Mexican Revolution Liberalism

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What is Liberalism? Was it the only factor that brought about the American and Mexican Revolutions? If involved in both revolutions, why were the outcomes so different? What other component determined the result of each war? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Liberalism is the “belief in the value of social and political change in order to achieve progress.”1 Originating in Europe, it arose during a period known as the Enlightenment, when men had the idea that if something could not be proved by logic or reasoning, it was not to be believed, and that the main aspects of human life were to be mathematical measurement and deduction and scientific experimentation.2 Liberalism was arrived at when people began to “seek for the natural laws that govern and direct human societies.”3 It focuses mainly on individualism and equality for all people. According to liberal beliefs, the foundation of human life comes from the possession of rights in freedom.4 They also believed that the collision of “natural” forces caused governments to arise. As a result of Liberalism, men began to think that freedom was the supreme principle of social life and that the laws that rule and manage human societies were to be natural, not divine. However, it was not only liberalism that brought about the American Revolution. …show more content…

There are three factors to winning a war: 1. The desire to win, 2. A balance of military power, and 3. Strong military tactics.6 Those who fought for Mexican independence lost the war. The Mexican military that fought in the war was weak and unorganized. They lacked the knowledge of military tactics and balance of military power against their enemies. The soldiers were Indians and farmers and did not have good military experience. They were untrained and formed a small army with their leader being Fr. Hidalgo, who was not a trained military man. The Mexican people were also extremely independent and did not follow orders as a group, but rather every man completed his own actions. In contrast, the American Revolution had a different outcome for several reasons. The colonists won the war because they had all three factors to win the war. Their military was organized and strong and was compiled of ex-British soldiers and Englishmen. One of the main leaders was George Washington, who was an ex-British general and had a vast amount of military knowledge. Many of the colonists were Englishmen and also had knowledge of military fighting, making them better soldiers. The colonists also had a strong will to win the war and receive their independence. The final factor was the balanced armies. Both armies, American and British, were fairly even, eliminating the disadvantage of being outnumbered. Despite the fact that Liberalism was involved in both revolutions, there were external reasons that explained the opposite outcomes of the American and Mexican

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