When Did the Mexican Revolution End?

The Mexican Revolution left hundreds of thousands dead and the country’s economy in shambles, but when did the Mexican Revolution end? Before the revolution, a dictator by the name of Porfirio Diaz ruled Mexico. His rule was both good and bad. He held onto the reigns of the country using strong-arm tactics. He did bring in modernization and machinery for manufacturing but these booms were at the expense of the people. The peasants and farmers suffered greatly under his rule. By the end of his rule in 1910, the country was ready for change.

After the unrest of Diaz's rule, Francisco Madero moved into the vacated office and became the President of Mexico. Before Election Day, however, Diaz had Madero jailed and then declared a victory in the election.

Madero escaped from jail and spent a short time in San Antonio, Texas. He issued a “letter from jail” following the elections, which he won by a landslide, that called for a revolt. It condemned Diaz for taking office and declared his rule illegal. Madero promised free suffrage and no-reelections. He called for a revolution to begin November 20th.

The Revolution

Madero drew support from many of the citizens, elite and peasants alike. After defeating Diaz’ army, Madero took control and began to institute reforms. He ushered in a democratic government that was partially controlled by the foreign investors.

The reforms, while starting to make things better for most Mexicans, didn’t go far enough however. As a result, one of Madero's supporters broke ranks and formed his own army to demand social reforms in the areas of better pay, better working hours and better work conditions.

In an unexpected coup d’etat led by the Commander-in-Chief that was appointed by Madero when he took control, the power in Mexico once again shifted. Madero resigned in 1913 and both he and the vice president were assassinated within a week. Both are remembered as martyrs of the revolution.

There was very little involvement in the Mexican Revolution by the United States. There were only two times that American troops were sent to Mexico. The first was in 1914 when they were sent to Veracruz to stop a ship from docking. The ship was carrying illegal arms for the forces of Huerta. The troops also had skirmishes with some of his troops in the streets of Veracruz. The second use of troops was to locate Pancho Villa after his attack on the town of Columbus, New Mexico. They were unable to locate him and were forced to return to the U.S., where the U.S. was just entering WWI.

Uncertainty in Mexico

Over the next seven years, the country was in flux. The government changed hands many times. Each of the key military figures that led the revolution against Diaz continued to fight and the violence didn’t cease.

The revolution was still in full force as the country was waiting for a leader to rise to the top and take control. Then, Venustiano Carranza formed the Constitutional Army and authored the 1917 Constitution, incorporating many of the social demands of the rebels.

When Did the Mexican Revolution End?

When did the Mexican Revolution end then? Carranza died in 1920 and essentially ended the military portion of the Revolution.  While the revolution had ended militarily, violence and fighting continued for the next ten to fifteen years until the reforms in the new constitution began to be implemented.

The End of the Revolution

By the end of the revolution, most experts estimate that the cost to Mexico was as high as 2.1 million lives. Shortly after the end of the revolution there were some promising social reforms instituted which included the end of capital punishment in Mexico. There would no longer be summary executions of criminals. Following the period of unrest in Mexico and the end of the Revolution, the reforms that had been fought for with such a high price in life were still coming in a rather slow pace.

So, when did the Mexican Revolution end actually? It wasn’t until the 1930s before the majority of social reforms were addressed. Then in 1940, the old President relinquished his power to the new President.

Depending on whether you believe the "end" of the revolution refers to the cessation of fighting or the implementation of the reforms, the date can be almost twenty years apart. Most historians, though, take the 1920 date as the end.