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I think it's a bit strong to call Madero a corrupt dictator himself. Similarly, the title "Apostle of Democracy," by which he was known in 1912, is too strong in the other direction. He favored a type of democratic republicanism that hearkened back to the earlier Constitution of 1857. He therefore supported a larger role in politics for elites and educated middle-class Mexicans. He never envisioned that type of role for his peasant supporters, and he never promised much in terms of land reform. By all indications, he didn't intend to rule for life, and he also wanted to avoid radical social leveling.

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Brandon Morgan
Brandon Morgan

Written by Brandon Morgan

Associate Dean, History Instructor, & researcher of the Borderlands, U.S. West, & Modern Mexico. I just published a book about violence and the rural border.

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