Mexico+Instability+and+Foreign+Intervention

A. Mexican republic established after monarchy 1. Constitution in 1824 a. Did not address social problems (maldistribution of land, Natives’ status, education, poverty) 2. Political struggle between conservative centralists and liberal federalists 3. General Antonio López de Santa Anna assumes power a. Caudillo, personalist, autocratic leader B. Mexican instability 1. Target for foreign interventions due to financial difficulties 2. Texas occupied by Anglo-Americans a. Wanted more autonomy, different culture and religion b. Texan independence in 1836 due to Santa Anna’s actions and ethnic differences c. Annexed to US in 1845, based on manifest destiny 3. Mexican- American War a. US forces occupied capital and seized California b. Mexico forced to sing Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo i. Lost around one half of territory c. Dislike with US from Mexico and other Latin countries d. Battle created feeling of nationalism and desire to fix internal problems C. Change in politics 1. Santa Anna opposed by new generation of liberals a. Intellectuals, lawyers, rural leaders b. Benito Juárez: American Indian with legal education, governor of his state i. Eliminate church and army rights to allow for economic growth 2. La Reforma: liberal revolt a. New constitution in 1857: army and church privileges diminished, Natives’ land sold to individuals b. Wealthy landowners bought the lands and left Natives and peasants landless 3. Conservative reaction: church would excommunicate those who upheld constitution a. Civil war: President Juárez made more radical measures b. Conservatives allied with French (Napoleon III) i. Intervention justified by common Latin culture c. French take capital and Maximilian von Hapsburg becomes emperor of Mexico i. Tried to maintain La Reforma’s laws and make friends with Juárez ii. When troops left, Maximilian and wife executed and Juárez regained power 4. After Juárez’s death, Porfirio Díaz became president a. Rapid economic growth, foreign capital enters, landed estates expand, political repression and revolution Q1: Texas’ independence was influenced by the following except: a. Ethnic differences between the settlers and Mexico b. Santa Anna’s efforts to suppress the Texans c. The ideas of manifest destiny common among Texan settlers d. A desire to become a more autonomous state like Yucatán

Q2: Benito Juárez's view on the secular society was a. based on a conservative vision that supports the army b. based on the rule of law in which the church would be supported c. shared the liberal vision in which church and the army would be eliminated d. none of the above