Episode 6 - The Napoleon of the West

Santa Anna used his military and political influences to rise to the highest ranking general in the Mexican Army and In 1833 Santa Anna was overwhelmingly elected President of Mexico. In the early years of Mexico the country was in extreme turmoil. Santa Anna ran on the promise to unite the nation, but once he got the job things changed. His vice president, Dr. Valentin Gomez Farias (Dr. Go for short) said that being president “Annoyed Santa Anna, bored him, and perhaps frightened him”. Because of this Santa Anna really only governed for a year before he left all the real work of being president to his vice president, Dr. VGF, and Santa Anna retired to his home in the countryside. After taking power, Dr. Go soon launched an ambitious reform of church, state, and army. This was a huge problem to many of the conservatives in Mexico and in 1834 Santa Anna seized the opportunity to reassert his authority, and led a military coup against his own government. (more on the podcast)