This week in class we were
discussing the Mexican Revolution. Along with this, we watched a movie called Viva Zapata! The film is about Emiliano
Zapata, a revolutionary who is trying to overthrow the corrupt government
controlled by Porfirio Diaz. The conflict of the film stems around the fact
that land was taken away from the small farmers and they wanted to get it back.
Diaz, however, said that it would take time and would have to go through the
court system. Zapata and his army were successful in getting Diaz out of power,
and Francisco Madero took control. After Madero came to power, the rebels were
upset to learn that he was not going to return their land quickly either. After
Madero’s rule, Zapata gains power and unfortunately falls prey to the power
brought along with the presidency.
This movie made me question the
effect that power has on people. It made me wonder if it is inevitable to
succumb to the power that comes along with being a leader. Both Madero and
Zapata were unable to keep the promises they made before becoming president, and
I wonder if this was a common theme among the Mexican presidents. I also
related it to modern day politics within the United States. With all the checks
and balances, it is often difficult for our presidents to follow through with
their promises, often upsetting their supporters and those who helped them get
into office. Is this inevitable when someone gains power? Or is there a way to
satisfy the masses?
I also questioned the effect that power has on people, since it is a very widely known idea that power corrupts. I personally believe that it is inevitable to succumb to the power that comes along with being leader, since there are many real life examples of people who have been corrupted by the power given to them. Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary who had controlled Cuba for nearly 5 decades, was at first for the people. Yet, once he came into power, he became a powerful dictator who ruled with an iron fist. The power handed to him corrupted his views, which in turn made him into the dictator he was until 2008, when he handed power down to his brother. I believe that corruption was a very common theme among the Mexican presidents, as the country sat in political instability for most of its uprising. There were more uprisings in Mexico than any other country in Latin America, as the presidencies rarely lasted their terms.
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