact with the Organizing Board of the Mexican Liberal Party. His disagreement with Flores Magón caused him to withdraw his support for that movement.

Publication of The Presidential Succession of 1910

The political landscape in the country seemed to be changing. Porfirio Díaz himself seemed willing to democratize Mexico when, in 1908, he declared in an interview that other competitors could participate in the following elections.

After that interview, Madero took the opportunity to publish a book entitled The Presidential Succession of 1910. In this work, he explained his ideas to improve the country and democratize it. Although it was moderate in scope, it did reach many influential sectors of society.

The good reception of his book encouraged him to found the National Anti-reelection Party in 1909. Madero was proclaimed a candidate and began to prepare for the 1910 elections.

However, Diaz had changed his mind. Not only was he going to run again, but he began a campaign of harassment against the candidate to succeed him.

Arrest of Madero

Madero's growing popularity prompted Diaz to order his arrest. Thus, accused of rebellion and outrage, the politician was arrested on June 7 and transferred to San Luis Potosí.

Unable to be present, Madero watched as Díaz was once again proclaimed president. According to some sources, the future revolutionary tried to negotiate a peaceful solution to the situation with the dictator, but Díaz did not accept any possible dialogue solution.

In October 1910, Madero managed to escape from prison and went to the United States.

Plan of San Luis

The document known as Plan de San Luis is, indeed, dated in that town. Specifically, October 5, 1910, the last day that Madero spent in prison. However, many historians consider that it was actually written during his exile in the USA.

In summary, in this appeal, Madero denounced the abuses committed by the dictatorship, calling for the overthrow of Porfirio Díaz. In addition, he detailed some of his projects, such as his intention to help the peasants by carrying out an agrarian reform.

Madero established a date to begin the uprising against Díaz: November 20, 1910, the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.

Overthrow of Porfirio Díaz

Madero's call to arms found support in a good part of Mexican society. In several states of the country, rebellions broke out on the day indicated in the Plan.

Among those who supported the insurrection were some of the leaders who would become part of Mexican history. Among them, Pascual Orozco, Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa.

At first, the rebellion suffered several defeats. However, the Porfiriato was very weakened and the army was very little prepared. In a few months, the Revolution spread to all corners of the country.

Only six months after the uprising began, in May, the rebels took Ciudad Juárez. On the 25th of the same month, they managed to besiege Mexico City. Faced with the imminent defeat, Porfirio Díaz resigned his position and went into exile.

Madero Presidency

The revolutionaries formed an interim government after the departure of Porfirio Díaz. Discrepancies between them soon began to emerge and the October 1911 elections failed to calm the situation. In these elections, Madero managed to be elected president of the republic.

The program of its formation, the newly created Progressive Constitutional Party paid attention to social problems, but it was more moderate than the proposals of, for example, Emiliano Zapata.

During the months in which he was in power, Francisco I. Madero tried to reconcile the country. Yet from the beginning he found himself caught between his former revolutionary allies and conservatives, including the powerful Catholic Church.

One of the measures approved was a law to redistribute the land, although the peasants and Zapata found it insufficient. On the other hand, the mining workers began a series of strikes to demand job improvements. Madero reduced the working day from 12 to 10 hours a day.

Opposition

The conservative bloc was united against the government, something everyone expected. What, according to historians, hurt Madero most was the great disunity between liberals and progressives.

The agraristas of Zapata took up arms, promulgating in Plan de Ayala on November 25, 1911. Besides criticizing the president, calling him a traitor, he proposed Orozco as a substitute. In the document, Zapata outlined the proposals for an ambitious agrarian reform that would have a great influence in subsequent decades.

For a year, the Zapatistas and the Maderistas clashed militarily, without either side winning. However, this caused a weakening of the government.

Meanwhile, the conservatives also staged some uprisings. The first, that of General Bernardo Reyes, former minister of Porfirio Díaz.

Beginning of the Tragic Ten

These insurrections caused a military man, who at first was trusted by Madero, to gain much prestige for his actions: Victoriano Huerta.

However, Huerta had much more ambition and, in the end, ended up betraying Madero. He was the protagonist of the Decena Tragica, ten violent days of coup that began on February 9, 1913.

Huerta, despite having fought for the government, maintained very good relations with Bernardo Reyes and Félix Díaz, Porfirio's nephew. The meetings between them, and with the American ambassador Henry Wilson, were continuous. The objective was to overthrow the constitutional government of Madero.

The leader of the insurrection, the military leader, left Mexico City unguarded so that Madero could not defend himself and to make his uprising easier.

Huerta's betrayal

When the uprising began, Madero was in the Castillo de Chapultepec. Upon learning, he gathered the few loyal troops he found and headed for the National Palace, in what is known as the March of Loyalty.

On the 12th, the President met with several foreign ambassadors, including the American one. This, who supported the coup, informed him through third parties that the only way to save his life was his resignation.

The same was said by some senators, summoned by Pedro Lascuráin. Madero, despite the warnings, declared that "only dead or by order of the people will I leave the National Palace."

It was not until the 17th that the president's supporters discovered that Huerta was the leader of the insurrection. Madero's brother decided to arrest the soldier, who denied his participation in the events. The President believed him and released him, giving him 24 hours to prove his loyalty.

The following day, Huerta and Félix Díaz signed the Pact of the Citadel. With this, they did not know Madero and gave 72 hours for his dismissal. After this, they informed some governors that Maduro was in prison and that Huertas was the new president.

Arrest of Madero

Madero's arrest occurred on the same February 18. Huerta and other generals assured him that they remained loyal and advised him to move to a safer place. González Garza, who was loyal to the President, realized the intentions of the coup plotters and shouted: "They are coming to apprehend President Madero!"

In the Palace there was only a small group of soldiers loyal to Madero and they could not face the battalion sent by the coup plotters to arrest him. Madero had no choice but to surrender. Together with the vice president, Pino Suárez, his brothers and other supporters, he spent the night a prisoner in the same National Palace.

When the news spread, several foreign ambassadors asked that the life of Madero and his followers be respected. The one from Cuba offered him political asylum. Lascuráin, who according to the Constitution was to replace Madero, asked the president to resign to save his life.

After hours of tension, Francisco Madero signed his resignation from office. Lascuráin took his place, but only for 45 minutes. His only measure was to appoint Huerta Secretary of Government and resign so that he could occupy the presidency. One of Huerta's first decisions as president was to order Madero's death.

Death

According to the chronicles, Madero and Pino Suárez believed Huerta's promises about leaving them alive and allowing them to go into exile. What they didn't know is that, by that time, Madero's brother had already been killed.

On February 22, the two politicians were informed that they were going to be transferred to the penitentiary. Madero's words, saying goodbye to Garza with a "goodbye my general, I will never wear veils again" seem to indicate that, finally, he had realized that Huertas was not going to let them go.

Both were taken to the Lecumberri Palace and taken to the back. There, Major Francisco Cárdenas shot Francisco I. Madero, killing him on the spot. Later, Pino Suárez was also executed.

The new authorities said that Madero and Pino had been ambushed while being transferred. It took a few years for the truth to come out.

The murderers buried the bodies in the back area of ​​the penitentiary and, the following day, they released the official version.

Reactions to death

The death of Francisco Madero caused reactions around the world. The New York Times, on February 23, already published the information that he had been killed by two shots to the head. Ultimately, the US government refused to recognize the Huerta government for having come to power through violence.

In the rest of the continent there were also reactions against the execution and in the interior of Mexico small revolts began. Carranza, an opponent of Madero but closer politically than Huerta, accused the new government of death.

References

1. Biographies and Lives. Francisco I. Madero. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
2. Bicentenario.gob.mx. Francisco I. Madero 1873-1913. Obtained from gob.mx
3. Mexico 2010. Don Francisco I. Madero “The Apostle of Democracy”. Obtained from filehistorico2010.sedena.gob.mx
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Francisco Madero. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. A&E Television Networks. Francisco Madero Biography. Retrieved from biography.com
6. Minster, Christopher. Biography of Francisco Madero. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
7. Library of Congress. The Presidency of Madero to his Assassination. Retrieved from loc.gov