Comparing Three Revolutions

The Mexican Revolution (1910) was one of the century’s first great peasant revolution fueled by unhappy workers, when political elites openly split over the succession of General Porfirio Diaz after decades of strong arm rule. Peasants and workers gathered together against those in power, which eventually led to the destruction of the Diaz regime. Peasants, farmers, cattlemen and rural workers were desperate for social change. The Mexican leaders were Pancho Villa to the south and leadership of Emiliano Zapata, these men helped destroy the Diaz regime. The Mexican Revolution lasted almost ten years that cost the Mexicans one million dollars. Democracy was an important issue to the Mexican people, respect for peasant communities, and land reform. A new constitution was drawn up in the year 1917, the Mexican Revolution winded down in 1920. However, the revolution spawned a set of new national myths based on the heroism of the people, Mexican nationalism, and the celebration of the Aztec past. The Mexican Revolution succeeded in toppling the old elite.

The Russian Revolution (1917) Tsar Nicholas II surrendered his country under force from his generals. The Romanov regime of Russia was the first empire destroyed by the war. Millions of peasants seized land soldiers and sailors disbanded their areas and went home. During the Russian Revolution left wing revolutionaries called themselves Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky the Bolsheviks took advantage of the weakened government, with the support of the workers and troops. The Bolsheviks claimed a socialist revolution by seizing the government and claiming power. The Bolsheviks moved their leadership location to Moscow, and set up a dictatorship of the proletariat.

By 1789 the ideals of the French Revolution spread rapidly to the richest island of the French -- it being Haiti. These ideals eventually caused the Revolution in Saint Domingue (Haiti) in 1791. The 500,000 slaves of Saint Domingue sought freedom from the 40,000 white and 30,000 free black populations. The white and black populations clashed, thus a civil war, the Revolution of Saint Domingue ensued. Dominican slaves fought French forces in 1792 to restore order. The National Convention in France abolished slavery in 1793, the former slaves took control of the island, but they joined with French troops to fight British and Spanish forces sent to Saint Domingue to cause trouble. Napoleon restored slavery in 1802. From is inception in August 1791, the Revolution in Saint Domingue led, after much death of African slave dissidents and French soldiers, to the proclamation of an independent state in Haiti in 1804, ruled by African Americans. It is no surprise that the most recent slaves from Africa had African culture and political ideals gave way to slave resistance. At the beginning of the revolution in 1791, the leaders gathered together to affirm their commitment by attending a voodoo ritual, with a priestess presiding, with a black pig being sacrificed in honor of the revolution and swearing allegiance to Boukam, who proclaimed to be chief priest of the rebellion. Later in the revolution Toussaint L’ Ouverture became leader and negotiator for the revolution.

In comparison to all three revolutions it was the very poor and workers that were utilized to win these revolutions. Although the Haiti revolution was not necessarily a win considering all slave shipments had ceased as well as the sugar plantations came to a complete stop as far as trade was concerned. Politically speaking the Mexican revolution produced a country that became a democracy, however, its economy and politics relied very heavily on the close association with the United States to this day. The Russian revolution produced a communist country that existed until 1989 with the destruction of the Berlin wall and slow changes that took place after the death of Lenin. Economically speaking the USSR stayed active in globalization and in a fierce power struggle with the United States during the Cold War throughout and up to the late 1980’s. These political revolutions used the emotions of the poor in order to gain power, and did not share the wealth with their own people. Today, all three countries; the common people and workers of Mexico, Russia, and Haiti have suffered great atrocities from leaders that took what should have been given to them – money, food, and healthcare due to greed without giving consideration to those who put them into power.

These countries suffer from poverty, diseases such as AIDS, and hunger, not to mention the fact that the people are bullied by local government policies and do not live a life of liberty and a chance to pursue happiness. Whether or not these three revolutions helped their countries is the big question, yet it appears that at least with the Haiti revolution the first intention was to pursue the happiness the French people were experiencing from the French revolution. Unfortunately, “Enlightenment” did not reach to the far corners of the Earth and there are those that are still suffering from bad decisions made, due to colonialism.