Reform, Rebellion and Party in Mexico, 1836-1861

Book excerpt: A history of local resistance and contributions to early Mexican nationhood. Reform, Rebellion and Party in Mexico, 1836-1861 is a history of Mexico's early, turbulent years as a sovereign state. From local ethnic and religious divisions to statewide financial troubles, the early republic nearly failed. Brian Hamnet surveys these challenges, such as the 1836 loss of the Far North to the United States and the 1861 European debt-collecting Intervention, as well as Mexican responses which culminated in the landmark Liberal Reform Movement in 1855. A history of a former colony caught between the European powers and an expanding United States, this book is an exemplary case study for newly independent states.