Mexican Revolution
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The Mexican War of Independence in 1821 was a very significant time in the history of Mexico. For the first time in nearly three centuries, the Mexican people had come together for a common cause and defeated their Spanish counterparts. Despite the success they experienced in winning the war for independence, Mexico faced many challenges after the war both economically and politically that heavily contributed to the independence of Texas and eventual annexation by the United States.
The economy in Mexico had been completely ravaged by the war. It had long been extremely dependent on the silver and gold mines that were located in the center of the country, but that was also where most destruction took place in the aftermath of the war. Mines had become flooded or were just completely destroyed. There was also a destructive effect on agriculture. Spanish soldiers and rebels had destroyed much of the crops and killed off many livestock. Haciendas were burned down and hacendados were killed, which led to a shortage of food in the cities and the price of agricultural products rose significantly. The government inherited a large amount of debt as a result of the war, but despite its lack of money, the governement still had to pay bureaucrats, soldiers, etc. and it wasnt long before the treasury was completely depleted. Basically, the expenses that Mexico faced far exceeded its income and as the economy slowly deteriorated, Mexicans began to lose faith in their newly established governments.
The political status of the newly independent Mexico was just as bad off, if not worse, than the economy following the war. The government of the colonial period, which had been based on authoritarian tradition, still had a strong influence on the government of that which took place after independence. On July 21, 1822, Iguala Iturbide became the first emperor of Mexico. Although it wasnt long before the people of Mexico began to reject their new emperor. The economy was continuing to dwindle and conspiracies began to rise up agasint Iturbide. Anit-monarchy movements erupted throughout Mexico City. The most significant taking place on February 1, 1823, headed by Jose Antonio Echaverri, lasting two weeks and finally ending with Iturbide abandoning his throne. The fall of Iturbide was very important because it began a new era that brought power to the Criollos or the middle class. The new constitution was created in 1824, which strongly resembled that of the United States. The first elections were held and the president, Guadalupe Victoria was elected and it would be under Victorias