VIlla and Zapata the Civil War.

The war broke out between Villa and Carranza with Obregon and Zapata. Obregon started the war he saw that if Villa advanced from Mexico City to Veracruz without delay, Corranza scarcely survived. Obregon and Carranza had suspicions about each other. Everyone expected Villa to emerge from Mexico City and direct his army to Veracruz but he didn’t even though Angeles begged him to consider. The idea of Carranza vs. Villa presented landowners, the petit-bourgeois, the military, professional politicians and bureaucrats versus frontier horse men, pioneers, cowboys, the dispossessed. Only 3 issues divided Villa and Corranza. The role of central government, land reform and attitude toward the US. Corranza was for strong central government and iron grip on the military. Villa wanted full power in Chihuahua and Durango. Villa was only partly committed to land reform. Corranza was always anti-America and Villa was pro-American. Obregon liked to humiliate the rich. Corrranza’s propaganda really damaged Villa. Villa was suffering from shortage of exportable cotton and cattle, and the US wasn’t helping much. Carranza held most important cards he held most of Mexico’s export goods. Villista’s military campaign had a really good start with Angeles striking success in the north-east. Angeles threatened Monterrey, one of Carranzas places, Carranza finally fled the army and Angeles captured 3,000 prisoners , 14 locomotives, 19 wagons, 2000 cartridges, and 11000 artillery shells, but Angeles did not kill them but let them go if they promised not to fight for Carranza again. Villa was needed to come to Guadalajara. Once he entered he began to alarm the rich about land reform after he decided his next move was going to be oil port in Tampic. He sent 15000 men under Chao and Urbina to assault a heavily outnumbered enemy, but they were far from success. Oregon then decided to attack Villa. Angeles once spotted Obregon warned Villa but he ignored his warnings. One weakness in Oregon’s strategy was that he had to be supplied by rail from Veracruz, an if Villa was to move against Veracruz Obregon would face a serious shortage of ammunition. The battle of Celaya began on April 6. Obregon won, but Villa refused to accept Obregon as a better general. On April 13 Villa attacked Celaya again this time with 20000 men, but Obregon won again. Villa did not give up on April 29 Villa set a surprise attack on Obregon, a 38-day battle that took 500 lives. Although Villa seemed strong, Obregon hurt him much more than anyone realized. Villa lost again. When Villa returned to Chihuahua after the battle it was a land of chaos. Agricultural production fell; Villa also destroyed all rail communications with the world.