forces he had unleashed. The scion of a
wealthy landowning family, he was dedi-
cated to liberal reforms, such as free elec-
tions, but not to the social and economic
reforms, such as land redistribution, that
peasant leaders like Villa and Zapata
demanded. Too slow to implement
change and unable to maintain order
among the various revolutionary factions,
Madero was threatened by new upris-
ings in 1912 and 1913.
At this point the United States inter-
vened, under the direction of President
William Howard Taft. Many American
businessmen had property and invest-
ments in Mexico. They had no desire to
see their property expropriated by
Mexican radicals or their normal business
dealings interrupted by endless revolu-
tion. In February 1913—with encour-
agement from the U.S. ambassador to
Mexico, Henry Lane Wilson—Madero’s
commander in chief, General Victoriano
Huerta, overthrew Madero in a coup and
became president. Placed under arrest,
Madero was killed, reportedly in an
attempt to escape.
Huerta ruled dictatorially (1913–
1914) until he himself was forced from
office in 1914 by the combined forces of
Villa, Zapata, and Constitutionalist leader
Venustiano Carranza. The overthrow of
Huerta was aided by another U.S. inter-
vention, this time driven by President
Taft’s successor, Woodrow Wilson, who
regarded Huerta as a usurper. Wilson per-
mitted arms to flow across the border to
the anti-Huerta forces, and in response to
a supposed insult to the American flag,
U.S. naval forces captured the port ofTHE AGE OF WORLD WARS 135Mexican rebels (MPI Archives)Madero’s Revolution, 1910–1913
In Mexico’s 1910 presidential election, liberal Francisco Madero lost what most believed to be a rigged election to dictatorial presi-
dent Porfirio Díaz. After the election, Madero fled to Texas, joining Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón, two influential leaders of
the anti-Díaz movement. Returning to Mexico, Madero and his forces captured the city of Ciudad Juárez and proclaimed a new
government. After rebels quickly won a number of other battles, Díaz was forced to resign, and in 1911 Madero was elected presi-
dent. Continued conflicts made Madero’s presidency a brief one. He was assassinated in 1913.