Mexico's Once and Future Revolution: Social Upheaval and the Challenge of Rule since the Late Nineteenth Century

by Gilbert M. Joseph, Jurgen Buchenau

In this concise historical analysis of the Mexican Revolution, Gilbert M. Joseph and Jürgen Buchenau explore the revolution's causes, dynamics, consequences, and legacies. They do so from varied perspectives, including those of campesinos and workers; politicians, artists, intellectuals, and students; women and men; the well-heeled, the dispossessed, and the multitude in the middle. In the process, they engage major questions about the revolution. How did the revolutionary process and its aftermath modernize the nation's economy and political system and transform the lives of ordinary Mexicans? Rather than conceiving the revolution as either the culminating popular struggle of Mexico's history or the triumph of a new (not so revolutionary) state over the people, Joseph and Buchenau examine the textured process through which state and society shaped each other. The result is a lively history of Mexico's "long twentieth century," from Porfirio Díaz's modernizing dictatorship to the neoliberalism of the present day.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, College, Latin American History, Politics

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Tia Malkin-fontecchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for an undergraduate course on the history of Mexico. Also worked well for graduate seminar where students had little to no background on Latin America. Provides a broad overview and chronology of the Revolution as well as its consolidation and legacy. My only concern was the lack of attention to the original Zapatistas. Much more attention was paid to the EZLN.

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and compact overview of the Mexican Revolution in its many forms as well as the fallout. The book gives context to the revolution and delves into the fascinating cast of characters that make the conflict so fascinating such as Obregon, Emiliano Zapata, and of course Pancho Villas. I very much enjoyed it's focus on Regnal Chronology as I find the history of specific people fascinating.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a good, quick overview of the Mexican Revolution and its lasting impact through the next century. Academic and dry at times, pretty cursory of certain aspects of the Revolution that I would have preferred to learn more about, & rather dismissive of harm caused by any person or policy...all of that said, the perspective wasn’t terrible and I learned a lot.

[Brumaire Bodbyl-Mast · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good overview of the revolutionary period up to the time of the book’s writing. The authors do some editorializing and I do have to question their evaluations of neoliberalism, but for the most part it is a decent overview of historiography and history of the Mexican revolution

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful introductory text to the Mexican Revolution.

In a little more than 200 pages, this text covers Mexican history from the Benito Juárez era to the 2012 election of Enrique Peña Nieto to trace the emergence of, the fighting during, and the varying aftermaths of the Mexican Revolution. Less a book that offers new research, it seeks to encapsulate recent developments in Mexican history into an accessible work that overall examines the enduring significance and contested meanings of the Mexican Revolution. The authors argue that what makes the Mexican Revolution unique is precisely its longevity and disputed legacy – harnessed by both the post-revolutionary state and counterhegemonic forces – displaying a malleability and flexibility to what the revolution was and what it means in the decades since 1920.

Along with the expected and rather straightforward recitation of historical events, the book examines how tensions between grassroots politics and culture played a role in nation-state formation, necessitating negotiation and accommodation by power instead of purely repression, especially as the state sought to consolidate after the revolution. The work also helpfully places the period under consideration within an international and transnational context, examining external factors that impacted the course of post-revolutionary events and how those informed constructs such as lo mexicano and mexicanidad. Most usefully, the text offers a concise but considered understanding of how the Mexican state consolidated itself after the revolution, the varying factions at play, and the formation of a corporatist structure that ensured one-party rule for 71 years. It provides a reading that allows for an understanding of the PRI state not as monolithic or a Leviathan, but one dialectically constructed in negotiation with forces at the local and regional levels, with each side claiming to represent the true goals of the revolution.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Mexican History course. I learned a lot with this book, and I suggest it for all who are interested in the history of Mexico.

[Georgia Kirilov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a fascinating and detailed overview of the Mexican “revolution” - the quotes are explained in the book :)

[Debbie]

Used in revolutions class

[Elly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class. A synthesis of prior works on the Mexican Revolution to give an overlook at the event.

[Zpetro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little sporadic.

[Noah Kassis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the long 20th century in Mexico.

[Emmanuel Castellanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and illuminating.

[sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly maybe a 3.5☆

As someone with no experience in Mexican History Joseph and Buchenau did a very good job building foundations on the 1910 Mexican Revolution.

[Rishindra Chinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in an undergraduate course on Latin American revolutions. It's kind of dense, but it's well-written, easy to follow, and lively. I especially liked how the text was interspersed with contemporary Mexican jokes.

[Mills College Library]

972.082 J833 2013