Peons In The Mexican Revolution
Peons were normally usually very unskilled workers that performed jobs on farms planting, and picking crops. The Mexican revolution was mainly as a result to the great land battles between the Mexican government, peons and landowners that owned land for farming. Farms and crops were the only way that peons and farmers could obtain a living in the 1900's. The first man that proposed to remedy the land disputes was Emiliano Zapata. Zapata demanded that confiscation and distribution of estates among peons and the government and political autonomy be divided evenly between the two great states. This dispute between the land of farm owners and the peons is what caused the peons to begin fighting in the revolution to regain their land.
Many times were the peons promised free farms and land, but they were never granted anything but more and more lies. Although these peons were a very peaceful people they joined forces with Madero and Villa. The peon soldiers knew that they were fighting for a just cause, and everybody that fought against Diaz in the revolution all had the same goal to overthrow the corrupt government ruled by Diaz. The peons were very unequipped during the war and many of them died, but in the end they achieved the goal of overthrowing Diaz, but not necessarily completely through war but through political change and ratification of various bills and laws.
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"They were 'simply peons who had risen in arms' and they were described as 'unpaid, ill-clad, undisciplined, their officers merely the bravest among them armed only with aged Springfield's and a handful of cartridges apiece'. These war wear peons returned to their villages and haciendas, the surviving leaders (who were few enough) reached deals or accommodations with the new 'revolutionary' government."
- "The Mexican Revolution one of the greatest revolutionary upheavals of the twentieth century"
- "The Mexican Revolution one of the greatest revolutionary upheavals of the twentieth century"