Victoriano+Huerta

Victoriano Huerta Image from [|here]

There can be little doubt in anyone’s mind that Victoriano Huerta was neither a revolutionary nor reformer. Huerta had been a top general of Diaz before his fall and never let go of the ideology of his regime. Huerta ran against Madero in the election of 1910, but always the opportunist Huerta integrated himself into the new Madero government. As the revolutionary armies moved against Madero, Huerta was trusted increasingly as Madero depended upon him to hold them back (Creed). Huerta had in no way signed onto Madero’s plans and moved against him the first opportunity he got. By 1913 Huerta had a coup in motion. Conspiring with Felix Diaz and U.S. ambassador Henry Lane Wilson, Huerta set off the Decena Tragica, ten days of brutal violence that ended with Madero’s imprisonment. When Madero was killed “attempting to escape” it was clear that Huerta was behind it (Minster). Huerta’s brutality only increased during his term. The Huerta dictatorship moved to return Mexico to the policies of Diaz. Huerta created a government friendly to the aristocracy, church and foreign investors, and allowed patronage and nepotism to flourish. Initially Huerta tried to placate the masses by continuing Madero’s labor policies, but he quickly abandoned this and eventually shut down the Casa del Obrero Mundial. Huerta took the hard line against his opposition, demanding submission and threatening disappearance (Keen 287). There was no lack of opposition to Huerta; Zapata, Villa and Obregon were united in wanting Villa out of office. Huerta faced constant attacks in different regions from the revolutionaries. The greatest of these was the Battle of Zacatacas in which Villas forced won a great victory, killing 6,000 federal soldiers (Minister). Huerta’s regime also had problems with international relations. The U.S. had refused to recognize Huerta’s rule and later pressured Britain and Germany to distance themselves from the dictator. This led to the U.S. invasion of Veracruz in 1914. Huerta could see that his regime could not last as he failed to hold back the revolutionaries or appease the U.S. and fled to Europe on July 15, 1914 (Keen, 290). Huerta was the antithesis of the revolution. He forced the country back to the antiquated policies of Diaz and completely rejected the reforms of Madero and the revolutionaries.
 * [[image:orozco-2.gif width="317" height="233" caption="Orozco was the only revolutionary to support Huerta, shown here. Click for source." link="http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/orozco.htm"]] ||
 * Orozco was the only revolutionary to support Huerta, shown here. Click for source. ||