They were experiencing many of the same issues we did during our unstable time. Gillingham did an excellent job explaining why they are still not as 1st world country (with such things as corruption). This text took the course forward another couple of decades.
#Hist466 - Gillingham's ending was rather poetic and so very true - "The Mexican revolution ended in a more complicated transaction: the exchange of possibility for stability, with precious little equality and an ambiguously limited liberty" (p. 289).
In so many ways, Mexico is a century behind the United States in developing a democracy (though the U.S. is far from perfect). We had our Civil War in the 1800s and they had theirs (though it's called a revolution) 45 years later.
@CNMBrandon @tajmahalo1133@MantrasMumbling As we have been putting together, history is essentially what someone wants us to remember. Whether that be the rebellious Colonists against the British taxes or the lack support the farmers/peasants were getting from Diaz, history loves an underdog story.
@MantrasMumbling Considering how racists most Tea Baggers are, I highly doubt they would want to be aligned with anything from south of the border. You make a good point though and they certainly have a streak of rebellion in them, like Villa, but they are all talk with no skin in the game.
but Gillingham mentions it for its income. He cites "The timber industry was one of the largest in midcentury Mexico; by 1955 annual production was estimated at 1 billion pesos, a value comparable to that of textile manufacturing" (p. 203).
#Hist466 - We often don't think of Mexico for its timber (that's an American or Canadian product) but both Gonzales and Gillingham discuss its importance. Gonzales mentions it for the preservation of forests and preserves (particularly during Cardenas' time)
#Hist466 - It was mentioned in a few of our readings but the Sonoran influence on the revolution and post-revolution is very understated. Gillingham also spoke about it in regards to how General Mange came into influence and power.
He wrote, Mange "was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, in 1885, and so although he went to the revolution as a corporal, he was a corporal who knew the Sonoran revolutionary leaders and came up through the ranks with them: Calles made him an officer, Obregon made him a major,
#Hist466 - When teaching the Mexican Revolution, in my World History class, I often use some of the resources below produced by UNM. It's a great educator's guide and has a lot of information and pictures.
I used the biographies (pp. 12-19), printed them out, and let students (working in groups) tell us who each of these key players was and what they added to the movement. It is pretty exhaustive and has quite a few activities/games so that students can get engaged in the topic.
#Hist466 - After reading Stephen Morris' piece on the history of the PRI and what transpired post-revolution, one of the things I found interesting was that the power of the presidency was weakened as Mexico began to have more political parties.
up his power, much like the PRI party in Mexico, but that changed with his death and the passage of the 22nd. When parties (or people) have power too long, the pendulum swings back the other way. In general, people like stability and it takes major issues
#Hist466 - The Economist article from 2014 about Mexico's potential as a bigger player in the oil industry is interesting but dated. The whole time I was reading Gonzales's book, I kept wondering why the U.S. went to the Middle East for oil when we have some much closer to home.
was in power but it also explained what was holding that back. The key to oil being sold in the U.S. is with pipelines and these were just beginning to come to fruition.