HUERTISMO: ANTECEDENTS, CHARACTERISTICS, OPPOSITION - HISTORY - 2025

The Huertismo is the stage of the history of Mexico in which the presidency was occupied by Victoriano Huerta, a military man and politician born in the state of Jalisco. His government is characterized by having stripped the country of democratic institutions, since both the Congress and the Senate ceased to function.

Huerta's own arrival to power was due to a bloody uprising against the rulers of the time, Francisco I. Madero and his vice president Pino Suárez. In order to be appointed president, he resorted to a political trick with which he tried to obtain democratic legitimacy.

Victoriano Huerta in the center, surrounded by his government cabinet

He quickly became a dictator who tried to retain power through force. He met with numerous opposition factions, highlighting the one led by Venustiano Carranza. The fight against Huertismo had the support of other men such as Francisco Villa or Álvaro Obregón.

At the international level, Huerta tried to win the support of the United States. During his bloody rise to power, the US ambassador had been one of his main supporters, but the arrival to the presidency of the Democratic Party overruled his former representative in the Mexican capital, leaving Huerta isolated.

Finally, his government lasted little more than a year, and although he carried out some conspiracies to try to return to the presidency, all were defeated.

Background

You cannot talk about Huertismo without knowing the man who gave it its name and led it. Victoriano Huerta had obtained important military successes during the Porfiriato, especially in the repression of some uprisings led by indigenous people.

When the Mexican Revolution broke out, Huerta remained on the side of Porfirio Díaz, fighting against Emiliano Zapata and other agrarian groups. However, his ability means that, after the triumph of the revolution, his position is not greatly affected.

The new president, Madero, distrusts him but uses him for military purposes to end some armed uprisings. Meanwhile, Huerta devises his own plan to come to power.

Tragic ten

The political environment in the country was quite convulsed and Huerta decided to take advantage of the situation. Together with a nephew of Porfirio, Félix Díaz, he reaches an agreement to overthrow Madero, with the American ambassador Henry Wilson as a witness and supporter.

In this pact, known as that of the Embassy, ​​he agrees to call elections shortly after he manages to get rid of the legitimate rulers.

After this, on February 9, 1913, Huerta took action and for 10 days known as the Tragic Ten, he fought against the Maderista army.

The position of Huerta, military chief, is used to stop the arrival of government reinforcements to the capital, with which the contest is decided. Finally, he convinces Madero and the vice president that the only way to save life is to resign and flee the country.

Presidency

Once Madero's resignation has been achieved, Huerta has a free hand to seize power. The president's replacement after the resignation was Lascuráin Paredes, who accepted the coup plotter's plan. Thus, he is only in office for 45 minutes, enough to appoint Huerta as successor and resign.

Now president, Huerta ordered the assassination of Madero and Pino Suárez on February 22, 1913. From that moment on, the Huerta dictatorship began.

Characteristics and proposals of the huertismo

From the outset it is clear that Huerta does not intend to abandon power. The old agreement with Félix Díaz to call elections is immediately abandoned, sending his former ally to the Mexican embassy in Japan.

Authoritarianism

His presidential term, marked by war, was characterized by authoritarianism and the use of force to stay in office.

Support from the powerful

For his government he chose a heterogeneous mixture of opponents of Madero and the Liberals, with Catholics, Reyistas or Felicistas. The owners of the large estates immediately showed their support, as did the clergy and most of the governors.

Offer of amnesties

His intention, he stated, was to pacify the nation and gain recognition from the United States. For the first, he offered amnesties to the Zapatistas and Orozco's supporters. While the latter accepted, Zapata rejected the offer and joined the anti-huertista camp from Morelos.

Army restructuring

Other peculiarities of his mandate were the restructuring of the army, since the revolutionaries who had been part of it abandoned it.

Militarization

In the same way, it militarized the railroad, education and factories. Finally, he appointed military governors for the states.

Dissolution of Parliament and Senate

In his advance towards a dictatorial system, Huerta did not hesitate to use violence, even against representatives in Congress. The assassination of Belisario Domínguez, a Chiapas deputy who had written a very critical letter to the president condemning the repression, was the first open confrontation.

The deputies demanded an investigation into the crime and that their lives and political functions be guaranteed. Huerta's response was to dissolve the Chamber and order that several representatives be detained.

Given this, the Senate decided to dissolve itself. Absolute power remains in the hands of Huerta, who assumes extraordinary functions.

Arms embargo by the United States

One of the areas in which Huerta suffered was in foreign relations, especially with the United States.

While he had garnered support during his assault on power, the change in the US president changed the position of the great power. The newcomer to office, Woodrow Wilson, refused to recognize the Huerta government and authorized an arms embargo.

The confrontation went further. After an incident in Tampico, the United States decides to occupy the ports of Veracruz and Tampico itself. It was in 1914 and Huerta tried to take advantage of the invasion to gain popularity and attract part of the opposition forces, but without success.

Opposition

From the beginning of his presidency, Huerta encountered a very combative opposition led by some of the great names in revolutionary history.

The first to take the lead was the governor of Coahuila, Venustiano Carranza. He refused to recognize the authority of the new president and proclaimed the so-called Plan of Guadalupe, declaring himself head of the Constitutionalist Army and future interim president when they put an end to Huertismo.

Starting in April 1913, barely a month after Huerta came to power, Carranza's ranks expanded, receiving the support of men like Villa, Zapata, Álvaro Obregón, and Plutarco Elías Calles.

Huerta's defeat and resignation

Despite the continuous mandatory levies with which Huerta increased the size of his army, his rule would only last 17 months. The fundamental defeat occurred when Villa took Zacatecas and the president was forced to resign on July 15, 1914.

His first destination in exile would be Europe, where he contacted German sectors to try to regain power in Mexico.

However, all his attempts are unsuccessful. Back in America, he is arrested in El Paso. After a second arrest, he died in the jail of that American city on January 13, 1916.

References

1. Wikimexico. Huertismo. Retrieved from wikimexico.com
2. Mexican Revolution. Huertismo. Obtained from la-revolucion-mexicana.webnode.es
3. Library of Congress. Victoriano Huerta (1854–1916) became President on February 19, 1913. Retrieved from loc.gov
4. Héctor Aguilar Camín, Lorenzo Meyer. In the Shadow of the Mexican Revolution: Contemporary Mexican History, 1910–1989. Recovered from books.google.es
5. Knight, Alan. The Mexican Revolution: Counter-revolution and reconstruction. Recovered from books.google.es
6. Chassen-López, Francie. The Ten Tragic Days. Retrieved from uknowledge.uky.edu
7. von Feilitzsch, Heribert. The Huerta - Orozco - Mondragon Plot in 1915. Retrieved from felixsommerfeld.com
8. Shoemaker, Raymond L. Henry Lane Wilson and Republican Policy toward Mexico, 1913-1920. Retrieved from scholarworks.iu.edu