United Mexican States
Government: Federal presidential constitutional republic
Ruler: Venustiano Carranza
Area: 760,000 SQM
Population: 14.3 million
Military: 400,000 men, 3 cruisers, four patrol gunships
The Spanish first learned of Mexico during the Juan de Grijalva expedition of 1518 The
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire began in February of 1519 when Hern n Cort s arrived
at the port in Veracruz with 500 conquistadores.
After taking control of the city, he moved on to the Aztec capital.
In his search for gold and other riches, Cort s decided to invade and conquer the Aztec
empire.
When the Spaniards arrived The Aztecs had already been severely weakened through the
smallpox epidemic that whipped out up to half of the population according to some sources.
The Aztec empire was easily defeated by Cort s and his forces on his second return with
the help of the Tlaxcala whose population estimate was 300,000.
The native population declined 80 90% by 1600.
The deaths caused by smallpox are believed to have triggered a rapid growth of Christianity
in Mexico and the Americas.
At first, the Aztecs believed the epidemic was a punishment from an angry god, but they
later accepted their fate and no longer resisted the Spanish rule.
Many of the surviving Aztecs believed that smallpox could be credited to the superiority
of the Christian god, which resulted in their acceptance of Catholicism and yielding to
the Spanish rule throughout Mexico.
The territory became part of the Spanish Empire under the name of New Spain.
Mexico City was systematically rebuilt by Cort s following the Fall of Tenochtitlan
in 1521.
Much of the identity, traditions and architecture of Mexico developed during the 300-year colonial
period.
The rich deposits of silver, resulted in silver extraction dominating the economy of New Spain.
Taxes on silver production became a major source of income for Spain.
Other important industries were the haciendas and mercantile activities in the main cities
and ports.
Wealth created during the colonial era spurred the development of New Spanish Baroque.
As a result of its trade links with Asia, the rest of the Americas, Africa and Europe
and the profound effect of New World silver, central Mexico was one of the first regions
to be incorporated into a globalized economy.
The Manila Galleons operated for two and a half centuries and connected New Spain with
Asia.
Goods were taken from Veracruz to Atlantic ports in the Americas and Spain.
Veracruz was also the main port of entry in mainland New Spain for European goods, immigrants,
and African slaves.
Due to the importance of central New Spain, Mexico was the location of the first printing
shop, first university, first public park, and first public library in the Americas,
among other institutions.
The dramatic political events in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars deeply influenced events
in New Spain.
In 1808, The Spanish king was deposed by Napoleon who put his brother Joseph as king.
The same year, the city council of Mexico City claimed sovereignty in the absence of
the legitimate king in the homeland.
This led to a coup against the viceroy which was suppressed, but started off the whole
Mexican independence war.
Which will also eventually get a video of it's own.
The early and mid 19th century was awash with in-stability and rebellions in Mexico, with
seven different governments and a dozen rebellions within forty years.
Losing it's northern most provinces in present day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California
to the United States.
And the nation turning into a French client state in the early 1860's before that government
was over-thrown after French support left.
The remainder of the century and a decade of the next is refereed to as the Portiriate.
Where Mexican president Profilio Dias ruled the country from 1876 to 1910.
Diaz was an astute military leader and politician who built a national base of supporters.
The country's infrastructure was greatly improved, thanks to increased foreign investment from
Britain and the US, and a strong, stable central government.
The population grew from 11 million in 1880 to 15 million in 1910.
Diaz gave enormous power and to the Superior Health Council, which developed a consistent
strategy using up-to-date international scientific standards, largely outside of U.S investment
which was one of the first modern institutions in Mexico to do so.
It took control of disease certification, required prompt reporting of disease, and
launched campaigns against tropical disease such as yellow fever.
These methods also saw an expansion of skilled doctors in Mexico, and started having more
individuals both go into and travel abroad to study the practice.
Increased tax revenue and better administration dramatically improved public safety, health,
railways, industry, foreign trade, and national finances.
D az shrunk and modernized the army and suppressed some banditry although it wasn't fully removed
for years to come.
After a half-century of stagnation, the Mexican economy took off and grew at an annual rate
of 2.3% high by world standards.
Mexico was vulnerable to external shocks because of its weak banking system though.
The banking system was controlled by a small oligarchy, which typically made long-term
loans to their own directors.
Economic growth was largely based on trade with the United States.
When the American Panic of 1907 hit, it caused an economic downturn which resulted in a sudden
drop in demand for Mexican metals which was a massive part of its export economy.
The Mexican government attempted to help the deficit by cutting imports of horses and mules
as well as machinery equipment.
The result was an economic depression in Mexico that lasted for a little over two years.
Causing massive discontent with the Diaz Regime, he said that he wouldn't run for re-election
which caused a good bit of political un-rest.
Francisco Madero, a wealthy landowner had announced his intent to challenge D az for
the presidency in the next election.
To ensure Madero did not win, D az had him thrown in jail before the election where he
escaped fled to San Antonio for a short period of time.
D az was announced the winner of the election by a landslide, but when it became obvious
that the election had been fixed, a supporter of Madero Toribio Ortega took up arms with
a group of followers at Cuchillo Parado, in Chihuahua on November the tenth 1910.
Madero issued a letter called Plan of San Luis Potos that declared the D az presidency
illegal and called for revolt against D az.
After a series of military defeats to the Revolutionaries, Diaz's government opened
negotiations that ended with the treaty of Ciudad Ju rez on May 21st 1911.
Which would see Diaz and his VP step down and an interim president put in place while
elections were held.
Madero won that election but most of the structure from the Diaz government stayed intact and
the reforms that he had promised to the public and many of his allies he simply did not do.
This caused a whole new series of rebellions all over the nation, with many of his original
supports opposing him such as Pascual Orozco and Emiliano Zapata.
In April of 1912, Madero dispatched Gen. Victoriano Huerta to put down Orozco's revolt.
Huerta was a professional soldier and continued to serve in the Federal Army under the new
commander-in-chief, but Huerta's loyalty lay with General Bernardo Reyes, rather than Madero.
With his success against Orozco, he emerged as a powerful figure for conservative forces
opposing the Madero regime.
Huerta managed to install himself as president, albeit more as a dictator after what is known
as the ten tragic days in February of 1913.
During his presidency was the Tampeco affair, where American sailors had landed in a military
vessel to the city to buy some gas.
The city was a war-zone and the sailors were put under arrest when they entered off-limits
areas.
When the Mexican authorities realized this, they released the sailors and issued an apology.
When news of this reached the U.S, the government was furious and they demanded the American
flag to be flown over Tampeco and a 21 gun salute.
The Mexican government said no way, and the Americans responded by occupying Veracruz,
the largest harbor in Mexico.
This occupation lasted until November of 1914 and nearly caused war between Mexico and the
U.S as well as causing a massive amount of Anti-American sentiment all over Latin America.
The ABC nations of Argentina, Brazil and Chile stepped in to Mediate the situation.
In August 1914, Hureta was deposed by Venustiano Carranza was wanted to restore of the constitutional
government.
Hureta fled Mexico and attempted to gain international help to re-gain the presidency.
He was later put in prison in the U.S where he died six months later.
Even though Carranza was the head of the Northern revolutionary movement, he was far more conservative
then his allies like Zapata or Poncho Villa, who were soon his enemies.
Carranza was able to defeat these forces and more or less destroy them as effective fighting
forces by 1916, although large scale guerrilla warfare continued for a few years.
Carranza had held some resentment for the Germans for the support that they had given
Hureta, but when the Americans send troops into Mexican territory to try and capture
Poncho Villa, which again nearly started a war between the two nations, he re-established
ties with them.
Germany was planning to start un-restrcited submarine warfare and this was likely to bring
the U.S into the war, the high command figured that if America was in a war on its own continent
that it would delay its involvement in Europe or heavily restrict what they could send.
In January 1917, the German foreign minister Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to the ambassador
in Mexico stating just that.
Saying that Germany would begin un-restriced submarine warfare February first, and that
if The U.S did not stay neutral that Germany would give Mexico Generous Finical support,
and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas,
New Mexico and Arizona.
This telegram was decoded by the British who through a bribery of a Mexican official had
it sent and printed to American papers on February 28th, a month after the the new submarine
campaign had begun.
Many people believed it to be simply a forgery, but Zimmerman himself confirmed it.
This caused a massive amount of anti-German outcry in the states and the U.S was one step
closer to war.