Unit III Mexican Revolution

Unit III The Mexican Revolution 1910-1940

This week we are starting Unit III, the Mexican Revolution.
Introduction:

This section focuses on the causes, course and impact of the Mexican Revolution that occurred in a country that had experienced a lengthy period of political stability and economic growth. The socio-economic composition of revolutionary leadership and their aims were varied. The revolution was prolonged and costly. The Constitution of 1917 has been described as the most progressive constitution created at this time in the region. It had significant influence on the political developments of the country and the area. The revolution impacted greatly on the arts, arguably representing the earliest and most enduring attempt to overcome racial divisions and incorporate the Indian heritage into the national identity.

1. Background and causes of the Revolution: Porfiriato; political, social and economic causes.
2. The leaders of the Revolution: 1910-1920: Madero, Villa, Zapata, Carranza; their goal, methods used, achievements, and failures.
3. The Constitution of 1917: its nature and application
4. Post civil War period: 1920-191940- Obregon/ Calles: policies, and achievements; Cardenas: goals, methods and achievements.
5. The role of the USA: From the outbreak through the development of the Revolution; reasons, methods of intervention.
6. The development of Mexican Revolutionary culture; art/education.




ART
The years following Mexico’s revolutionary period, which is generally considered to have lasted from 1910 to 1920, gave rise to a national spirit of optimism and an unprecedented flowering of culture. The artists who lived through the revolution responded vividly to this tumultuous, bloody period, and numerous foreign artists were drawn to Mexico in the revolution’s aftermath by the sensation of social and artistic renewal.
Art in Post-Revolutionary Mexico, 1920-1950 features several paintings, drawings, prints, murals and photographs by some of Mexico’s most famous artists such as José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo.
This remarkable artistic outpouring defined and extolled Mexico’s national character and the country’s bright promise as a modern state. Art in Post-Revolutionary Mexico, 1920-1950 encompasses themes which derive from this concept, including Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past, the worker and social reform, modernism and the city, and surrealist trends in Mexican art.
Perhaps the most widely recognized Mexican art form is the mural, which is heavily influenced by the art and architecture of the Aztec, Maya, and other pre-Columbian civilizations. The Mexican Muralist school counted among its members the most powerful figures such as Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Key Concepts

Caudillos Ideology
Revolution
Continuismo
Dictator
Federalism
Nationalism
Mestizos
Creoles
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Santa Ana
Liberals
Conservatives
Agrarian Reform
Benito Juarez

Porfirio Diaz
Francisco Madero
Plan de San Luis de Potosi
Plan de Ayala
Plan Orozquista
Emiliano Zapata
Victoriano Huerta
Pancho Villa
Venustiano Carranza
Woodrow Wilson
Mexican Constitution
(1917)
• Articles 27, 123, 3
Alvaro Obregon
Plutarco Elias Cailes
Lazaro Cardena