Page 198 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

warfare—post-columbian latin america 1975

Think how many blameless lives are
brightened by the blazing indiscretions
of other people. • Pope Paul VI
(1897–1978)

fighting continued for three years. Following an ex- Three major factions emerged. South of Mexico City
plosion that sank the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana, peasant followers of Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919)
the United States declared war on Spain. Suffering sought restoration of rural lands to their villages. Zapata’s
defeats at sea and on land in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and followers tended to fight on foot.The other two factions
the Philippines, Spain lost its last American and Asian emerged in the North. Each drew heavily upon the cow-
colonies. The United States created a system of protec- boy population for its membership and made extensive
torates in the Caribbean and Central America that use of horse cavalry. Throughout the revolution the rail-
guarded the approaches to the Panama Canal (opened road network constructed by the Díaz regime played a
1914). determining role in the ebb and flow of combat.The two
Several Latin American states entered World War I, northern factions also employed small aviation units.
most notably Brazil, which was provoked by German One northern faction was led by Francisco (“Pancho”)
attacks on its shipping. More countries declared war on Villa (1873–1923) and the other by Álvaro Obregón
the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) during World (1880–1928), whose political loyalty lay with Venustiano
War II, including Mexico and Brazil, which allowed U.S. Carranza (1859–1920). Villista and Carrancista forces
aircraft to use their airfields to combat the German sub- both had access to U.S.-made weapons at first, but Pres-
marine threat in the Atlantic. Brazil’s army fought in ident Woodrow Wilson later cut off Villa’s sources.
Europe, and its navy escorted convoys across to Allied In April 1915 Villista and Carrancista forces clashed in
(United States, United Kingdom, France, Soviet Union, two major battles around Celaya northwest of Mexico
China) bases in Africa. A Mexican aircraft squadron City. Villista cavalry mounted several charges against
fought in the Philippines during 1945. Carrancista machine-guns emplaced in barbed-wire
In 1982 the military government of Argentina invaded defenses, resulting in decimation of Villa’s forces. Retreat-
the British Falkland Islands colony in the South Atlantic. ing northward, Villa again faced Obregón at Aguas-
Attempting to bolster public support for the military gov- calientes on 10 July 1915, and suffered a crushing defeat
ernment, the junta (a group of persons controlling a gov- that relegated the Villa faction to relative insignificance.
ernment) sought to enforce Argentina’s long-standing A Carrancista column ejected Zapata’s forces from Mex-
claim to the islands, which Argentina calls the “Malvinas.” ico City in the following month, and the Zapatistas
Despite the long sea lines of communication, a British retreated south into their home area of Morelos. Zapata
expedition recaptured the islands.Argentine naval and air himself fell victim to a trick and was assassinated in an
units achieved some success, but in general weaker Argen- ambush in 1919.The Zapatista forces lost cohesion and
tine forces faced British opponents who were trained to dissolved, ending the military aspects of the revolution.
exacting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) The Mexican Revolution was the largest-scale conflict in
standards. Britain’s victory led to the fall of Argentina’s twentieth-century Latin America, but the revolution in
military government. Cuba affected many parts of the entire region.
In 1956 Cuban exiles led by Fidel Castro (b. 1926)
Wars of Revolution landed in eastern Cuba and began a guerrilla war from
Between 1910 and 1920 Mexico experienced revolu- mountain bases against the dictatorship of Fulgencio
tionary upheaval and civil war.The Mexican Revolution Batista (1901–1973). The Cuban military was outfitted
began with the overthrow of Porfirio Díaz (1830–1915) with U.S. equipment from World War II and also jet air-
and continued through a lengthy and complicated set of craft. The difficult terrain afforded the rebels adequate
political twists and turns. Two short-lived successor security, and they quickly gained the support of peasants
regimes failed to consolidate power, and by 1914 a full- in the region. Thousands of troops moved against hun-
scale civil war raged across Mexico. dreds of rebels, but the guerrilla strategy succeeded.