The Fiction and Fact of the Reform
The Case of the Central District of Oaxaca, 1856-1867
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8877441 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charles R Berry (University of Louisville, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1970 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 277-290 |
| Publication date | 1970-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Americas A Quarterly Review of Latin American History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-1615 • E-ISSN: 1533-6247 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/980078 |
| OpenAlex | W2322443810 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 4 |
Through the decades, historians who have dealt with the Mexican Reform either directly or in passing have formulated a series of generalizations which have come to be accepted as giving an accurate analysis of the movement. The tenor of their writings is that insofar as the economic program of the Liberals was concerned, more harm than good was done. According to the historians, the Reformers generally failed in their attempt to restructure the nation into one of small property owners by making available to the people the real estate held formerly by civil and ecclesiastical corporations. The properties disamortized in 1856 and then nationalized or confiscated in 1859 got into the hands of hacendados and land speculators or enriched corrupt politicians and military commanders. Indian communities were despoiled of their communal lands. The Church continued secretly to control a great portion of the property through simulated sales in which devout Catholics opposed to the Reform bought the properties of the Church and held the real estate until times became more settled and the ecclesiastical authorities could reclaim the patrimony. The common man derived little benefit from the forced redistribution of property; rather the wealthy landowners became wealthier. In political terms, the historians have considered the Reform as much more successful because the Liberals emerged victorious after twelve years marked by civil war and foreign intervention in Mexican affairs, and by their triumph broke the power of the conservative forces which would never again control the destiny of the nation. These historians have never offered much in the way of concrete proof to support their widely accepted and often repeated generalizations
Economics · Estate · Harm · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Restructuring · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Speculation · Historical Studies in Latin America · History · Law · Mexican Socioeconomic and Environmental Dynamics · Politics and Society in Latin America
| Citations per year | 0.06 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1972 - 2025 (54) |
| Highly cited | No |