Belle O’Hara

Mr. Malone

AP World History

May 29, 2018

Comparing How the Russian and Mexican Revolutions Affected Land Reforms DBQ

Both the Russian and Mexican revolutions featured peasants fighting for their rights to

land. The Russian Revolution effected land reforms because of the governments communistic

ideology compared to the Mexican Revolution that consisted of a constitution and the right of

private property, however both of the land reforms resulted in collective farming.

In Russia the revolution caused due to lack of land and food for the peasants. This

revolution ended the Russian empire and created the USSR. New economic policies in Russia

allows private property at the beginning, but Stalin’s Five-Year Plan will squeeze the peasants

and take away their private property so that everything they worked for will be gone. This is

similar to the French revolution where the peasants fought for reforms in their government but

ended up getting a government that had no reforms for peasants. In Document 6, Joseph Stalin,

the totalitarian ruler of the Soviet Union shows the beginning of communism in the country. The

Kulaks were small individual farmers, however Stalin planned on taking their private property to

start collective farms. This communist point of view shows how when peasants were just starting

to get land, the reforms were slowly being taken from them due to communism. In Document 9

we can see an even clearer representation of the effect of communism on land reforms.

Throughout the years the percent of collective farming ground gets up 99.1% in 1937. Stalin is

taking away private property and creating a communist empire. The peasants revolted for their

own land, but instead got the right to no private property or land of their own. In Document 10
the Kulaks are shown describing how the commune told them to leave and that they did not have

the right to the land. The only independent farmers left were forced to give up their land to

commune. This is not what they fought for, but with the rise of Stalin during the revolution

independent farmers and peasants no longer had a chance to own their own land due to ideology

of communism.

In Mexico the revolution was started similarly to the Russian Revolution. They were

upset with the upper class taking all of their land and leaving the peasants with nothing. The

monarchy, the church, and patriarchy ruled over Latin America. The peasants had now power

until the revolution. The main leader of the rebellion, Emiliano Zapata, writes to the land owners

demanding their legal rights to their homes in Document 1. They show they are not afraid, and

threat to use force to get their land back. This shows the beginning of the revolution, and how the

peasants are starting to gain power and people against the landowners. In Document 2 different

responses are shown involving the peasants gaining power and anger. In Document 2 the

landowner is shown replying back to the letter from Emiliano. He says his legal rights and says it

is ‘absurd’ to try and get land. This shows denial from the wealthy and that they will not back

down which intensifies the fire of the revolution that will occur. However, in Document 5, we

see an appeasement by the president of Mexico who fears a revolution. He has to give up more

land in an attempt to stop the peasants from revolting. Similar to in World War II at the

beginning when Churchill and other countries just gave Germany land in an attempt to stop the

war, which just like Mexico, only gave them more support. The revolution was successful and

allowed the peasants to have more land and rights. However, compared to Russia they were

given private property which can be seen in Document 8, where by 1960 more than 50% of land

had been distributed back to the peasants. Private property was given back to the public and
allowed to have peasants to have it as well, as seen in Document 4 by the constitution, which

affected many of the reforms given back to peasants. Even though both had different

governments, both resulted in collective farming as a start for the peasants after the revolutions.

In Document 7, it says that collective farming was the best path for the peasants according to the

Soviet Communist party. However, his views could be this so that he can start the beginning of

communism in Russia. Collective farming in Mexico is seen also in Document 4, where the

constitution states communal fields will be started for the workers that need them.

In conclusion, the Russian and Mexican revolutions affected land reforms by the

governments that were set up after the revolts. This shows the difference between the land

reforms, however collective farming and the reasoning behind the revolts were both very similar

in both countries. The Mexican Revolution seemed to be more successful with the constitutional

ideas and the right to private property compared to the Russian Revolution that ended with

communism and no private property until the USSR collapse in 1991, where Putin stablishes a

dictatorship and allows private property.