subject: Lazaro Cardenas: A Unique President For Mexico [print this page] When the leftist politician Lazaro Cardenas was elected as president in 1934, it was considered to be the true end of the Mexican Revolution by many people. By that time, the leadership of Mexico had provided a long tale of disappointment to its citizens, over the course of many years. Dictators that had a terrifying presence on the nation, such as Porfirio Diaz or Victoriano Huerta, also provided their fair share of obstacles, for which people had to contend. However, other clumsy leaders such as Venustiano Carranza and Francisco Madero were ineffectual in bringing about positive change to the region, due to their political ineptness. Additional leaders had good intentions when they began their roles in office, but were swiftly corrupted. Also, Leaders such as Alvaro Obregon, and Plutarco Calles held tightly to their power with a military-like grasp.
While all four of the major figures of the revolution--Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Venustiano Carranza, and Alvaro Obregon - there were still battles to be won but he died before Cardenas took power. A violent rebellion by the Catholics erupted, as they lost many of their rights under President Plutarco Calles, and they witnessed the brutal enforcement of anti-church laws..
A time period known as the Maximato occurred, when Calles stepped down from the Presidency in 1928; continuing to pull strings through two puppet administrations. Cardenas was meant to be the latest in that line of puppet presidents. In 1932, his cabinet members balked at his next choice for successor, suggesting Lazaro, the governor of Michoacan, instead. He was liberal, leftist, and committed to his causes; however, he'd also been an ally in the past. Plutarco figured he could control him as he had the others, but it wasn't the case.
Born to a poor family in the state of Michoacan, Cardenas was driven to educate himself as much as possible even though he'd had to leave home at 11 to support his family. He was fond of reading, and while he held down odd jobs in printing, jailkeeping and tax collection, he collected written materials to read. He was drawn to politics during the Mexican Revolution, like many others, and had initially supported Plutarco Calles' presidency and had been appointed as governor of his home state. As the leader there, he took a grassroots approach. He re-distributed land back to the peasants who rightfully owned it, encouraged the formation of labor organizations, and was dedicated to providing fair education to all of his people. The true needs of the public of Mexico, were taken into account by Lazaro, when he enacted policies and considered government actions to be taken.
When he was made President, Cardenas immediately proved himself as a radical but extremely honest leader. His first action, upon assuming the Presidency in December 1934, was to slash his salary in half. This was an unprecedented move, as virtually all of his successors had been extremely self-serving during their terms. The unforgiving, anti-religious actions by the Calles administration, were condemned by him, and he eventually managed to drive the former puppet master into exile. It was a promising start for a man who has been called the 'greatest figure produced by the revolution.'
