Godfather of the Mexican Revolution: The Rise and Fall of Venustiano Carranza and His Contributions to Mexican Constitutionality and Nationalism, 1910-1920 The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Rubalcaba, Christian Jesus. 2011. Godfather of the Mexican Revolution: The Rise and Fall of Venustiano Carranza and His Contributions to Mexican Constitutionality and Nationalism, 1910-1920. Master's thesis, Harvard University, Extension School. Citable link https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37367556 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Godfather of the Mexican Revolution: The Rise and Fall of Venustiano Carranza and His Contributions to Mexican Constitutionality and Nationalism, 1910-1920 Christian Jesus Rubalcaba A Thesis in the Field of History for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University March 2011 Copyright 2011 Christian Jesus Rubalcaba Abstract Most of the academic attention devoted to the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) in recent times has focused on revolutionary leaders. Inspiration for this thesis comes from a desire to understand an important participant of the Revolution, Venustiano Carranza, whose story deserves further investigation because of his catalytic role in the ten-year conflict. This thesis poses the argument that fluctuations in the rhetoric of Carranza’s Constitutionalist campaign reflect a sense of willingness on his part to adapt strategically to new contexts; however, to show deep conviction, he always stood behind a platform that was characterized by an unwavering faith in the political doctrine of constitutionality. Even though he shifted some of his positions when necessary, the core of his program remained constant and stood at the heart of his bold state building. After the introductory chapter, Chapter Two lays the foundation for the thesis as it paints a detailed picture of the birthplace, family, and political environment from which Carranza originated. Emphasis is placed on a number of experiences that gave rise to his drive and passion for politics, from his revealing past as a Porfirian senator to his transformation as a leader. This chapter shows how, in mid-1913, Carranza began to express concerns for law and order, two essentials for constitutionality. Chapter Three identifies Carranza’s ideology between the years mid-1913 to mid- 1916. It shows how his priorities changed in comparison to his mode of thinking in 1913, especially as he made and discontinued relationships with other revolutionary leaders, specifically Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. This chapter demonstrates that, even in the face of Zapata and Villa, Carranza became more committed to constitutionality. Chapter Four provides an in-depth study of Carranza’s Constitutionalist program at work. This chapter analyzes the organizational attributes of the committee that took part in the Constitutional Convention at Querétaro from mid-1916 to mid-1917. The committee, which was convened by Carranza, served as the taskforce that revised the 1857 constitution so that the new one reflected more contemporary concerns. This chapter explores Carranza’s political talents, since this convention put his skills as a tactician and leader to the test. In 1917, when members of the Convention completed the Constitution of 1917, Mexicans were left with a statement of fundamental laws, a new legal order launched by Carranza. Studying the rhythm of the convention and a number of radically changed articles reveal that Carranza had, indeed, achieved a major conquest. Finally, Chapter Five covers the period from mid-1917 to mid-1920, Carranza’s presidency. This chapter brings Carranza’s presidency into focus and assesses his effectiveness, not as a revolutionary leader, but as a chief executive. This chapter explains how, even though Carranza failed to be an efficient president and disappointed many with his decisions, his work in the area of constitutional democracy continued, and Mexican nationalism began to appear with more clarity in his state building. The thesis concludes by underscoring Carranza’s successes and failures. In addition to his numerous virtuous attributes, Carranza ultimately felt out of touch with reality, did not know quite how to face the demands of Mexicans in the last stage of the Revolution, and his grand vision of Mexican constitutional democracy required a bold kind of energy that Carranza could not offer. v Biographical Sketch Christian Jesus Rubalcaba was born on March 16, 1985, in the midwestern city of Chicago. He attended Purdue University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2007 and majored in English literature and general psychology through an honors program curriculum. After a saber-flashing desire to follow his heart, the author moved to the New England town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he resided for nearly three years. The author recently concluded a liberal arts graduate studies program in history with a focus on twentieth-century Latin American history, politics, and economics at Harvard University. At the end of the summer of 2010, the author moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically to San Jose, to become a part of the Teach for America organization, a movement that strives to close the achievement gap in K-12 schools throughout the U.S. During his stay in northern California, he has and will continue to conduct research at Stanford University as an independent scholar. A plethora of interests consume the author, primarily, history, literature, politics, writing, and, most importantly, spreading his enthusiasm for education. vi Dedication To the young and curious, Amarelis Ramos and Izaak Rubalcaba, so that one day they may become brutally inspired to fan the blazing fire of their imaginations with the help of history and literature. vii Acknowledgments In my family, the success of one is the success of everyone. This proverbial sentiment has kept my family intact and allowed every member of my family to feel united even when the forces of distance have tried to come in the way. I could not have completed this project or the graduate program by myself, and hence I owe an incredible amount of gratitude to them, my gracious and unfailing family. In hindsight, as I look back at the start of my time at Harvard University, I notice one aspect about this journey. I arrived here and had the luxury of attaining a stellar graduate education, because I was in the company of a dedicated family and a supportive network of friends, professors, mentors, advisors, and colleagues. Truly, no words can describe the deep appreciation I feel toward those who helped me bring this project to a satisfying close. Without further delay, the following words are a small tribute to those who helped me begin, continue, and finally complete this project of passion in one capacity or another. I would like to first thank the ALM program in history at the Harvard Extension School for awarding me three graduate degree scholarships, which funded part of my coursework and thesis. The School has been generous with me and the ALM program has proven to be extremely successful in making the graduate program a valuable asset to my academic career and professional development. viii Harvard University, as a whole, merits many thanks on my behalf for the cavalcade of resources it made available to me. The research staff at Widener Library, where I am a familiar face, helped me navigate the mazy world of research at Harvard University. Staff members there made themselves fully available to me, and as a result, I even had the honor of establishing lasting friendships with many of them. Special thanks go to the staff at the Interlibrary Loan Services who were cooperative and, as many of them will no doubt say, patient with me. Other Harvard-affiliated libraries were also of great service to me, namely, the History Departmental Library, Lamont Library, the Harvard Law School Library, the Baker Library (Knowledge and Library Sciences) at the Harvard Business School, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government Library. Non-Harvard affiliated academic institutions also helped greatly in this journey. In particular, two libraries facilitated research during the last handful of months of this project, and they include Stanford University’s Cecil H. Green Library and University of California at Berkeley’s Bancroft Library. In addition, the following non-Harvard affiliated academic institutions provided extraordinary services, especially in making book-length published studies and unpublished dissertations available to me in a timely fashion: University of Chicago, Yale University, Princeton University, Ohio University, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego, University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, University of Nebraska, University of New Mexico, American University, Tulane University, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of New York at Binghamton, University of Texas at El Paso, and University of Texas at Austin. ix I now turn my attention to naming, in the order in which I met them during my time at Harvard University, individuals who inspired my research and affected my writing profoundly. They are the reason for my overall success as a graduate student. I begin first by acknowledging Professor Donald Ostrowski, who has been one of the most important and influential individuals with whom I have had the honor to work and interact. Professor Ostrowski is a professional of scope and depth, perspective and flexibility, and discipline and sympathy. I owe much of my growth as a graduate student to this true scholar and advisor, and I feel blessed to have been a direct beneficiary of his wide-ranging knowledge.