 In the middle of the 19th century, the debate between liberals and conservatives had important political ramifications. On the one hand, Mexican liberals had elected the first president of indigenous ancestry, Benito Juarez, who helped establish liberal reform throughout Mexico in the 1850s. On the other hand, from 1862 to 1867, conservatives supported the pro-French Mexican monarchy, headed by Maximilian of Hapsburg, ousting Juarez for a time. After the collapse of the Empire and the execution of Maximilian, the Conservative Party lost most of its influence as it was associated with supporting foreign powers.