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In a message dated 2/15/2005 1:19:57 A.M. Central Standard Time,
valhdez@... writes:
This
strong division during the 19th Century presented
a weaker Mexico to
invasions (hence the two biggest
defeats of that time by the U.S. in the
1840's, where
we lost have of our territory and by France in the
1860's,
where we had to suffer a european emperor,
Maximiliano, enforced by a
french army, until Napoleon
(the III) recall the army and Maximiliano
was
executed).
Hi Guillermo,
I may not be as fluid in my Mexican history as others, however I believe
the reasons Mexico was defeated by the US in 1840 was because we (Mexico) had
just fought a bitter battle for Independence from Spain just a few decades
earlier. (Santa Anna had to enslave Mayan Indians as soldiers as he
traveled north to fight the Alamo). This "batalla" for Independence left
the nation politically, economically and militarily weak.
Further, it was the Central power's internal struggle that actually invited
Maximiliano in. They were the conservatives who had lost power as a result
of la Guerra de la Reforma ( 1857-1860). There was a strong feeling
from some elitist that we needed a strong central power, as in absolute power -
and they thought Maximiliano could be manipulated to serve their interest.
But Maximilian actually upheld Benito Juarez's vision of land reforms, and
unfortunately, his idealisism eventually backfired because the country was
not economically ready.
Esperanza
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