Bitter harvest : the social transformation of Morelos, Mexico, and the origins of the Zapatista revolution, 1840-1910

Between 1910 and 1919, Morelos, Mexico, was home to a bloody agrarian revolution that saw government troops burn villages, cities stand abandoned, and two of every five people either flee the fighting or die in it. The conflict came in response to an intense economic transformation that changed the regions peasant economy into the hub of the Mexican sugar industry during the nineteenth century. By focusing on the creation of the rural working class in Morelos, Bitter Harvest argues that developments there reflected a broader pattern shared with other parts of Mexico that erupted in revolution. The volatile nature of the sugar industry in Morelos, and the silver and cattle industries of the North, exacerbated the social problems created by an exclusionary political regime. Soon, displaced peasants, small farmers, disgruntled ranch hands, and unemployed miners joined Francisco Villa in northern Mexico, while peasants, farmers, and sugar workers rallied around the leadership of Emiliano Zapata in Morelos. When President Porfirio Daz and the revolutionary leaders that came after him resisted the call for deep social change, turmoil engulfed much of the nation for the next decade. In the end, the Zapatistas were defeated militarily, yet they still forced major concessions out of the national government, which helped shape Mexican society for the rest of the twentieth century. Contents Introduction The Broader Appeal of Zapatismo Roots of Rebellion Questions of Causation The Unique and the Universal Method and Organization 1 The Land and the People Indians and the Land Africans, Labor, and a Changing Ethnicity 2 Cultural Competition and the Struggle for Independence Cultural Resistance Legal Defenses of Communalism Independence Postindependence: Continuity and Change The In-Between 3 The U.S. Invasion, National Defense, and Local Meaning, 1846-1856 Elite Discourse: Liberals Versus Conservatives Invasion and Instability Managing Discord Contested Visions The Conservative Dictatorship and Ayutla Rebellion Implementing the Ley Lerdo The Liberal Dilemma Local Meanings of Ayutla 4 Contested Visions: Elite Discourse and Agrarian Insurrection, 1856-1861 The Setting The Paradox The Wars of the Reforma, 1858-1861 5 Civil War, the French Intervention, and Social Banditry Bandits The Intervention Popular Defense Life and Work on the Haciendas The Junta Protectora The Unified Pueblos 6 Apatlaco and the Morelos Countryside: Defining Citizenship and Creating a Nation Hegemony and Force Hacendado Perspectives Campesino Perspectives Survival Strategies: Seek Justice or Obey the Law Ideological Precursors 7 Poverty and Progress, 1876-1910 Sugar and Progress Peasants into Workers Technology and Society The Railroad The Politics of Progress The Limits of Hacendado Hegemony Reform or Revolution? 9 The Zapatista Revolution What Was Won and What Wasn’t Victory in Death? Conclusion Epilogue Appendix Measurements Labor Terms Notes Introduction Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Conclusion Bibliography Index Between 1910 and 1919, Morelos, Mexico, was home to a bloody agrarian revolution that saw government troops burn villages, people abandon cities, and two of every five participants either flee the fighting or die in it. The conflict came in response to an intense economic transformation that changed the region's peasant economy into the hub of the Mexican sugar industry during the nineteenth century.By focusing on the creation of the rural working class in Morelos, Bitter Harvest argues that developments there reflected a broader pattern shared with other parts of Mexico that erupted in revolution. The volatile nature of the sugar industry in Morelos, and the silver and cattle industries of the North, exacerbated the social problems created by an exclusionary political regime. Soon, displaced peasants, small farmers, disgruntled ranch hands, and unemployed miners joined Francisco Villa in northern Mexico, while peasants, farmers, and sugar workers rallied around the leadership of Emiliano Zapata in Morelos. When President Porfirio Diaz and the revolutionary leaders that came after him resisted the call for deep social change, turmoil engulfed much of the nation for the next decade. In the end, the Zapatistas were defeated militarily, yet they still forced major concessions out of the national government, which helped shape Mexican society for the rest of the twentieth century. The Land And The People -- Cultural Competition And The Struggle For Independence -- The U.s. Invasion, National Defense, And Local Meaning, 1846-1856 -- Contested Visions: Elite Discourse And Agrarian Insurrection, 1856-1861 -- Civil War, The French Intervention, And Social Banditry -- Apatlaco And The Morelos Countryside: Defining Citizenship And Creating A Nation -- Poverty And Progress, 1876-1910 -- Social Costs Of Overproduction And The Origins Of The Morelos Revolution -- The Zapatista Revolution. Paul Hart. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 270-278) And Index. Between 1910 and 1919, Morelos, Mexico, was home to a bloody agrarian revolution that saw government troops burn villages, and two of every five people either flee the fighting or die in it. The region's conflict came in response to a dramatic economic transformation from a peasant economy to the hub of Mexico's sugar industry during 19th century.