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Santa Anna
30 years after mexico’s independence, mexican politics was dominated by Antonio lopez de Santa Anna. His popularity relied on numerous military victories and he served as president 5 times between 1833 and 1855. -
Benito Juarez
As Santa Anna’s power increased his rule became more conservative. Therefore in 1855 a group of reformers overthrew and exiled santa anna. The leader of these reformers was benito juarez. He put forth a series of reforms that reduced the power of the catholic church and the military. -
Napoleon III
The conservatives were outraged by the reformers efforts. But the conservatives found a powerful ally in europe. The french emperor Napoleon III wished to restore a french empire in the americas. In 1861 he sent french troops into america to overthrow the mexican government and install an austrian archduke maximilian emperor of mexico. -
Austrian Archduke Maximilian
Emperor of Mexico installed by Napoleon III of France in 1861. He originally had support from Mexican conservatives, but he ended up alienating both parties. Once France pulled out of Mexico, he was left defenseless and was overthrown and executed by Republican troops. -
Jose Marti
He was a Cuban nationalist leader who was exiled from Cuba. Although in New York City he continued to fight for independence. Through literature he persuaded Cubans to fight with him, eventually founding the Cuban Revolution Party. In 1895 he returned to Cuba with his party to fight, but he ended up killed and his followers ending up in camps. -
Emilio Aguinaldo
He was the first president of the Philippines and was a rebel leader who had cooperated with the US forces against the Spanish and then ended up fighting the U.S. for independence. However they lost and did not gain independence until 1946. -
Teddy Roosevelt
He was the 26th president from 1901 to 1909. He also had a major role in American imperialism and improving the U.S. in the 19th century. -
Porfirio Diaz
He came to power after the death of Benito Juarez and ruled very strictly, imprisoning his opponents and using the army to keep the peace at any cost. He helped to modernize Mexico and the economy did really well, but most of the people in Mexico were still poor because the wealth was very concentrated. He controlled the 1910 election by jailing his opponent, Francisco Madero. -
Pancho Villa
He led a band of rebels who supported Madero’s ideas. They disgraced Diaz’s government by capturing the city of Juarez in 1911. They rose up against Huerta. -
Emiliano Zapata
He and a group of indigenous peasants arose and called for land reforms. They too rose up against Huerta. -
Francisco Madero
He was initially jailed by Diaz in 1910 and later fled to Texas where he declared himself the president of Mexico and called for a revolution against the Diaz government. He was elected president in 1911 but was soon imprisoned after army chief Victoriano Huerta seized power. He was executed in 1914. -
Victoriano Huerta
An army chief who seized power and imprisoned Madero a few months after Madero was elected president. In the north, Pancho Villa’s army of small ranchers, unemployed workers, and cowboys rose up against Huerta along with Zapata’s peasant army in the South. The United States opposed him after Madero was executed in 1914. The US sent Marines to occupy the city of Veracruz which caused the US and Mexico to be close to war. Huerta struggled to stay in power, resigning in July and fleeing to Spain. -
Venustiano Carranza
He declared himself president after Huerta was gone. However, Villa and Zapata did not support Carranza, causing them to go into another civil war. By 1915 he defeated his rivals. He also made a new constitution in 1917 which redistributed land, limited the church's power, and protected its citizens.