This unique book traces Mexico's eventful years from 1910 to 1952
through the experiences of its state governors. During this seminal
period, revolutionaries destroyed the old regime, created a new national
government, built an official political party, and then discarded in
practice the essence of their revolution. In this tumultuous time,
governors--some of whom later became president--served as the most
significant intermediaries between the national government and the
people it ruled. Leading scholars study governors from ten different
states to demonstrate the diversity of the governors' experiences
implementing individual revolutionary programs over time, as well as the
waxing and waning of strong governorship as an institution that
ultimately disappeared in the powerful national regime created in the
1940s and 1950s. Until that time, the contributors convincingly argue,
the governors provided the revolution with invaluable versatility by
dealing with pressing issues of land, labor, housing, and health at the
local and regional levels. The flexibility of state governors also
offered test cases for the implementation of national revolutionary laws
and campaigns. The only book that considers the state governors in
comparative perspective, this invaluable study offers a fresh view of
regionalism and the Revolution. Contributions by: William H. Beezley,
Jürgen Buchenau, Francie R. Chassen-López, Michael A. Ervin, María
Teresa Fernández Aceves, Paul Gillingham, Kristin A. Harper, Timothy
Henderson, David LaFrance, Stephen E. Lewis, Stephanie J. Smith, and
Andrew Grant Wood.
