The Twilight of Zapatismo

Pablo Gonzalez - ambition far outrun his abilities

• Morelos - obliterate all races of the Convention and destroy Palafox's agrarian reforms
• Sell off food and surplus goods to Mexico City
• Troops begin to die from disease (malaria, dysentary, typhoid)
  

Zapata new policy - avoid attacking garrisons but pick on targets (railways, factories, etc.) whose destruction would impress foreign consuls and diplomats

• As Zapata hoped, US envoys report to Washington that Carranza's grip on Mexico uncertain and slipping toward anarchy
• To reestablish presence in Morelos against Gonzalez - launch simultaneous attacks on 10 cities
• Stalemate allowing Zapata to resume agrarian reform

Disaster in D.F. - crops unharvested, cattle exported to buy arms, mines/factories close, banks fail, shortage of food/water/coal/other basics

• All sides of Rev. printed money and forced people to accept it - HYPERINFLATION!
• Carranza decree that gold, silver, and US dollar would be only medium of exchange

Carranza:

• Did not hold political agenda: eliminate old huertista guard, control newspapers, purce civil service and diplomatic corps, took control of railways, forced loans and taxes on hostile areas, persecuted Spaniards, and used execution as reflex
• Want rigid, bureaucratic control from the center
• Saw Catholicism as reactionary force - follow whoever has power - want church under him so it would not become a rival
• Formidable enemy = foreign investment from US
• Land reform - basically ambivalent, no land confiscated which had been acquired "legitimately"
• 2 main problems - tried to make military subordinate to civilian bureaucracy while relying on army to enforce his will
  

Constitution of 1917:

• Increase the power of the presidency, abolish vice-presidency and weaken legislature
• Article 27 - private property not an absolute right as the ultimate owner of the land was the nation
• Article 123 - eight-hour work day, abolish child labor, protect women and children, holidays, reasonable wages, profit-sharing, and arbitration and compensation in case of dismissal
• Article 3 & 130 - Church not legal entity, property of the state

Felix Diaz revolt:

• Plan of Tierra Colorada (1 Feb. 1916) - manifesto condemning Carranza
  
• Covertly backed by US - shipped arms and laid contingency plans out
• Composed of different conservatives, wanted a loose federal structure & thought Carranza and co. were corrupt, land-grabbing opportunists

Zapata:

• By 1917 - hacienda structure ceased to exist as an institution
• Made efforts to benefit the population by introducing schools
• 3 signs of decline:
  

1. Self-defense units began resisting Zapata's own foraging parties
2. Baditry
3. Crumbling resolve and disaffection of his chieftains

• Became paranoid and suspicious and became more isolated
• Carranza send word to Gonzalez to eliminate Zapata by any means necessary
• 10 April, 1917 - Zapata assassinated by Guajardo - NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!