For Christ and Country
Militant Catholic Youth in Post-Revolutionary Mexico
Published on 11. March 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
218 pages
978-1-108-73035-8 (ISBN)
Description
Why did Jose de Leon Toral kill Alvaro Obregon, leader of the Mexican Revolution? So far, historians have characterized the motivations of the young Catholic militant as the fruit of fanaticism. This book offers new insights on how diverse sectors experienced the aftermath of the Revolution by exploring the religious, political, and cultural contentions of the 1920s. Far from an isolated fanatic, Leon Toral represented a generation of Mexicans who believed that the revolution had unleashed ancient barbarism, sinful consumerism, and anticlerical tyranny. Facing attacks against the Catholic essence of Mexican nationalism, they emphasized asceticism, sacrifice, and the redemptive potential of violence. Their reckless enthusiasm to launch assaults was a sign of their devotion. Leon Toral insisted that 'only God' was his accomplice; in fact, he was cheered by thousands who dreamed of bringing the Kingdom of Christ to beleaguered Mexico.
Reviews / Votes
'An illuminating study on the meaning of 'fanaticism' and the best study of cristero activism in Mexico City. In tough, compact prose, Robert Weis tracks the rise and fall of the Mexican 'muscular Christianity' embodied by Jose de Leon Toral, killer of revolutionary strongman, Alvaro Obregon. Toral's gendered, Catholicized, and murderous angst - interpreted as a twentieth-century stoicism - has never felt so vivid or palpable. Weis shows that Toral meant to assassinate not just Mexico's revolution but the female-dominated 'sugar Catholicism' of the jazz age.' Matthew Butler, University of Texas, Austin 'A riveting, compelling, and deeply human analysis of the radical Catholic youth in 1920s Mexico, including the assassin of Mexico's last caudillo, General Alvaro Obregon. Required reading for all those interested in the aftermath and legacy of the Mexican Revolution.' Jurgen Buchenau, University of North Carolina, Charlotte 'While the subtitle Militant Catholic Youth in Post-Revolutionary Mexico is accurate, the interpretive genius of the book is summed up in the wonderful, insightful phrase 'a generation of clumsy terrorists'. This is a must read.' William H. Beezley, University of Arizona '... exemplary ... For Christ and Country is a very useful, important, and engaging contribution to the historiography.' Edward Wright-Rios, Hispanic American Historical Review 'For Christ and Country is an essential book for those who seek to understand the symbolic and ideological repertoire that allows the faithful to violate the "sanctity" of life precisely in the name of the sacred.' Gema Kloppe-Santamaria, Journal Of Ecclesiastical HistoryMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
323 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-73035-8 (9781108730358)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2019
Cambridge University Press
€129.10
Article not available at the moment
Person
Robert Weis is Professor of History at the University of Northern Colorado and the author of Bakers and Basques: A Social History of Bread in Mexico (2012).
Content
Introduction; 1. Catholics and anticlericals: from reforma to revolution; 2. The enforcement of anticlericalism; 3. Sugar Catholics; 4. Imprudent youth; 5. Martyrdom; 6. Trial; Conclusions.