Porfiriat Deas and the Mexican Revolution

On paper, the federal army in 1910 was 30,000 strong. In reality, there were only 14,000 men in uniform. Because he had built a system that prized subservience over efficiency, Porfirio Deas insisted on personally directing the campaign against the surging Materistas. His weakening of the army left it unable to defeat a disorganized and frankly amateurish guerrilla insurgency.