The Reform War was a three-year civil war in Mexico which occurred from 1857 to 1861 as the Conservative Party attempted to overthrow the Liberal government in reaction to its radical land reforms, anti-clericalism, and move towards liberal capitalism. While the Liberals won the war, the country was devastated and bankrupted, and the remnants of the Conservative armies would collaborate with the French invaders during the French Intervention of the 1860s.
Background[]
During the 1850s, Mexican politics were polarized between the Conservative Party of Mexico under Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and the Liberal Party of Mexico led by Ignacio Comonfort and Juan Alvarez. The Liberals abolished the fueros (traditional feudal privileges), seized control of lands owned by the Catholic Church, transitioned Mexico towards liberal capitalism, and passed an anti-clerical constitution in 1857. Comonfort was forced to resign after his attempt at making himself dictator was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, whose president Juarez became the new President of Mexico.
War[]
Taking advantage of Liberal factionalism, the Conservatives raised an armed revolt, resulting in a ferocious civil war from 1857 to 1861. The ousted Liberal government was forced to relocate to Veracruz, while the Conservatives took over Mexico City and the rural areas in the country's north and south. The Conservatives had the stronger military and won several battles early in the war, but they twice failed to take the liberal stronghold of Veracruz, turning the tide of the war. In April 1859, President of the United States James Buchanan recognized Juarez as the legitimate President of Mexico, and the Liberals triumphed over the Conservatives in a series of battles later in the war. The Conservatives were forced to surrender in December 1860, but Conservative guerrillas remained active in the countryside. The war also bankrupted Mexico, and the United Kingdom, France, and Spain claimed reparations from Juarez for damage and losses sustained by their nationals during the civil war. Juarez was unable to pay the interest on existing foreign debts and suspended payment on all foreign debts for two years, leading to French emperor Napoleon III mounting a punitive expedition to Mexico.