When Did the Mexican Revolution Start & End?

The Mexican Revolution began on November 20, 1910 as an attempt to overthrow the rule of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz, who had been in power since 1877. Diaz stepped down and submitted to exile in 1911. Francisco Madero, one of the primary figures in instigating the revolution, was elected president in 1911. He was seen as a weak ruler who failed to deliver on land reform promises made to Mexican citizens. He was deposed -- and later executed -- by General Victoriano Huerta in 1913.

General Huerta's assumption of power was opposed by a number of revolutionary groups. Notable leaders included Pancho Villa, Alvaro Obregon, Emiliano Zapata and Venustiano Carranza. U.S. president Woodrow Wilson ordered U.S. troops to support the revolution in Veracruz in 1914. The revolution officially ended with the adoption of the 1917 Mexican Constitution, but regular fighting continued until Alvaro Obregon was elected president of Mexico in 1920. Intermittent armed conflict continued into the 1930s.