Mexico Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mexico - Term Paper Example Small pox, unknowingly brought in by the Spaniards, ravaged the Aztec Empire killing millions including the ruling Emperor. It confirmed the victory of Cortes and under him the Spanish invaded the territory and ruled it as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This is what would become Mexico later on. The Spanish rule continued in Mexico for the next 300 years till 1810 when the Mexicans led their first revolution to freedom which they gained in 1821. The colonial Spanish rule witnessed territorial expansion across a huge part of Central America and a lot of it to the south and west of what is now the United States. Trade and commerce swelled and the time saw a flourishing mining, textile, and agrarian economy. There was large scale religious conversion to Roman Catholicism. However, by early nineteenth century resentment simmered among the locals and set the tempo for a revolution. Independence. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Jose Maria Morelos were the main protagonists of the revolution. Both of them led successful run-ins one after the other but were executed: Costilla was executed by the firing squad in 1811 and Morelos was captured and shot in 1815. However, the struggle for independence did not slack momentum and continued under the Creole colonel Agustin de Iturbide. In 1821 the independence of Mexico was officially recognized after Iturbide along with representatives of the Spanish crown signed the Treaty of Cordoba and the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire. Iturbide declared himself emperor of the First Mexican Empire. He was overthrown in 1823 and the United Mexican States was formed. Forms of Government. The military rule ended thus with the United Mexican States being declared a federal republic and Guadalupe Victoria becoming the first President of the newly formed country in 1824. However, this was not the beginning of an organized era. The country was steeped in turmoil of many a kind. In 1836 General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a rebel general and dictator, suspended the 1824 Constitution and a civil war ensued. His radical reforms dissolved republicanism and institutionalized the centralized form of government. The landmark event that followed was the Mexican-U.S. war in which Mexico lost Texas, California, and New Mexico to the U. S. Close at heels were Native American revolts and a series of reforms which brought back the federal form of government. In 1861 the Liberals won and the country was led by President Benito Juarez. He is worth a mention because the country underwent drastic democratic and economic reforms and cessation of Church powers. However, chaos set in soon imposed by the monarchy of Austrian Archduke Maximilian who declared himself Emperor in 1864. He was executed by the Liberal forces under Juarez who continued his term of presidency till 1872. Juarez period is also termed Restoration of the Republic. Weak governments followed. The next noteworthy period was the presidency of the authoritaria n general Porfirio Diaz who ruled most of the years between 1877 and 1911. The military dictatorship of Porfirio went well with Mexico that saw phenomenal economic reforms and progress in science and art. But his political repression snowballed into yet another revolution in 1910 which continued till 1920. The significant leaders who paced through the turbulence include Francisco