... who was supported by conservative landowners and foreign capitalists. He centralized the state at the expense of the peasants and Indians, and dismantled all local and regional leadership. He faced mounting and revolutionary opposition in his final years and was forced into exile in 1911 after Francisco Madero stole the presidency over him. Madero kept a close eye on Díaz during his dictatorship. He criticized Díaz's policies as counterproductive. Shortly before the elections in 1910, Madero was imprisoned in San Luis Potosi when Díaz began to feel threatened by Madero's looming presence. At this point, Mexico was on the brink of a revolution, shaken by an unstable and unpredictable political atmosphere. When Madero issued the 'Plan of San Luis', it declared that the elections had been a fraud, and that he would not recognise Díaz as the legitimate President of the Republic. Instead, he made a daring move ...

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