A ruthless but effective leader Porfirio Díaz ruled
Mexico for 35 years. On the surface his government looked democratic, but he
was an absolute dictator. His policies allowed Mexico to develop its industry,
but they did little to benefit the Mexican people. Frustrated by this failure,
those people finally rose against him and forced him out.
In
1830, Díaz was born to a small-town innkeeper in southern Mexico. His father
died before he was three years old, and he had to combine school with work at a
young age. As a teen he began to study to become a priest but soon quit and
joined the army.
Díaz
made a name for himself in the 1860’s, when he joined the struggle to expel the
French. He won a few key battles, fought a successful guerilla war, and drove
the enemy out of the Mexican capital in 1867. As a result, he ran for president
against Benito Juárez, but lost. Díaz was defeated again in 1871 and staged a
revolt ion the grounds that the reelection of Juárez was against the constitution.
Juárez died the next year, and Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada became president. Díaz
prepared to run against Lerdo in 1876, but that January Díaz started a
rebellion. He claimed that the elections would not be fair. By the end of the
year, he had been elected president.
Díaz
took charge of a troubled country. Mexico had suffered from decades of
conflict, and bands of fighters and bandits still roamed throughout the
country. The economy was in a shambles, and schools were poor. He restored
order with a combination of persuasion, bribery, and brute force. His policy
was clearly expressed in the slogan “pan o palo”—“bread or the club.” Those who
cooperated received rewards. Those who did not were punished.
After
four years, Díaz did not run for reelection. However, he became unhappy with
his successor and was reelected in 1884 and then several times until 1910.
Throughout his rule, he made sure that his government seemed to follow the
constitution. Elections were held whenever they were scheduled. In truth,
though, he chose all government officials—down to town mayors—by deciding who
had the right to run for office.
Díaz
maintained his power because his policies made important groups content and
unwilling to cause him trouble. He was generous to army commanders while
keeping a tight rein on them. By moving generals around, he prevented them form
gaining the loyalty of a regiment, thus removing a possible threat to himself.
He allowed the Catholic Church some opportunity to restore its power and
wealth. He kept the owners of huge estates happy by helping them buy huge
chunks of public land at low prices and allowing them to avoid paying taxes. He
also enacted policies that were friendly to foreign business owners. With their
money, Mexico’s industry grew. The number of miles of railroad increased 3,000
percent. Gold and silver mines were once again profitable. When companies began
to pump petroleum, production soared from 10,345 to 13 million barrels a year
in just ten years.
Until
about 19oo, these policies produced peace and what seemed to be prosperity.
However, the great mass of Mexicans enjoyed no benefits. Profits from
industries went to foreign investors. The owners of large estates controlled
almost all the good farming areas. Furthermore, Mexicans suffered from cruel
working conditions and low wages. Agricultural output began to decline, and
angry workers went on strike.
Opposition
to Díaz grew. More and more people protested the fact that American companies
took profits from Mexico. In 1910, his presidential opponent led a revolt that
spread quickly. Soon, 5,000 protesters surrounded Díaz’s home. On May 25, 1911,
he resigned and left for exile in Paris.