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The Wind That Swept Mexico
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The Wind That Swept Mexico (1943) (edit title/settings)

The History of the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1942

by Anita Brenner (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

". . . here is the history of the revolution in 184 of the best photographs of the time. The whole disintegration and painful reintegration of a society is marvellously set before the eyes . . ." --Times Literary Supplement ". . . a classic and sympathetic statement of the first of the... read more

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From the dust jacket: The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910 with the overthrow of the dictator Porfiro Diaz, was the first of the great revolutions of the twentieth century. The Wind That Swept Mexico, originally published in 1943, was the first book to present a broad account of that... read more

From the dust jacket: The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910 with the overthrow of the dictator Porfiro Diaz, was the first of the great revolutions of the twentieth century. The Wind That Swept Mexico, originally published in 1943, was the first book to present a broad account of that revolution in its several different phases. In concise but moving words and in 184 memorable photographs, it sweeps the reader along from the false peace and plenty of the Diaz era through the doomed administration of Francisco Madero, the chaotic years of Villa and Zapata, Carranza and Obregon, to the peaceful social revolution of Cardenas and Mexico's entry into World War II.

The photographs were assembled from many sources by the late George Leighton with the assistance of Anita Brenner and others. Many of the prints were cleaned and rephotographed by the distinguished photographer Walker Evans. The text was begu as a single article for Harper's and was developed into its present form at the suggestion of Mr. Leighton.

In the intervening years there have been many books on many aspects of the Mexican Revolution. IN the light of them, The Wind That Swept Mexico could today be slightly altered--a figure retouched here, a change of highlights there. Nevertheless, thi pioneering work remains the most effective single panorama of those dramatic years. Long out of print and for some time a prized collector's item, it has assumed its place beside such books as Prescott's Conquest, Madame Calderon's Life in Mexico, and Flaudrau's Viva Mexico among the classic works in English on the Mexican experience. The Universtiy of Texas Press takes pride and pleasure in making it again available.

Anita Brenner was born in Mexico and in her childhood lived on a ranch that became the headquarters for Villa forces. She now owns that ranch, operating it as a chile farm. Miss Brenner is also the author of Idols Behind Alters and a number of children's books. During the Spanish Civil War she wrote dispatches from Spain for the New York Times and the Nation. For a number of years she has edited the magazine Mexico This Month.

People edit see section history

  • Porfirio Díaz: (1830-1915) Life-time President of Mexico. His reluctance to find a way where he could be succeeded peacefully precipitated the Revolution.
  • Venustiano Carranza: (1859-1920) A middle-class rancher from the state of Coahuila, he joined the Madero revolt in 1911. Madero appointed him interim governor of Coahuila, and with the success of the Madero revolt, he was elected governor in August 1911. When President Madero was overthrown and murdered in February 1913, Carranza organized a resistance to the new President Huerta. Calling himself the First Chief of the Constitutional forces, he was the civilian leadership of the forces of Alvaro Obregón and Poncho Villa. After his Constitutional forces drove out Huerta, his forces defeated the forces of Poncho Villa, who objected to his continued leadership. He then styled himself as the individual in charge of the executive power of a pre-Constitutional government in 1915. In September 1916, he called for a new Constitutional convention, which formulated the new Constitution of 1917. In May 1917, he became President under the new Constitution. Since he would not be eligible to stand for re-election in the 1920 election, he attempted to influence the results. He attempted to re-rail the campaign of Alvaro Obregón, but only angered Obregón’s supporters. In early 1920, they drove him from office, and he was killed while attempting to flee Mexico.
  • Francisco "Pancho" Villa: (1878-1923) From obscurity, he rose to prominence during the Madero revolt of 1910-1911 as a supporter of Francisco Madero. He achieved his greatest fame after the death of Madero when he joined the Constitutionalist rebels to remove Victoriano Huerta from power in 1914. As commander of the Division of the North, Villa achieved spectacular victories against Federal forces and caused the collapse of the Huerta government. The victorious Constitutional forces then split into two factions: one faction favored the continued leadership of Venustiano Carranza; the other faction favored his removal from leadership. Pancho Villa became the leader of the forces opposed to Carranza’s continued leadership. In the spring of 1915, Villa’s forces were defeated by Carranza’s General Alvaro Obregón. Villa continued to fight as a guerrilla leader against Carranza’s government until 1920 when Obregón drove Carranza from office. With Carranza removed, Villa retired from public life, but in 1923 he was assassinated under suspicious circumstances.
  • Alvaro Obregón: (1880-1928) Successful farmer from Sonora, he did not participate in the Madero revolution of 1911. He rose to local prominence during the Pascual Orozco revolt of 1912. After the murder of President Francisco Madero in 1913, Obregón was appointed command of the Constitutional rebel forces in Sonora by the state governor. In 1914, Venustiano Carranza appointed him Commander of the Division of the Northeast. Obregón’s forces won a succession of victories against Federal forces in 1914, and lead the Constitutional forces into Mexico City, where he accepted the surrender of the Federal Army. He supported Carranza against Poncho Villa, and in the spring of 1915, his forces destroyed the forces of Poncho Villa. In 1916, Carranza appointed him Secretary of War. He resigned from public life in 1917, but decided to run for the Office of President in 1920. President Carranza did not believe Obregón was the right man to succeed him, and did everything in his power to derail the Obregón campaign. Obregón had sufficient support to drive Carranza from office in 1920. He was elected President shortly thereafter. He again retired from public life at the conclusion of his term in 1924, but maintained close contact with his successor. Obregón was re-elected President in the 1928 election, but was assassinated before he could be inaugurated.
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First Sentence edit see section history

We are not safe in the United States, now and henceforth, without taking mexico into account; nor is Mexico safe disregarding us. This is something that Mexicans have long known, with dread, but that few Americans have had to look at.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Anita Brenner (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper & Brothers
Country: US
Publication Date: 1943
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 302

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: F1234 .B83
  • Dewey: 972.06

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

  • Book Review: The Mexican Revolution began in 1910 with the overthrow of dictator Porfirio Díaz. The Wind That Swept Mexico, originally published in 1943, was the first book to present a broad account of that revolution in its several different phases. In concise but moving words and in memorable photographs, this classic sweeps the reader along from the false peace and plenty of the Díaz era through the doomed administration of Madero, the chaotic years of Villa and Zapata, Carranza and Obregón, to the peaceful social revolution of Cárdenas and Mexico's entry into World War II.
  • Book Review: This book, originally published in hardback by Harper & Brothers in 1943, is once again available, in a 1971 paperback edition from the University of Texas Press. The book is divided in two: Brenner's essay in four sections comes first, but is not included in this on-line reproduction. What is available here is the photographic section of the book: 184 images covering the history of the revolution, each with a caption drawn from Brenner's essay. The photos represent the work of a variety of photographers, assembled by Leighton. His brief essay on the role of photography in documenting the revolution is also included here, as well as the chronology, and credits for photographers where names were known.
  • Book Review: Happily, the University of Texas Press has kept in print in its original edition this classic volume that explicates the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath through 1942. Originally published in 1943, this analysis has a lucid 106-page text written by Anita Brenner augmented by 184 splendid and compelling historical news photographs assembled by George R. Leighton. The current "new edition" of this pictorial history is printed on non-acidic paper, is a sturdy paperback, and has a reset text and image plates remade from prints at the New York Public Library. Therefore the narrative typeface is easier to read and the photographs have an enhanced clarity and crispness not found in the original edition published by Harpers during World War Two. Originally the narrative appeared as a series of articles in Harper's Magazine.

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