Mexico

**Mexico** is a country in Central America. It borders the United States to the north and Centroamerica to the south.

## History

The failure of the 35-year long regime of president Porfírio Díaz, a series of political crisis between competing factions of the elite and the fraudulent elections of 1910 where among the first causes of the Mexican Revolution. Over the first years of that decade, the Revolution changed from a revolt against the Díaz government to a multi-sided civil war involving the middle classes, indigenous peoples, the peasantry, industrial workers and several military cliques. Conservative forces under general Victoriano Huerta sought, starting in 1913, to reimpose the old Porfirian order, but revolts ensued in the northern states under Venustiano Carranza and peasant leader Emiliano Zapata.

While Huerta was forced to resign in July 1914, the proposed Convention of Aguascalientes, an attempt to sort out a new revolutionary order, failed. Former allies now started fighting each other in yet another round of armed struggle. While the Zapatistas formed an insurrectional army in the southern states, Pancho Villa formed a guerrilla force in the north. While Carranza's Constitutionalist Army fought against both rebel armies, the fight would occasionally spill across the Rio Grande, with occasional attacks on American troops and the famous raid by Pancho Villa on the city of Columbus, New Mexico, in March 1916. This attack prompted an American punitive expedition under general John Pershing which, although failed to completely capture Villa's forces, contributed to the international community recognizing the Carranza administration as the legitimate government of Mexico.

The Constitutionalist Army would decisively defeat the forces of Zapata and Pancho Villa at the Battle of Celaya in April 1915, paving the way for a new constitutional convention. Despite Carranza being confirmed as the new president of Mexico, the 1917 Constitution still contained many left-wing aspects, including anti-clerical elements, worker's rights and the basis for a broad land reform in favor of the peasantry.

In the south, Constitutionalist forces under Pablo Gomes attempted to wipe out Zapata's army, but the Zapatista guerrilla tactics prompted the involvement of colonel Jesus Guajardo with the duty to kill Emiliano Zapata. Disagreements between the many Carrancista factions allowed Zapata the daring move to offer Guajardo to change sides. The famous Engaño de Chinameca, in which Guajardo's forces defected to Zapata, taking with them lots of weapons, supplies and men, allowed Zapatismo to remain in fighting form for the rest of the Revolution.

By early 1919, General Alvaro Obregón had decided to use his immense popularity to run in the 1920 presidential elections. Carranza himself announced that we would not participate in these elections, instead endorsing an obscure diplomat, Ignácio Bonillas, planning to use him as his puppet. Near election day, Carranza attempts to arrest Obregon, who instead flies to the state of Guerrero. General Alfonso De La Huerta announces the Plan of Agua Prieta, a planned insurrection to depose Carranza. The pronunciamento is a success, with over 70% of the Mexican army joining the plan. Carranza refuses to surrender and attempted to flee to Veracruz, but was betrayed. He was assassinated on the 21st of May 1920 in the mountains north of Puebla.

Zapatista troops moved to take advantage of the situation, quickly displacing the forces of Pablo Gomes and capturing important cities such as Cuernavaca, Cuautla, Xochimilco and Toluca, reaching Mexico City itself before Obregón's forces. Although the forces of both Obregon and De La Huerta are superior to Zapata's, these leaders accept forming a government to rule the country and avoid a new bloody campaign, putting an end to the armed phase of the Revolution. Obregon became the new president of Mexico, while Zapata was confirmed as minister of finance in order to carry his planned land reform projects. Pancho Villa was offered the post of ambassador in the newly-formed Commune of France, coming into contact with socialist leaders such as Raymond Molinier, Pierre Frank and Alfred Rosmer.

Under Obregon, major reconstructions plans were initiated, intended to rebuild damaged infrastructure. Zapata's land reform redistributed nearly 45 million acres of arable land to the peasantry, creating the ejido system of communal ownership of land. Obregon's work was continued by the next presidents De La Huerta (1923) and Jesus Guajardo (1928), with Zapata finally being elected president of Mexico in the 1932 elections.

The Zapata government is marked by an even greater investment in agriculture, allowing the ejidos to become productive enough to grow cash crops such as coating and henequen. Despite not being in best terms with Villa, Zapata makes him his foreign minister, which helps creating stronger diplomatic bonds with the Commune of France.

Despite the great progress so far, the presidential elections remain a mistery. Pancho Villa, supported by both Zapata and De La Huerta, is expected to be elected the new president, while totalitarian socialist Plutarco Calles may cause some surprises. Also, the USA had become more unstable in the last years, and a civil war in the neighboring country looms in the horizon. The question of the article 27th of the constitution still needs an answer in the matter of taking over the mineral and oil resources of the nation out of foreign hands…

## Politics

**President**: Emiliano Zapata

**Acting President**: Vicente Lombardo Toledano

**Secretary of Foreign Affairs**: Eduardo Hay

**Secretary of Economy**: Enrique Estrada Reynoso

**Secretary of Public Safety**: Doroteo Arango Arambula

**Head of the Military Intelligence**: Plutarco Elias Calles

**Secretary of National Defense**: Augustin Mendoza Cais

**Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Army**: Plutarco Elias Calles

**Commander-in-Chief of the Mexican Navy**: Heriberto Jara Corona

**Commander-in-Chief of the Mexican Air Force**: Agustin Olachea Aviles

## Military

### Army

The National Defense Army consist of seven infantry division (one with an artillery brigade) and two outdated cavalry division.

### Navy and Air Force

The Mexican Navy comprise only one destroyer whereas the Mexican Air Force comprise only one squadron of interceptors.

## Foreign Relations

Friendly relations with Centroamerica, Union of Britain and Commune of France.

Unfriendly relations with United States and Caribbean Federation.