History doesn't occur in a vacuum, which is to say that major events in our history are built upon many small and innocuous singular occurrences. Important moments in politics, including major changes that can include revolutions or war, often seem to appear spontaneously, when in fact they occurred after many smaller defining moments in a nation. Knowing about the smaller struggles of a people, that led up to the flash point of (for instance) the Mexican Revolution, can allow us to see just why major changes come to pass.
The primary thing to understand about post-colonial Mexico is this: from the very moment it was granted freedom from Spain in 1821, there was intense disagreement between liberal and conservative factions. Failed attempts at monarchy and republics occurred, because over a ninety year period, the two sides ruled the land by their separate values, without co-operation. In 1872, several years after the locals had overthrown Napoleon III's invading forces and shown Europe that they weren't to be trifled with, a man named Porfirio Diaz became the president of the country.
Diaz quickly became a conservative-leaning dictator (reigning 30 years!) even though he was prominent in the rebellion against France, and the friend of the previous President.. During that time, which became known as the Porfiriato, the Mexican economy boomed, but at the expense of the working poor, whose lands were taken away from them by force. They faced brutal violence by Porfirio's thuggish police force if they resisted, and the entire land was in a constant state of uncertainty.
The locals were obviously unhappy with this arrangement, but the corrupt government meant that Diaz was re-elected, year after year. Then, in 1910 the President claimed that he would be retiring; a young idealist named Francisco Madero was set to run against him in the elections that year. This new face was a refreshing change for the masses, and he was extremely popular with a majority of voters.
Madero appeared to be a force to contend with, and rather than actually lose the election, he had him jailed instead. There was little attempt to hide the fraud and the public was furious. The beginning of the Mexican Revolution was ignited when Francisco called for revolt against the government.
While Diaz fled to Europe, the fight was only just beginning, as Madero's own presidency would collapse in less than two years and more chaos was to follow. It would be nearly ten years before the dust would settle and a stable new reign could begin to rebuild; but in the meantime, there was bloodshed, corruption, violent folk heroes and helpless political villains.
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