Run For the Border Comparison of the Mexican and French Revolutions

""It is easier to run a revolution than a government"

(Ferdinand E. Marcos (1917-81), Filipino politician, president. Time (New York, 6 June 1977). )

Webster’s dictionary defines the word revolution as “an overthrowing of government [and/or] radical change” (Webster’s). The usual goal of a revolution is to change something that the populace does not like. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 was just that. The changes made in the Mexican government during the first half of the twentieth century bear many resemblances to changes made during the French Revolution. According to Brinton, there are four stages to every revolution. The preliminary stage was when both Mexico and France set up the problems to come in the future due to the leadership at that time. The preliminary stage then led up to the first stage where frequent uprisings occurred against the government and sometimes even the people. The third and perhaps most turbulent of the four stages was the crisis stage, where some streets ran red with blood, and order ran amuck. The final stage is the recovery stage, where the governments agreed upon a plan that would benefit the people who worked so hard for the changes to see the fruits of their labo

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Shortly after, Madero gained power in Mexico and became President. Just like the Mexican peasants of the first stage, the French peasants were just trying to do “their best to free themselves from … exploitation” (Buckler 703).

The preliminary stage of the Mexican Revolution was much like that of the French Revolution. This can be compared to Pancho Villa leading his peasants against the landowners and ranchers of the North. However, Zapata and Villa were still fighting against Carranza and Obrègon. The urban workers had always thought that they were mistreated, and felt like this until the revolution. These events led up to the peak of the crisis stage. This of course, led to a nation that had a great deal less crime than in the past. This same group of radicals also instituted the Reign of Terror, a period in which they executed hundreds of people for some very inadequate reasons that were used to justify the execution of public enemies. This group of elitists was much like the aristocracy or second class of France and held most of the power. In southern Mexico, a revolutionist named Emilio Zapata also led a band of revolutionaries. Madero’s San Luis Potosi can be compared to The Declaration of the Rights of Man issued by the National Constituent Assembly of the French Revolution.

Approximate Word count = 2867
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

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