FORTUNATE SONS of the MEXICAN REVOLUTION: MIGUEL ALEMÁN and HIS GENERATION, 1920-1952 by Ryan M. Alexander
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FORTUNATE SONS OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION: MIGUEL ALEMÁN AND HIS GENERATION, 1920-1952 Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Alexander, Ryan M. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 30/09/2021 16:37:29 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/216972 FORTUNATE SONS OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION: MIGUEL ALEMÁN AND HIS GENERATION, 1920-1952 by Ryan M. Alexander ________________________________ Copyright © Ryan M. Alexander 2011 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2011 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Ryan M. Alexander, entitled “Fortunate Sons of the Mexican Revolution: Miguel Alemán and his Generation, 1920-1952,” and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________________________________Date: Nov. 10, 2011 William H. Beezley _______________________________________________________Date: Nov. 10, 2011 Bert J. Barickman _______________________________________________________Date: Nov. 10, 2011 Kevin Gosner Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. _______________________________________________________Date: Nov. 10, 2011 Dissertation Director: William H. Beezley 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Ryan M. Alexander 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is often said that writing a dissertation is a solitary affair, but I have found that to be untrue. In fact, I owe a mountain of gratitude to a long list of people who have aided in its completion. At the top of that list is my advisor, Bill Beezley, who never doubted the project but also never let up in challenging me, occasionally provoking me, to do better. The other two members of my committee, Bert Barickman and Kevin Gosner, have a lot to do with how the project turned out, though they cannot be faulted for any shortcomings. While they did not serve on my dissertation committee, Martha Few, Jadwiga Pieper-Mooney, and Katherine Morrissey all contributed immensely to my educational formation, and Rod Camp’s advice and generosity benefited me considerably. What made the University of Arizona stand out was its extensive network of faculty and student support. The collegial atmosphere of the History Department made the graduate school experience, even when its rigors proved trying, a pleasure. At one point or another, numerous people read drafts of all or part of the dissertation. A writing group consisting of David Ortiz, Amie Kiddle, Adam Donaldson, Robbie Scott, Erika Korowin, and Robin Zenger read the grant application that funded the majority of field research. Cory Schott, Tyler Ralston, Diana Montaño, Jen Boles, and Paul Garner also read drafts for me, offering the kind of critiques that are often jarring but always necessary. When asked, I tried to return the favor adequately. Amanda López and Karin Friederic evaded such editorial duties, but compensated by making my time in Tucson a six-year comedy. Of course, nobody spent more time reading – and listening tenfold – than my wife, Anna. She deserves a medal for having to endure that. The rest of my family – my parents, George and Shelly, along with my cats, Dotty and Boris – offered a great deal of support. In Mexico, I benefited from the kindness of archivists, librarians, and professors. At the Fundación Miguel Alemán, Lic. Alejandro de Antuñano Maurer oversaw my research, and Pati Rojas and Susi Gallegos put up with my constant presence. I appreciate that they would stop their own work when I needed documents, and appreciate even more that they brought me coffee in the mornings. Miguel Alemán Velasco kindly lent an hour and a half of his time to talk to me about his father. Lorenzo Lazo and Alejandro Carrillo Castro were equally amiable and helpful in their conversations with me. The Colegio de México was my on-site doctoral program. I benefited from the classes I took from Luis Aboites, Romana Falcón, and Paul Garner, who was a visiting professor during my semester there. Ariel Rodríguez Kuri and Guillermo Palacios provided institutional support from the Centro de Estudios Históricos, and Soledad Loaeza offered useful academic guidance. My work bears the stamp of their individual and collective influences. My fellow classmates there, especially Diego Pulido, Regina Tapia, and Pavel Navarro, remain great friends and colleagues. Finally, I wish to thank my undergraduate advisor, Bill Smaldone, who had a profound influence on my decision to enter the field of history. Despite occasional blunders on my part (I was, shall we say, lured on occasion by the vices of undergraduate life), his classes were the first to give me the unfamiliar sensation of intellectual growth. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………….7 INTRODUCTION: CADILLAC REVOLUTIONARIES………………………………...9 Generational Study as Historical Method………………………………………..20 Generations and Revolution in Comparative Perspective……………………….28 From Populism to Technocracy………………………………………………….33 Adapting to a Cold War World…………………………………………………..41 The Zeitgeist of the Miracle……………………………………………………...44 CHAPTER ONE: COMING OF AGE IN REVOLUTIONARY MEXICO: THE BOHEMIAN ORIGINS OF THE ALEMÁN GENERATION, 1920-1929……………..49 Alemán in School………………………………………………………………..52 The Legacy of Scholastic Generations…………………………………………..58 Camaraderie and Masculinity: Social Life in School……………………………78 The Vasconcelos Presidential Campaign………………………………………...84 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….91 CHAPTER TWO: FROM PREP SCHOOL TO THE PRESIDENCY: THE POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF THE POLACO GENERATION, 1929-1946………………………...94 Alemán in Transition…………………………………………………………….97 The Perfect Cardenista Governor? …………………………………………….101 Back to Mexico City: The Interior Ministry during World War II……………..120 The 1946 Presidential Campaign: Civilian Dominance and Technocratic Style.130 Conclusion: Prelude to a Presidency……………………………………………136 CHAPTER THREE: TOWARD A BETTER GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY: MEXICAN- U.S. RELATIONS AFTER WORLD WAR II…………………………………………140 A Tale of Two Visits……………………………………………………………141 Oil! ……………………………………………………………………………..152 The Bracero Program: Metaphor for Post-War Continuity…………………….162 Protectionism, Free Trade, and State-Led Development……………………….170 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...178 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS – Continued CHAPTER FOUR: SYMBIOTIC REVOLUTIONS: MODERNITY, MODERNIZATION, AND MODERNISM IN CITY AND COUNTRY……………..182 The Urban Revolution………………………………………………………….184 From Agrarian Revolution to Green Revolution……………………………….200 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...206 CHAPTER FIVE: AN UNEASY ALLIANCE: THE TWILIGHT OF ALEMANISMO, THE SELECTION OF RUÍZ CORTINES, AND THE ELECTION OF 1952………...209 Political Opposition and Public Opinion, 1948-1952…………………………..211 The Playboy President and Skullface…………………………………………..223 Conclusion: The 1952 Election and Alemán’s Legacy…………………………227 CONCLUSION: ALEMANISMO, GENERATIONAL CHANGE, and SINGLE-PARTY RULE…………………………………………………………………………………...230 EPILOGUE: ALEMÁN AFTER ALEMANISMO…………………………………….237 Final Years and Death………………………………………………………….246 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………249 7 ABSTRACT Miguel Alemán, who in 1946 became the first civilian president to represent Mexico’s official revolutionary party, ushered into national office a new generation of university-educated professional politicians. Nicknamed the “cachorros (puppies) of the revolution,” these leaders were dismissed as slick college boys by their opponents. Despite this objection, the rise to power of this new cadre represented a major turning point in the nation’s political history. The prior ruling generation, composed of military officers who had faced calamitous violence during the Revolution, had carried out a decades-long social program that sought to address social-economic inequalities, redistribute resources, and draw previously marginalized groups into a politically, culturally, and ethnically unified nation. The members of the Alemán administration, by contrast, dedicated federal resources to promoting industrial development by implementing protectionist measures and constructing massive public works. Powerful hydroelectric dams and expansive irrigation networks supported large-scale commercial agriculture,