During the 1930s Mexico was undergoing a healing process after three decades of revolutionary turmoil and reform. In this climate, the coming of World War II became a major turning point in the legacy of the Mexican Revolution, offering the country a unique opportunity to unite against a common external enemy. The war also thrust the nation into an international forum as Germany and the United States launched propaganda campaigns to win over the Mexican people.
In
¡México, la patria!
Monica A. Rankin examines the pervasive domestic and foreign propaganda strategies in Mexico during World War II and their impact on Mexican culture, charting the evolution of these campaigns through popular culture, advertisements, art, and government publications throughout the war and beyond. In particular, Rankin shows how World War II allowed the wartime government of Ávila Camacho to justify an aggressive industrialization program following the Mexican Revolution. Finally, tracing how the American government’s wartime propaganda laid the basis for a long-term effort to shape Mexican attitudes toward the country’s neighbor to the north,
reveals the increasing influence of American culture on the development of Mexico’s postwar identity.
Monica A. Rankin is an assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is the author of the
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture: The Search for National Identity, 1820s–1900
.