IV.

The Madero Presidency

As a moderate who was primarily interested in political reform, Madero soon found himself caught between revolutionaries demanding more radical change and conservatives seeking to preserve as much of the old regime as possible. Madero angered almost all of the revolutionary leaders by trying to disband the revolutionary forces while maintaining the old Díaz federal army. When Madero adopted a cautious policy on land reform, Zapata revolted and issued his own plan, the Plan of Ayala, which called for the immediate transfer of land to peasant farmers.

The most serious revolt was launched by Pascual Orozco in March 1912. Orozco had played a key role in putting Madero in power in the first place and felt that Madero had not adequately rewarded him for his revolutionary services. Members of the old regime—Reyes and General Felix Díaz, the former dictator’s nephew—also revolted against Madero.

While all of these revolts were put down, they hindered political consolidation, ate away at limited government revenues, and created the impression that Madero could not govern effectively. They also highlighted Madero’s limited ability to initiate new policies in the areas of land, labor, and education. Madero was eventually overthrown by a more traditional military revolt in Mexico City led by Reyes and Felix Díaz. This revolt got off to an unpromising start when Reyes was killed on the first day of the uprising, February 9, 1913. Leadership of the rebels then fell to Felix Díaz. The forces defending the Madero government were led by General Victoriano Huerta, an old-line Díaz general.

For the next ten days, rebel and loyalist forces struggled for control of the national capital, and artillery fire was exchanged in the heart of the city. With property destruction and civilian casualties mounting, Huerta and Felix Díaz reached an agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Huerta became provisional president while Díaz would run for the presidency in new elections. Huerta had Madero and his vice president, José María Pino Suárez, arrested, and on February 22, 1913, they were executed. The official explanation was that they had been shot accidentally when their supporters tried to free them.