The Mexican revolution began in 1910 with high hopes and a multitude of spokesmen clamoring for a better life for ordinary Mexicans. This anthology examines how the revolution brought change and often progress. Women, the landless, the poor, the country folk are among those receiving consideration in the twenty-seven readings, which range from political and economic to social and intellectual history. About half of the selections are previously unpublished.
Combining the best new scholarship by modern historians; outstanding work by distinguished Mexicanists of the past; excerpts from mexico's finest fiction, poetry, and commentary; reminiscence; cartoons and illustrations, Twentieth-Century Mexico brilliantly illuminates the Mexican experience from Porfirio Díaz to petrodollars. The concluding chapter ties together the strands of twentieth-century Mexican culture to help U.S. readers understand not only Mexico's present situation but also its relations with the Colossus of the North. Like its predecessor, Mexico: From Independence to Revolution (UNP, 1982), this book includes suggestions for further reading and an index.
W. Dirk Raat, professor of history at the State University of New York at Fredonia, was the editor of Mexico: From Independence to Revolution. Among his other works is The Mexican Revolution: An Annotated Guide to Recent Scholarship (1982). William H. Beezley, professor of history at North Carolina State University, is the author of Insurgent Governor: Abraham Gonzalez and the Mexican Revolution in Chihuahua (UNP, 1973) and other works.