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The Causes of the Carranza Rebellion: A Reinterpretation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Kenneth J. Grieb
Kenneth J. Grieb*
Affiliation:
Wisconsin State University Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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Extract

Students of revolutionary movements often find that the early leaders were motivated more by a desire for power than by revolutionary idealism. After the movement triumphs, the original chiefs are hailed by their followers as farsighted patriots who sought to reform the country. Hindsight renders this conclusion easy, for the later reforms and legislation appear to flow from the uprising. But it must be remembered that the nature of the revolution may have changed during the fighting, and that those who launched the uprising could not perceive its entire course. It is difficult for historians to cut through the aura of idealism that surrounds these leaders, for no people wishes to hear that its hero was merely seeking personal power. Yet a careful examination of the origins of a revolution is essential to understanding the later developments.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , July 1968 , pp. 25 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1968

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References

1 Junco, Alfonso, Carranza y los origines de su rebelion (Mexico, 1935)Google Scholar.

2 The golpe de estado took place February 18, 1913. Madero and Pino Suárez signed their resignations the next day and gave them to Lascuraín with the understanding that he would retain possession of the documents until the two officials were safely out of the country. But Huerta convinced Lascuraín to submit the resignations to the Chamber of Deputies that same day, February 19. The Chamber accepted the resignations by votes of 123–5 and 129–8 respectively, and declared Lascuraín, the constitutional successor, president. Lascuraín then appointed Huerta Minister of Gobernación, thus making Huerta his constitutional successor, and then submitted his own resignation after holding office for less than one hour. The Chamber confirmed Huerta as president by a vote of 123–0. Prida, Ramón, De la dictadura a la anarquía (El Paso, Texas, 1914), pp. 554–6 Google Scholar; Sterling, Manuel Márquez, Los últimos días del Presidente Madero (Habana, 1917), pp. 502–5 Google Scholar; Bonilla, Manuel Jr., El régimen Maderista (Mexico, 1922), p. 285 Google Scholar; Paniagua, Emigdio, El combate de la ciudadela narrado por un extranjero (Mexico, 1913), p. 73 Google Scholar; Bell, Edward I., The Political Shame of Mexico (New York, 1914), pp. 306–7 Google Scholar; Ross, Stanley R., Francisco I. Madero: Apostle of Mexican Democracy (New York, 1955), p. 317 Google Scholar; Henry Lane Wilson (United States Ambassador in Mexico City) to Secretary of State Philander Knox, February 19, 1913, United States State Department Papers, National Archives, RG 59, 812.00/6271, hereafter State Department Papers from the 812.00 file will be cited only by slash number; El País, February 20, 1:6-7, and 4:4-5; and Mexican Herald, February 20, 1:6-7.

3 Huerta and Félix Díaz came to terms ending Díaz’ revolt in the capital through the “mediation“ of United States Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson, meeting at the American Embassy the night of February 18 to sign the “Pact of the Embassy,” Wilson to Knox, February 18, 1913/6264; Márquez Sterling, Los últimos días, pp. 473–9; and for the pact itself, Nelson O’Shaughnessy (U.S. Chargé in Mexico) to Bryan, April 15, 1914/11661. Huerta declared a general amnesty to allow forces in rebellion against the Madero government to come to terms with the new administration, and also reached an agreement with his old adversary, Pascual Orozco Jr. Negotiations with other dissident groups were also attempted. The amnesty order is dated March 3, 1913, General Manuel Mondragón, Minister of War to all Generals, Archivo Historico Defensa Nacional, XI/481.5/80-2. On February 22, Mondragón named a peace commission to negotiate with Zapata, Mondragón to military commander of the State of Mexico, February 22, AHDN, XI/481.5/58-9. See also Wilson to Bryan, March 13, 1913/6681; El País, March 23, 1:6-7; New York Times, March 15, 5:2; Mexican Herald, March 14, 1:6-7; and El Imparcial, March 15, A, 1:6.

4 Huerta to all state governors, February 18, 1913, quoted in Moheno, Roberto Blanco, Crónica de la Revolución Mexicana: de la Decena Trájica a los campos de Celaya, (Mexico, 1957), p. 162 Google Scholar, and Braceda, Alfredo, México Revolucionario (Madrid, 1920), p. 142 Google Scholar; responses from governors appear in the Diario Oficial, CXXIV, 36, 415–16; El País, February 25, 1913, 1:7; Mexican Herald, February 23, 1:2; and La Nación, February 23, 1:6-7.

5 Descriptive information on Carranza from General Tasker H. Bliss, Memorandum, undated, United States War Department Records, Records of the Adjutant General, National Archives, RG 94, AG 2024012B; Leon Canova to Bryan, July 5, 1914/12495, and July 12/12463; and New York World, March 4, 1914, 1:8. Quirk, Robert E., The Mexican Revolution: 1914–1915 (Bloomington, Indiana, 1960), p. 10 Google Scholar. For the speculation on a break between Carranza and Madero see Braceda, México Revolucionario, pp. 93–5, and Ross, Francisco l. Madero, p. 278. The U.S. military attaché in Mexico reported that the Madero government had been paying Carranza’s state troops, Captain William Burnside to AGWAR, March 3, 1913, United States War Department Records, War Department General Staff, Military Intelligence File, National Archives, RG 165, 5761–666, hereafter cited by number only. The reports of the Military Attaché were made available to the author by the special permission of the Director of the Army and Air Corps Branch of the National Archives, Victor Gondos Jr., and were not available to researchers until the present study.

6 Braceda, México Revolucionario, pp. 144–8; Fabela, Isidro, ed., Documentos históricos de la Revolución Mexicana (Mexico, 1960), I, 5 Google Scholar; Philip Holland (Saltillo) to Knox, February 19, 1913/6272; and United States State Department Papers, RG 84, Post Records (Hereafter cited as PR and city), National Archives, PR Saltillo, 1913, Cl. 800, and PR Monterrey, 1913, Cl. 800.

7 Holland (Saltillo) to Knox, February 19, 1913/6272, February 21/6302, and /6472, and February 23, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXVI, Cl. 800; Holland to Bryan, March 11/6968; Junco, Carranza y los orígines de su rebelión, pp. 102–4; and Braceda, México Revolucionario, p. 163.

8 Holland (Saltillo) to Bryan, March 5, 1913/6518; Holland to Knox, February 23, and February 25, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXVI, Cl. 800; and Henry Lane Wilson to Knox, February 21/6319.

9 Carranza’s telegram was sent through the United States Consulate’s wires, Carranza to Alberto García Granados, February 25, 1913/21088, and since he used the Minister’s title he thereby implied recognition of the Huerta Government. Luther Ellsworth (Ciudad Porfirio Díaz) to Knox, February 26/6385; Holland (Saltillo) to Knox, February 25/6402; Carranza to Taft, February 26/6425; Junco, Carranza y los origines de su rebelion, pp. 102–4, and 121–2; and Braceda, México Revolucionario, p. 163.

10 Louis Hostetter (Hermosillo) to Knox, February 26, 1913/6498, and Hostetter to Bryan, March 17/6855; and Thomas Bowman (Nogales) to Bryan, March 5, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXV, Cl. 800.

11 Holland (Saltillo) to Consul General Philip Hanna (Monterrey), March 1, 1913, PR Saltillo, 1913, Pt. 2, Cl. 8; and H.L. Wilson to Holland, February 25, and Holland Memorandum, March 13, PR Saltillo, 1913, Pt. 2, Cl. 8.

12 Holland (Saltillo) to Hanna (Monterrey), March 5, 1913, PR Saltillo, 1913, Pt. z, Cl. 8; and Henry Lane Wilson to Bryan, March 9, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXII, Cl. 800. The Secretary of State replied with a warning to the Ambassador not to show American Consular dispatches to the government to avoid placing the Consuls in danger and jeopardizing the codes. He suggested that the Ambassador communicate the contents of Consular dispatches to the Mexican government verbally, without being too precise, Bryan to H.L. Wilson, March 11, 1913, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXII, Cl. 800.

13 Holland (Saltillo) to Knox, March 4, 1913/6477; H.L. Wilson to Holland, March 4, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXII, Cl. 800, and PR Saltillo, 1913, Pt. 2, Cl. 8; Holland to Hanna (Monterrey), PR Monterrey, Cl. 8; Hanna to Bryan, March 5/6518; and Bryan to H.L. Wilson, March 7, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXII, Cl. 800.

14 Breceda, México Revolucionario, 193–9; and John Silliman (Saltillo) to Bryan, August 4, 1913, PR Mexico City, 1913, XXVI, Cl. 800.