Propaganda, the Myth of the Revolution, and the Institutionalization of the Mexican State, 1920-1940.
dc.contributor.author | O'Malley, Ilene Virginia | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-09-09T01:09:58Z | |
dc.date.available | 2020-09-09T01:09:58Z | |
dc.date.issued | 1983 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/159621 | |
dc.description.abstract | One of the most striking features of the present government in Mexico is its claim that it is the continuation of the revolution of 1910-1920. This thesis is an investigation of the historical origins, ideology, and psychological appeal of the government's revolutionary posturing--a phenomenon here termed the myth of the Revolution. It is focused on a key aspect of the myth, the hero cults surrounding four assassinated revolutionary leaders: Madero, Villa, Carranza and Zapata. These cults are examined for the period 1920-1940, when the government was in the process of developing the basic structure that it still has today. An examination of the newspapers and periodicals on the anniversaries of the heroes' assassinations from 1920 to 1940, revealed six major characteristics of the propaganda of the hero cults: the claim that the regime was revolutionary; the promotion of nationalism; the obfuscation of history; the denigration of politics; the use of Catholic imagery; the "masculinization" of the heroes' images. The propaganda functioned as a mystifying influence upon public consciousness and thereby facilitated the government's maintenance of a "revolutionary" image, even though its political and economic policies were not revolutionary. The government's promotion of hero cults (except for Villa) was in itself a powerful form of propaganda. It encouraged the social groups represented by each hero to identify with the state; it utilized patriarchal values to promote acceptance of the state's authoritarianism; and it coopted social discontent by giving it a symbolic, sexual vent via identification with the "masculinized" heroes. The four heroes, however, were not equally adequate either as symbols of revolution or of manliness. As the government grew less revolutionary, increasing social discontent led to a greater identification with the more revolutionary heroes, Zapata and especially Villa, whose images grew more masculinized as a means to retain their revolutionary appearance while nullifying their political content. | |
dc.format.extent | 294 p. | |
dc.language | English | |
dc.title | Propaganda, the Myth of the Revolution, and the Institutionalization of the Mexican State, 1920-1940. | |
dc.type | Thesis | |
dc.description.thesisdegreename | PhD | en_US |
dc.description.thesisdegreediscipline | Latin American history | |
dc.description.thesisdegreegrantor | University of Michigan | |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Social Sciences | |
dc.contributor.affiliationumcampus | Ann Arbor | |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159621/1/8324259.pdf | en_US |
dc.owningcollname | Dissertations and Theses (Ph.D. and Master's) |
Files in this item
Remediation of Harmful Language
The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.
Accessibility
If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.