Second Federal Republic of Mexico

• 1. The Collapse Of 1846

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  In April of 1846, the Mexican American War erupted while Mariano Paredes held the presidency. A string of military defeats fueled public anger and forced Paredes to resign on July 28. He returned to his military post to fight alongside the army. Nicolas Bravo succeeded him as president but faced immediate rebellion from garrisons in Vera Cruz and San Juan de Ulua. On August 3, these garrisons revolted against Bravo's authority. The uprising installed Mariano Salas as provisional president. Salas restored the Constitution of 1824 on August 22. This act ended the Centralist Republic and began the Second Federal Republic. Congress opened its sessions at midnight on the 5th of December 1846. The body was dominated by liberals who debated how to fund a desperate war effort.

• 2. War And Territorial Loss

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  Santa Anna gathered an army of twenty thousand men at San Luis Potosi to defend the nation. He won the Battle of Buena Vista between February 22 and the 23rd of February 1847, though historians view it as a draw. American forces under Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz shortly after. Santa Anna traveled through Matehuala when news arrived that Valentin Gomez Farias had resigned due to internal revolution. Anaya took command of the capital and authorized a state of siege. The Americans broke through defenses at Cerro Gordo and advanced toward Mexico City. Congress granted Anaya extraordinary powers but forbade him from signing peace treaties alone. When the capital fell, the government fled northeast to Querétaro. Manuel de la Peña y Peña assumed the presidency after Anaya's term expired on the 8th of January 1847. Congress approved the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in May 1847. The treaty forced Mexico to cede half its territory to the United States. Jose Joaquin Herrera became president on the 3rd of June 1848, replacing Peña y Peña.

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• 3. Stability Under Arista

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  The economy improved during the administration of José Joaquín de Herrera. Abundant harvests were reported and mines increased their yields. Construction began on a railway and telegraph line. The first industrial exhibition opened in Mexico City on the 1st of November 1849. The army was reduced to 10,000 men on the 4th of November 1848. Conscription was abolished but later abrogated when volunteers could not fill the ranks. Military colonies were established along the frontier to pacify Indian raids. By 1851, three successful settlements housed over two thousand individuals. Mariano Arista won the election of 1851 as Minister of War. He took office on the 15th of January 1851. Arista adopted many of Herrera's policies while making changes to his cabinet. A revolt led by Blancarte, a hatmaker from Guadalajara, spread across the nation. Blancarte proclaimed that Arista should be overthrown on September 13. Arista addressed the chambers on the 15th of December 1852, before resigning on January 5.

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• 4. Santa Anna Returns

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  A Conservative faction led by Lucas Alaman restored the centralist system after Arista left office. Governor Mugica of Puebla and Teodosio Lares joined this movement. State legislatures dissolved throughout the country under the new regime. Education and lawyer accreditation came under direct control from Mexico City. The military increased its troop numbers through unprecedented conscription. Santa Anna hired European instructors to modernize the army. Fortresses received improved armaments and ships were upgraded. The Gadsden Purchase provided new funds but alienated more national territory. Santa Anna moved his residence to Tacubaya to live in a lavishly decorated palace. Balls and soirees frequently hosted guests there. He revived the noble Order of Guadalupe which members wore with ceremonial decorations. Public ridicule referred to these members as huehuenches. Santa Anna assumed the honorific His Most Serene Highness. On the 16th of December 1853, he passed a decree extending his dictatorship indefinitely.

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• 5. The Liberal Revolution

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  On the 1st of March 1854, the liberal Plan of Ayutla was proclaimed against Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Juan Álvarez and Ignacio Comonfort led the Liberals to victory by October 1855. A younger generation of liberals entered the Alvarez Cabinet including Melchor Ocampo and Benito Juarez. The poet Guillermo Prieto also served in this administration. Anti-clerical writer Ignacio Comonfort joined the government. Álvarez stepped down in December 1855 passing power to Comonfort. Congress ratified Comonfort's ascension in February 1856. Work on a new constitution concluded about a year later. The Constitution of 1857 was promulgated on the 12th of February 1857. It integrated the Ley Juarez and the Ley Lerdo into law. These measures nationalized Catholic Church lands and affected indigenous communities. The constitution declared man's inherent freedom and abolished special courts for clergy and military. Education became free of charge for all citizens.

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• 6. Civil War And Reform

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  Conservatives reached out to Comonfort to overthrow the government after the constitution passed. General Félix Zuloaga proclaimed the Plan of Tacubaya on the 17th of December 1857. Comonfort accepted the plan and released a manifesto arguing for moderate reforms. He resigned when he realized the nation had fractured into civil war. Benito Juarez emerged as president from prison while Comonfort fled the country. Liberals entrenched themselves in Veracruz while Conservatives remained in Mexico City. Conservative generals Miguel Miramon replaced Zuloaga but failed to capture Veracruz. The Battle of Antón Lizardo saw the United States Navy protect Liberal forces. Liberals nationalized remaining Catholic properties to fund their war effort. The McLane, Ocampo Treaty died in the American Senate despite being signed by the Liberal government. The tide turned in 1860 with decisive victories at Calpulalpan on December 22. Miramon and other leading Conservatives fled the country. Guerrilla warfare continued in the countryside after this defeat.

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• 7. Foreign Intervention Ends Republic

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  President Juarez entered Mexico City in victory but faced an exhausted nation. A moratorium on foreign debt payments passed in July 1861. France, the United Kingdom, and Spain responded with the Convention of London. Three navies occupied Veracruz on the 8th of December 1861. Napoleon III intended to overthrow the Mexican Republic and establish a monarchy. Monarchist expatriates José Manuel Hidalgo y Esnaurrízar and José María Gutiérrez de Estrada influenced French imperial aims. Spain and the United Kingdom abandoned the expedition when they realized French intentions. Mexican troops repulsed French advances at the Battle of Puebla on the 5th of May 1862. This delay allowed over a year for Conservative generals to join the invaders. Mexico City was taken by June 1863 as President Juarez fled ahead of French troops. A French controlled triumvirate set up a new executive. An Assembly of Notables resolved on the 3rd of July 1863, to change Mexico into a monarchy. Maximilian of Habsburg assumed the newly established throne ending the Second Federal Republic.

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