Global Civil Unrest The Mexican Revolution Causes Most

Global Civil Unrest

The Mexican Revolution • Causes – Most Mexicans were poor peasants with no land, no education, and no hope for improvement – Factory workers and miners earned very low wages while the owners grew wealthy – The small middle-class wanted a more democratic government

Unstable Leadership • 1910: President Porfirio Diaz had reformer Francisco Madero arrested; his arrest was followed by widespread revolts, forcing Diaz to resign • Madero became president of Mexico, but was soon overthrown and assassinated by military dictator Victoriano Huerta • Huerta himself was almost immediately overthrown by Venustiano Carranza

Villa & Zapata • Carranza became President of Mexico in 1917 with the help of two popular revolutionaries: – Francisco “Pancho” Villa, who had many supporters in northern Mexico – Emiliano Zapata, a Native American and former tenant farmer who had many followers in the south

More Bloodshed • Carranza soon fell out with Villa and Zapata, and in the fighting that followed, all three men were assassinated (plus over 1 million Mexicans were killed and US troops entered Mexico) • Carranza had, however, approved a new constitution for Mexico, which is still in use today

The Mexican Constitution • Allowed breakup of large private estates • Restricted foreign ownership of land • Restricted power of the Catholic Church • Set a minimum wage and allowed workers to strike • Gave women the same rights as men (except in voting)

The PRI Brings Stability • By 1929 the country had stabilized under the leadership of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party) • The PRI reached out to all groups in Mexican society • Supported social reforms, but also suppressed all political opposition • In 1938, the PRI nationalized all oil production in Mexico to protect it from foreign companies

Latin Nationalism • After WWI, Latin American countries became determined to become economically independent of Europe and the U. S. • In many cases, foreignowned industries were taken over and nationalized • Latin Americans also began to take pride in their own unique cultures

South African Apartheid • In South Africa, whites moved to limit the freedoms of blacks – restricted jobs available to black Africans – forced African blacks to live in certain areas – 1936: all black voting rights were eliminated – 1948: apartheid made complete racial segregation into law

African National Congress • In 1912, black Africans formed the African National Congress (ANC) to protest the loss of freedoms to colonial powers • The ANC vowed to use only legal means, but was still branded as a “terror” organization, especially in South Africa – it would take over 75 years to make any impact

Egypt • During WWI, Egypt was forced into providing Britain with food and labor, causing resentment • After the war, Egyptians set aside their differences to create the Wafd Party and push for independence • 1922: British granted Egypt its independence (except the Suez Canal Zone) • In the 1930 s, the “Muslim Brotherhood” was formed – rejected western culture and the new Egyptian government

Turkey • • After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey became an independent republic, led by Mustafa “Ataturk” Kemal westernized Turkey, angering many fundamentalist Muslims – European style law replaced Islamic law – Muslim calendar replaced by European – Replaced Arabic script with western alphabet – Forced people to dress in western style – Women were allowed to vote, dress as they wished – Polygamy (multiple-wives) was banned

Iran • 1925: Reza Khan overthrew the British & Russian backed king of Persia and set himself up as shah – modernized Iran – made the same types of reforms that Ataturk had made in Turkey – forced British oil companies, who controlled Iran’s oil fields, to share profits with government

The Middle East • The Middle East had been controlled by the Ottomans until WWI • After the war, France took control of Syria and Lebanon while Britain took control of Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine (Israel) • The Arabs had been promised independence for their help in WWI, so they felt angry and betrayed when they did not get it • European mistreatment led to Arab unity and a call for an end to European rule

Zionism • The Jews & Palestine – 1897: Theodore Herzl founded the Zionist movement, urging European Jews to reclaim the “promised land” of Israel – As anti-Semitism grew in Europe during the 1930 s, more and more Jews moved to Palestine, creating tension with the Arab Palestinians

India • In 1919, British troops fired on an unarmed crowd of protestors in city of Amritsar, killing 379 and wounding 1100 • Indians had been protesting Britain’s failure to keep their promise of Indian independence that had been made during WWI

Mohandas Gandhi • 1869 - 1948 • Known as “Mahatma” or “Great Soul” • Schooled in Britain, earning a law degree • Spent 20 years living in South Africa fighting racism against Indians living in that country, but returned to India in 1914 to protest British rule

Mohandas Gandhi • Developed the approach of “satyagraha” (soul force) or nonviolent civil disobedience which would be copied by other civil rights activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – based in Hindu beliefs in nonviolence & the power of love – urged people to refuse to obey unfair laws and policies • Supported democracy, equal rights for all people, and an end to the caste system • Increased Indian national pride, encouraged selfsufficiency

The Salt March • British companies held a monopoly on salt in India • 1930: Gandhi led a march to the sea to collect sea salt (which was illegal) • Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned, but thousands followed his example creating tremendous bad press for Britain

Muhammad Ali Jinnah • Indian Muslims wanted independence from Britain, but feared that the Hindu majority would discriminate against them if India remained a single state • Jinnah worked with Gandhi to split India into the Hindu nation of India and the separate Islamic nation of Pakistan

In 1947, India and Pakistan were given independence

Pakistani-Indian Relations • Unfortunately, within a year of independence both Gandhi and Jinnah were dead, Gandhi from assassination and Jinnah from lung cancer • Without their leadership, relations between India and Pakistan quickly broke down and war erupted