Imperialism in Latin America

Santa Anna

1855

Santa Anna was the president of Mexico after it gained independence, elected five times from 1833-1855. He relied on military victories to gain popularity. In the beginning, he aligned with liberal reformers, but became more conservative over time, thus attracting more opposition. During his time as president, he was exiled many times but still returned. In 1855, he was finally overturned and exiled by a group of reformers.

Benito Juarez

1855

Juarez was the leader of the reformers that overthrew and exiled Santa Anna. He put forth major reforms that would reduce the power of the Catholic Church and the military, which led to a future civil war. However, he gained support from the U.S. government, and his liberal allies won. He was able to maintain power even after the rule of Archduke Maximilian of Austria, being reelected as president after his execution.

Napoleon III

1861

The first president of France from 1848-1852
He wanted to restore the French empire in the Americas.
In 1861 he sent French troops into Mexico, overthrew the Mexican government, and installed Austrian Archduke Maximilian as emperor of Mexico.

Austrian Archduke Maximilian

1861

Archduke Maximilian was sent to Mexico by Napoleon III in 1861, in the hopes of restoring the French empire in the Americas. In the beginning of his rule, Mexican conservatives supported him because they believed he would restore the power of the church, but they ended up opposing him because he alienated both conservatives and liberals. After the French withdrew troops from Mexico, Maximilian did not have enough support to stay in power, so he surrendered and was executed by Republican troops.

Jose Marti

1895

He was a poet and journalist that communicated to Cubans through his writing, urging them to continue the fight for independence. He founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party and in 1895 he returned to Cuba to join an uprising against the Spanish. The Spanish responded brutally as Marti would be killed and thousands of Cubans were forced into camps controlled by the Spanish army.

Porfirio Diaz

1910

After the death of Benito Juarez. Porfirio Diaz would take power. He would rule Mexico with an iron fist, while maintaining law and order. He would imprison his opponents and use the army to keep peace at any cost. He encouraged foreign investment. Mexican exports boomed, and railroads expanded quickly, however poverty was a major issue still. In the 1910 election, he controlled the outcome as he jailed his opponent.

Francisco Madero

1911

President of Mexico (1911-1913)
After being released from jail, Madero fled to Texas and declared himself president of Mexico
He called for a revolution against the Diaz government
When he returned to Mexico later that year, he found the rebellion spreading across the nation. Francisco “Pancho” Villa led a band of rebels who supported Madero’s ideas
Huerta seized power and imprisoned Madero. Former supporters of Madero opposed Huerta
He was executed in 1914

Pancho Villa

1911

Pancho Villa was the leader of the rebels that supported Madero's ideas. In 1911, he captured the city of Juarez to disgrace Diaz's government. His army led many subsequent rebellions, rising up against future presidents Huerta and Carranza, starting a brief civil war as a result of the latter. When his rebels lost the civil war against Carranza and the US recognized Carranza as president, he launched an attack across the US border. However, in 1920 he agreed to stop his attacks.

Emiliano Zapata

1911

He led a group of indigenous peasants that would call for land reforms. Zapata’s peasant army would revolt against Huerta in the South. He would refuse to support Carranza leading the nation to plunge into another Civil War

Victoriano Huerta

1911

Army chief Victoriano Huerta seized power and imprisoned Madero. Former supporters of Madero opposed Huerta.
In the North, Pancho Villa’s army of small ranchers, unemployed workers, and cowboys also rose up against Huerta.
Zapata’s peasant army revolted against Huerta in the South. Even the U.S. opposed him after Madero was executed.

Venustiano Carranza

1914

After Huerta fled to Spain, Carranza declared himself president but was met by opposition by Zapata and Villa. He won the subsequent civil war by the end of 1915 and secured his political power. He began to rebuild Mexico, establishing a new constitution in 1917 that allowed federal redistribution of land, limited the power of the church, and protected the rights of the citizens. However, despite his improvements, Mexico still struggled with widespread poverty.

Teddy Roosevelt

1914

Roosevelt was involved in the building of the Panama Canal and in much of Latin American affairs. In order to build the canal, in 1903 he acquired the property and equipment that the French had previously used to attempt to build a canal. When Colombia refused to allow the construction of the canal, he sent warships to support an artificial uprising in Colombia. When Panama was declared independent, he quickly signed a treaty that allowed the US to build the canal.

Roosevelt cont.

1915

Roosevelt was also involved in the Roosevelt Corollary, which protected the western hemisphere from European interference and threatened to create and exercise an international police power if Europe did interfere.

Emilio Aguinaldo

1935

Rebel leader who had cooperated with US forces against the Spanish. Felt betrayed that the United States would take the Philippines as a colony instead of granting them independence.