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Francisco I. Madero
Historical figureMexico1873-1913

Francisco I. Madero

President of Mexico (1911-1913) · Leader of the Anti-Reelectionist movement

Wealthy Coahuila landowner who led the 1910 revolt against Porfirio Díaz under the banner of free elections and no re-election, won the presidency in 1911 and was killed in the coup of 1913.

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Profile on 12 axes6 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

Francisco I. Madero, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership+30
    PublicPrivate

    A wealthy landowner who was reluctant to redistribute land, which points to private ownership. Judgment call.

  2. 02Markets+30
    PlannedFree

    Little economic program is on record beyond a reluctance to carry out major economic reforms.

  3. 03Welfare0
    SharedSelf-reliant

    He paid good wages and funded schools and a hospital for his workers, but offered no state welfare plan. Score is neutral.

  4. 04Authority-85
    DemocraticStrong leader
  5. 05Security-50
    LibertyOrder

    As president he allowed a free press and wider political freedoms, though he kept the old federal army in place.

  6. 06StructureNo clear record
    LocalCentral
  7. 07MoralityNo clear record
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08Religion-15
    SecularReligious

    Weakest score on the profile. He practiced spiritism rather than orthodox religion and the Church was among his opponents, but he left no stated church-state program.

  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10CultureNo clear record
    MulticulturalNational identity
  11. 11TradeNo clear record
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policyNo clear record
    CooperationStrength

6 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was Francisco I. Madero?

Francisco Madero was born in 1873 in Parras, Coahuila, into one of northern Mexico's richest families. He studied in France and the United States and entered politics in 1904. His 1908 book The Presidential Succession in 1910 attacked the long rule of Porfirio Díaz and called for free elections. He ran for president in 1910, was jailed, and fled to Texas, where he issued the Plan of San Luis Potosí calling for revolt on November 20. Díaz resigned in May 1911, and Madero won the October election. His presidency lasted about fifteen months. In February 1913 General Victoriano Huerta turned on him, and Madero was killed on February 22.

Political views

  • His 1908 book criticized Díaz's long rule and called for free elections, freedom of expression and freedom of association.Source: tusbuenasnoticias.com
  • His movement's motto was Sufragio Efectivo, No Reelección, meaning effective suffrage and no re-election.Source: elsiglodetorreon.com.mx
  • The Plan of San Luis Potosí declared the 1910 elections void, said the ballot box was no longer a way to remove Díaz, and called for armed revolt with new elections promised afterward.Source: banxico.org.mx
  • As an employer he paid good wages and funded basic schools, public dining halls and a hospital for his workers.Source: banxico.org.mx
  • As president he upheld constitutional government and allowed a free press and wider political freedoms.Source: cognito.org
  • He was reluctant to carry out major land or economic reforms, and Zapata answered with the Plan of Ayala in November 1911.Source: cognito.org
  • He kept the federal army in place and gave it a leading role against rebels, and a sector of that army later turned on him.Source: banxico.org.mx
  • He was interested in spiritism and in 1906 represented a psychological studies center at the First National Spiritist Congress.Source: elsiglodetorreon.com.mx

Legacy

Madero is remembered in Mexico as the apostle of democracy, and his government is recalled for its commitment to political freedoms. Admirers credit him with breaking the Porfirian dictatorship by appealing to the ballot box and with governing under a free press. Critics say he was too cautious. He did little on land, left Porfirian generals in command and lost allies such as Zapata and Orozco, while Porfirian elites, the Church and American business also opposed him. The coup of the Ten Tragic Days ended with Madero and Vice President Pino Suárez killed on Huerta's orders, and U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson quietly backed the plotters. His death opened a bloodier phase of the revolution.

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Francisco I. Madero: questions

What was the Plan of San Luis Potosí?

Madero's manifesto of October 1910. It declared the 1910 elections void, called for armed revolt from 6 p.m. on November 20, 1910, and promised new elections once Díaz fell.

Why was Francisco Madero overthrown?

Rebels on both sides attacked him: Porfirian officers on one, Zapata and Orozco on the other. In the Ten Tragic Days of February 1913, General Huerta, whom Madero had trusted, turned on him.

What did Francisco Madero believe?

He believed in free elections, no presidential re-election and constitutional government. He was less committed to land redistribution, which cost him peasant support.

Sources