Nicolás Rodríguez Carrasco (1890 – August 11,ásRodrí 1940) was a Mexican general, revolutionary, and the founder and leader of the fascist paramilitary organization Revolutionary Mexicanist Action, better known as the Gold Shirts.
Throughout his life, Rodríguez Carrasco took part in multiple rebellions against Mexican governments. By the 1930s he had become an admirer of Adolf Hitler and campaigned through his paramilitary group to expel Jews, Chinese, and communists from Mexico. His Gold Shirts organization was largely supported and protected by Plutarco Elías Calles as both Calles and Rodríguez Carrasco were staunch opponents of the 1934–1940 Cárdenas government. After Calles's exile in 1935 and the subsequent loss of his protection, Rodríguez Carrasco was expelled from Mexico in August 1936.
During his second exile in Texas, Rodríguez Carrasco and the Revolutionary Mexicanist Action planned a coup against the Mexican government. Planning and preparations were largely funded by fascist organizations based in Europe as well as by Texan oil tycoons and COPARMEX following the Mexican oil expropriation. On November 13, 1938, the insurgents launched an attack on the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, but were quickly thwarted by the Mexican national guard.
Early life
Rodríguez Carrasco was born in the city of Chihuahua. His father was a Carrancista during the Mexican Revolution before joining the Northern Division. At a very young age, he met and established a very close friendship with Pancho Villa. On more than one occasion, Rodríguez Carrasco hid Villa in his parents' house to evade capture by rurales.
In a statement given by Rodríguez Carrasco in 1912, he met Villa as a young boy. Villa was a friend of the Rodríguez family. Villa was a cattle dealer at a Chihuahua slaughterhouse and often visited the grocery store Rodríguez Carrasco worked at. Villa would often lend Rodríguez Carrasco his horse for recreational rides as well as attended cockfights together.
Rodríguez Carrasco had many brothers who supported his paramilitary endeavors, notably José, Joaquín, and Manuel.
Mexican Revolution
Rodríguez Carrasco joined the ranks of Pancho Villa in the División del Norte when the Mexican Revolution broke out. He eventually reached the rank of brigadier general.
During the Convention of Aguascalientes, Rodríguez Carrasco had a violent altercation with Villa. To avoid execution, he joined the Carrancistas where he stayed until his desertion in 1918.
Early rebellions and first exile
In 1923, Rodríguez Carrasco took part in the failed coup d'etat led by Enrique Estrada known as the Delahuertista Rebellion. For his part in the plot, he was exiled to El Paso, Texas, in 1924. Rodríguez Carrasco spent a couple years doing odd jobs, all the while conspiring against the Mexican government.
In 1926, he moved to Los Angeles where Enrique Estrada had once again been plotting a takeover of Baja California. Headed by Estrada, a group of former Mexican generals, including Rodríguez Carrasco, would attempt to overthrow governor Abelardo L. Rodríguez and spark a national rebellion against Plutarco Elías Calles. The preparation of the plot caught the attention of Bureau of Investigation. On August 15, when Estrada's caravans approached San Diego, federal agents thwarted the plot arresting 150 people including Rodríguez Carrasco. He was found guilty in February of 1927 and spent 1 year, 1 month, and 1 day at McNeil Island Corrections Center.
Following his release from prison in March 1928, he once again relocated to Los Angeles and became an editor for El Informador. He held this position for a short time before moving back to Mexico.
Return to Mexico
Rodríguez Carrasco returned to Chihuahua on the recommendation of fellow general Rodrigo M. Quevedo to the governor of Chihuahua. Quevedo attempted to create a Revolutionary Fair in Ciudad Juárez commemorating the Mexican Revolution. Many revolutionary figures and militants were contacted, including Rodríguez Carrasco, however the fair never came into fruition. He managed to receive about 20,000 pesos through political donations as a result of the fair perpetrations. Shortly after his return, he became politically involved with many far-right organizations.
During 1928 and 1929, Rodríguez Carrasco campaigned for José Vasconcelos's presidential bid for the 1929 presidential election. The election was rigged against Vasconcelos's favor and subsequently unsuccessfully attempted to garner military support to overthrow the government.
In 1929, Rodríguez Carrasco once again took part in a rebellion against the Mexican government headed by José Gonzalo Escobar known as the Escobar Rebellion.