SpudNutimus
Well-known member
In October of 1870, Mexican President Benito Juárez suffered a major stroke but ultimately recovered and decided to run for re-election to the presidency in the upcoming 1871 election. The 1871 election was contested by Porfirio Díaz, who ran on a platform opposing Juárez ostensibly on the principle of no re-election, as well as Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, another prominent Liberal within his government. Ultimately no candidate received a majority of the vote and Juárez was re-elected by Mexico's Congress, which heavily favored him. Díaz claimed fraud and initiated the Plan de La Noria, a major rebellion which attempted to overthrow Juárez but ultimately failed. Juárez's health however continued to decline and he died of a heart attack in July of 1872, succeeded by the aforementioned Tejada as president. Tejada attempted to stabilize the country but was ultimately overthrown by Díaz in yet another rebellion known as the Plan de Tuxtepec in 1876, initiating a decades-long period of autocratic rule under Díaz lasting into the early 20th century known as the Porfiriato.
What if the stroke in 1870 had killed Juárez? Díaz was the runner-up candidate behind Juárez in the 1871 election, and although Tejada would now most likely hold the power of the presidency in the run-up to the election, he initially didn't hold quite the same popularity as Juárez, who was nationally famed as the hero of the Reform War and Second French Intervention who founded the Restored Republic. Without three candidates spoiling the vote, Díaz may have very well democratically won the 1871 election in Juárez's absence, initiating his period of rule half a decade early and on much more solid diplomatic ground with international partners such as the United States than in our world. This could have a very large effect on Mexican history, but to be frank I'm not actually that well-versed in the country's history, so I'm not sure what it would be. What are all of your thoughts?
What if the stroke in 1870 had killed Juárez? Díaz was the runner-up candidate behind Juárez in the 1871 election, and although Tejada would now most likely hold the power of the presidency in the run-up to the election, he initially didn't hold quite the same popularity as Juárez, who was nationally famed as the hero of the Reform War and Second French Intervention who founded the Restored Republic. Without three candidates spoiling the vote, Díaz may have very well democratically won the 1871 election in Juárez's absence, initiating his period of rule half a decade early and on much more solid diplomatic ground with international partners such as the United States than in our world. This could have a very large effect on Mexican history, but to be frank I'm not actually that well-versed in the country's history, so I'm not sure what it would be. What are all of your thoughts?
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