20世紀のメキシコの政治体制を決定づけたメキシコ革命は、1910年から10年以上に及び、国を二分する激しい武力紛争が断続的に続きました。この内戦以前の状況を振り返るところから始め、異なる解釈があることに配慮しながら長期政権が崩壊した過程を解説し、革命がもたらした社会改革と、急進的な30年代を概括します。また、その他の革命や武力蜂起を避けた南米のほかの国々との比較も行います。
　　

• Traces the Mexican Revolution from the origins of conflict to the ensuing social reforms
• Offers a reliable account of events, based on a mass of carefully considered evidence and sources
• Accounts for a broad range of interpretations

  
The Mexican Revolution defined the sociopolitical experience of those living in Mexico in the twentieth century. Its subsequent legacy has provoked debate between those who interpret the ongoing myth of the Revolution and those who adopt the more middle-of-the-road reality of the regime after 1940. 
 
Taking account of these divergent interpretations, this Very Short Introduction offers a succinct narrative and analysis of the Revolution. Using carefully considered sources, Alan Knight addresses the causes of the upheaval, before outlining the armed conflict between 1910 and 1920, explaining how a durable regime was consolidated in the 1920s, and summing up the social reforms of the Revolution, which culminated in the radical years of the 1930s. Along the way, Knight places the conflict alongside other 'great' revolutions, and compares Mexico with the Latin American countries that avoided the violent upheaval.