13. The Mexican Revolution
…While in exile in Texas, Madero issued his “Plan de San Luis Potosí”, calling for a revolution against Díaz. Madero himself was a liberal from a wealthy family, and actively sought support from American business interests. However, his call to arms inspired many across Mexican society, from opportunists like Pascual Orozco to radicals like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata…
…The federal army proved unable to defeat the rebels, and in May Díaz sued for peace. The resulting Treaty of Ciudad Juárez saw Díaz resign and go into exile, with the lawyer Francisco León de la Barra becoming interim president until an election in October 1911 (which Madero won decisively). Madero called for revolutionaries to lay down their arms, but Zapata and Orozco refused. Zapata thought Madero had effectively become the continuation of the Díaz regime, while Orozco was slighted over being passed over for governorship of Chihuahua…
…In April 1912, Madero dispatched General Victoriano Huerta to put down Orozco’s revolt. Villa, then a colonel in the state militia, actually supported Madero at this point, leading 400 irregular troops alongside Huerta’s federals. However, in an act of petty jealousy that would lead to generations of Mexican reactionaries to curse his name, Huerta saw Villa as a competitor, not an ally, and had him arrested on trumped-up charges. He was sentenced to death, but escaped and fled across the border into Texas[1], where he soon found sanctuary among American socialists…
- From Viva la Revolucion! A History of the Mexican Revolution by Ambassador John McCain III
[1] All IOTL.
…The federal army proved unable to defeat the rebels, and in May Díaz sued for peace. The resulting Treaty of Ciudad Juárez saw Díaz resign and go into exile, with the lawyer Francisco León de la Barra becoming interim president until an election in October 1911 (which Madero won decisively). Madero called for revolutionaries to lay down their arms, but Zapata and Orozco refused. Zapata thought Madero had effectively become the continuation of the Díaz regime, while Orozco was slighted over being passed over for governorship of Chihuahua…
…In April 1912, Madero dispatched General Victoriano Huerta to put down Orozco’s revolt. Villa, then a colonel in the state militia, actually supported Madero at this point, leading 400 irregular troops alongside Huerta’s federals. However, in an act of petty jealousy that would lead to generations of Mexican reactionaries to curse his name, Huerta saw Villa as a competitor, not an ally, and had him arrested on trumped-up charges. He was sentenced to death, but escaped and fled across the border into Texas[1], where he soon found sanctuary among American socialists…
- From Viva la Revolucion! A History of the Mexican Revolution by Ambassador John McCain III
[1] All IOTL.
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