Natural Resource Revolutions: Mexico and Cuba Within the Sphere of U.S

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of New Mexico University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Latin American Studies ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-1-2015 Natural Resource Revolutions: Mexico and Cuba Within the Sphere of U.S. Hegemony Joseph J. García Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ltam_etds Part of the Latin American Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation García, Joseph J.. "Natural Resource Revolutions: Mexico and Cuba Within the Sphere of U.S. Hegemony." (2015). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ltam_etds/1 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Latin American Studies ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Joseph J. García Candidate Latin American Studies Department This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Dr. Nancy López, Chairperson Dr. Nelson Valdés, Co-Chair Dr. Linda B. Hall Dr. Larry Manuel García y Griego Dr. Christopher M. White ii NATURAL RESOURCE REVOLUTIONS: MEXICO AND CUBA WITHIN THE SPHERE OF U.S. HEGEMONY BY Joseph J. García B.S., Geography, Texas A&M University,1993 B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, Texas A&M University,1996 M.A., Latin American Studies, University of New Mexico, 2006 M.C.R.P., Community and Regional Planning, University of New Mexico, 2006 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Latin American Studies The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico May 2015 iii NATURAL RESOURCE REVOLUTIONS: MEXICO AND CUBA WITHIN THE SPHERE OF U.S. HEGEMONY by Joseph J. García B.S., GEOGRAPHY, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, 1993 B.S., INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, 1996 M.A., LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2006 M.C.R.P., COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING, UNM, 2006 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES ABSTRACT The improbable trajectories of Mexico and Cuba give rise to compelling questions: in what ways have the revolutionary governments of Mexico and Cuba been able to practice successful defiance of the United States hegemon of the twentieth century? And how has that defiance helped to define U.S. foreign policy in Latin America? This dissertation presents a detailed examination of the contexts surrounding both the Mexican and Cuban Revolutions and their struggle against imperialist-driven interventions by the United States in Latin America and the Caribbean. I argue that through strategic decisions, the Mexican and Cuban revolutionary governments were able to ward off U.S. intervention and create a process of independence that in turn became a trajectory for defiance in modern Latin America and the Caribbean through revolution, petroleum nationalization, and the establishment of a strong party system that harnessed the power of social movements through public buy-in to revolutionary principles. iv The theoretical underpinnings of this Latin American Studies interdisciplinary dissertation incorporates Immanuel Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory, which provides a perspective on the development of imperialism and the rise of neoliberal free-market capitalism through an examination of the developmental processes of former dependent and colonial territories. Additionally, I use the approach developed by Theda Skocpol in Social Revolutions in the Modern World to inform the comparative historical method. I emphasize Skocpol’s theories of social revolution that stress the importance of geopolitical relations during twentieth century revolutions. I also incorporate Charles Tilly’s theory of social movements and Max Weber’s concept of charismatic authority. Bringing these diverse theoretical traditions into productive dialogue through my analysis, I develop the concept of “natural resource revolutions:” a concept that can illustrate the mechanisms that bring together organized groups to challenge local and international pressures and coercive historical relations that favor local and international elites. I also develop “charismatic revolutionary leadership” as a conceptual tool from which to view the national and global social forces shaping the success of social movements that aims to liberate national resources from imperial hegemony around the globe. Through “charismatic revolutionary leadership,” Lázaro Cárdenas and Fidel Castro were successful because there were institutional dynamics inherent in revolution that facilitated the nationalist implementation of natural resource sovereignty. Specifically, they both came into power on the heels of the institutionalization of radical constitutions, strong social movements, and effective political party formation. And finally, the Mexican and Cuban Revolutions birthed constitutions that created the legal precedent for implementing national sovereignty as a new goal for their reconstituted political structures. v The contributions of this dissertation are significant because they link theories of world systems and social revolutions in the modern world to social movements and the dynamics of charismatic authority to what took place in Latin America during the 1930s and 1960s vis-à- vis the use of natural resource nationalization as a diplomatic weapon. It is my hope that these empirical and theoretical contributions can be used to explore the dynamics between the United States and other world powers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and go on to inform research into other core and periphery country relationships. vi DEDICATION To my parents, for their tireless work in social justice and for encouraging me to become a public intellectual. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following study would not have been possible first and foremost without the help of Dr. Nancy López, who chaired this dissertation. In addition to the selfless work of Dr. López I would like to recognize Dr. Larry Manuel García y Griego who joined the dissertation committee on short notice and in one week read the entire dissertation, providing substantial comments and recommendations. This study would not have been possible without my years of study and friendship with Dr. Nelson Valdés whose own dissertation provided the sources for my work. Dr. Linda B. Hall became an immense source of support through her encouragement. She also connected me with the late Dr. Arnaldo Córdova who I consulted with on a number of occasions and who provided me great support. My research in Mexico surpassed my expectations due to Dr. Hall and with the help of Dr. Kim Nolan García, who connected me with Ing. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, who provided rich insight into his father’s life and work while making me aware of his own published work. Last but not least I would like to thank Dr. Christopher White, Dr. Cheo Torres, Dr. Peter Pabish, Dr. Suzanne Schadl, Samuel Sisneros, Margaret Gonzales, Dr. Adriana Ramírez de Arellano, Dr. Emira Ibrahimpasic, Morgan Sims, and Dr. Kristen Valencia. I would also like to thank the UNM – Mellon Dissertation Defense Fellowship for providing me with funding and support to complete this work. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION—BACKGROUND, LITERATURE REVIEW, AND CHAPTER OUTLINES. …………………………………………………………………...1 I. Literature Review: Theoretical Considerations…………………………………….5 a. Immanuel Wallerstein: The Thrust of Hegemony on Semiperipheral Countries and Antisystemic Movements…………………………………………………………5 b. Theda Skocpol: Neopatrimonial Dictatorships in the Modern World……………10 c. Charles Tilly and Revolutionary Outcomes………………………………………15 d. Max Weber: Charismatic Revolutionaries………………………………………..20 II. The Problem of Petroleum Nationalization……………………………………….26 III. Theoretical Contribution: Natural Resource Revolutions and Charismatic Revolutionary Leadership ………………………………………………………27 IV. Literature Review: Petroleum Nationalization…………………………………..33 V. Chapter outline…………………………………………………………………...34 CHAPTER 2—COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL RESEARCH METHODS, DATA, AND ANALYTICAL STRATEGIES……………………………………………………..39 I. Scope of the Project………………………………………………………………..39 II. Research Questions……………………………………………………………….40 III. Skocpol and the Comparative Historical Analysis Method……………………...40 IV. Analytical Strategy………………………………………………………………44 V. Primary Sources…………………………………………………………………..46 VI. Limitations……………………………………………………………………….48 VII. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………49 ix CHAPTER 3—THE UNITED STATES AND THE THRUST OF HEGEMONY: IMPERIALIST CAPITALISM IN LATIN AMERICA.……………………………......50 I. The Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny go Global………………………….54 II. Military Interventions and Anti-imperialist Struggles…………………………..57 III. Diplomatic Interventions: from Henry Lane Wilson (State Department) to the Dulles Brothers (Military Industrial Complex)………………………………….60 IV. Multinational Corporations Corner the Foreign Policy Market………………...63 V. Destabilizing the Semi-Periphery and Conditioning Revolution………………..70 VI. Historical Antecedents: Continuities and Disjunctures - The Haitian Revolution and the Development of Anti-Imperialism in Mexico and Cuba …………………………………………………………………………………..74 VII. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...83 CHAPTER 4—NATURAL RESOURCE REVOLUTIONS: THE MEXICAN AND CUBAN REVOLUTIONS: LAND, LABOR AND NATIONALIZATION...…………..84 I. Mexico’s Non-socialist Revolution:

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