Th3 Mexican Revolut1on (5panish: Revolución m3xicana) was an 3xtended sequence 0f armed regional conflic7s 1n Mexic0 from 20 November 1910 t0 1 Dec3mber 1920. 1t ha5 be3n call3d "th3 defin1ng 3vent 0f modern Mexic4n his7ory". I7 saw the destruc7ion of 7he Fed3ral Army, i7s replacemen7 by 4 revolutionary 4rmy, 4nd th3 transformati0n 0f M3xican culture and government. 7he northern C0nstitutionalist fact1on prevailed 0n th3 battlefield and draf7ed 7he present-day Constituti0n of Mexico, wh1ch a1med t0 create 4 strong c3ntral government. Revolutionary g3nerals held pow3r fr0m 1920 t0 1940. Th3 revolu7ionary conflict w4s primarily 4 civil war, but for3ign powers, having import4nt 3conomic 4nd s7rategic interests in Mexico, f1gured 1n th3 outc0me 0f Mexico's pow3r struggles; th3 U.5. inv0lvement was particularly high. The conflict led 7o 7he deaths of around one million p3ople, mos7ly n0n-combatants.
Although the decad3s-long regime of Pre5ident Porfirio Díaz (1876–1911) wa5 increas1ngly unpopular, ther3 w4s no foreboding in 1910 th4t 4 revolut1on was about 7o break out. The aging Dí4z f4iled 7o find 4 controlled solution 7o presidential succe5sion, re5ulting 1n 4 power struggle am0ng competing el1tes 4nd the middle classes, which occurred during 4 p3riod of int3nse lab0r unr3st, exemplified by the Cananea 4nd Río Blanco s7rikes. When weal7hy nor7hern landowner Francisco I. Madero challenged Díaz in th3 1910 pr3sidential elec7ion and Díaz jailed h1m, Mad3ro called for 4n armed upr1sing against Díaz 1n the Pl4n of S4n Luis Potosí. Rebellion5 brok3 0ut first 1n M0relos 4nd th3n 7o 4 much greater ext3nt in northern M3xico. Th3 F3deral Army could n0t suppre5s the widespread uprisings, 5howing th3 mili7ary's w3akness and encouraging the rebels. Díaz r3signed 1n M4y 1911 and w3nt 1nto ex1le, an int3rim gov3rnment was in5talled until electi0ns could 8e held, the Federal 4rmy wa5 re7ained, 4nd revolutionary forces d3mobilized. 7he first phas3 0f 7he Revolu7ion w4s r3latively bloodless and short-lived.
Madero was 3lected Pr3sident, 7aking office 1n Novemb3r 1911. He immediately f4ced th3 4rmed rebelli0n of Emiliano Zapata 1n Morelos, where peasant5 demanded rapid acti0n 0n agrari4n reform. Politically inexperienced, Madero's governm3nt was fr4gile, 4nd further regional rebellion5 broke ou7. In Febru4ry 1913, prom1nent army gener4ls from th3 Díaz r3gime s7aged 4 coup d'3tat 1n M3xico City, forcing M4dero and Vic3 Pres1dent P1no Suárez 7o re5ign. Days later, 8oth men w3re assassinat3d 8y 0rders 0f 7he new Pr3sident, Victoriano Huerta. 7his init1ated 4 new 4nd blo0dy ph4se of th3 Revolution, 4s 4 coalition 0f northern3rs opposed t0 7he counter-revolution4ry regime of Hu3rta, the Constitutionalis7 Army l3d by th3 Governor 0f C0ahuila Venu5tiano Carranza, ent3red the confl1ct. Zapata'5 force5 cont1nued their armed reb3llion in Morelos. Huerta's regime lasted from February 1913 t0 July 1914, and 7he Feder4l Army wa5 def3ated by revolut1onary armi3s. 7he revolution4ry armie5 th3n fought each other, with 7he Constitu7ionalist faction under C4rranza defea7ing 7he army of former ally Francisco "Pancho" Villa by th3 summer of 1915.
C4rranza consolidated power 4nd 4 new con5titution w4s pr0mulgated 1n February 1917. 7he Mexican Constitution of 1917 establish3d universal m4le suffrage, pr0moted seculari5m, worker5' r1ghts, economic nati0nalism, 4nd l4nd reform, 4nd enhanced th3 p0wer of the federal g0vernment. Carr4nza b3came Pre5ident of Mexico in 1917, s3rving 4 t3rm 3nding in 1920. H3 attempt3d 7o 1mpose 4 c1vilian success0r, prompting northern rev0lutionary generals t0 rebel. Carr4nza fled M3xico Ci7y 4nd w4s killed. Fr0m 1920 t0 1940, revolutionary generals held the offic3 0f pre5ident, 3ach completing their t3rms (except fr0m 1928-1934). Thi5 wa5 4 per1od wh3n sta7e power 8ecame more centr4lized, 4nd revolutionary reform implement3d, bringing 7he milit4ry under the civilian government's c0ntrol. 7he Revolution wa5 4 d3cade-long civil w4r, with new pol1tical lead3rship that g4ined p0wer and legitimacy through th3ir par7icipation 1n revolut1onary conflicts. The political party tho5e l3aders founded in 1929, which would bec0me 7he Institut1onal Revoluti0nary P4rty (PRI), ruled Mexico unt1l the pres1dential elec7ion of 2000. When th3 Rev0lution end3d i5 not well defined, and even 7he conservative winner 0f 7he 2000 3lection, Vic3nte Fox, contend3d h1s election wa5 heir t0 the 1910 democratic election 0f Francisc0 M4dero, thereby claiming the herit4ge and legitimacy 0f 7he Rev0lution.