The Impossible Triangle

by Spenser, Daniela

• ISBN13: 9780822322566
• ISBN10: 0822322560
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: Duke Univ Pr

Summary

During the 1920s, Mexico was caught in a diplomatic struggle between the ideologies of two strong states. InThe Impossible TriangleDaniela Spenser explores the tangled relationship between Russia and Mexico in the years following their own dramatic revolutions, as well as the role played by the United States during this turbulent period. Bringing together Mexican, Soviet, and North American (as well as British) perspectives, Spenser shows how the convergence of each countryrs"s domestic and foreign policies precluded them from a harmonious triangular relationship. Based on documents from the archives of several nations-including reports by former Mexican diplomats in Moscow that have never before been studied-the book analyzes the Mexican governmentrs"s motivation for establishing relations with the Soviet Union in the face of continued imperialist pressure and harsh opposition from the United States. After explaining how Mexico established diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union in 1924 in an attempt to broaden the spectrum of its alliances after several years of uneven relations with the United States, Spenser reveals the troubled nature of the relationship that ensued. Soviet policy toward Mexico was characterized by a series of profound contradictions, varying from neglect to strong involvement in Mexican politics and the belief that Mexico could become a center of world revolution. Working to resolve and explain these contradictions, Spenser explores how, despite U.S. objections to Mexicors"s relations with the Soviet Union, Mexico continued its association with the Soviets until the United States adopted the Good Neighbor Policy and softened its stance toward Mexicors"s revolutionary program after 1927. With a foreword by Friedrich Katz and illustrated by illuminating photographs,The Impossible Trianglecontributes to an understanding of the international dimension of the Mexican revolution. It will interest students and scholars of history, revolutionary theory, political science, diplomacy, and international relations.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Friedrich Katz
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(8)
PART ONE The Encounter of Two Revolutions, 1917--1924
The United States in Search of Its Mexican Policy	9	(23)
Mexico in Soviet Calculations	32	(19)
Soviet Russia in Mexican Politics	51	(24)
PART TWO The Revolutions Arrive at Cross-Purposses, 1924--1927
The United States Challenges Mexico	75	(20)
The Soviets Misunderstand Their Mexican Friend	95	(18)
Mexico at the Crossroads	113	(20)
PART THREE The Revolutions Collide, 1928--1930
The United States as Good Neighbor	133	(19)
The Ideological Excesses of the Comintern	152	(18)
The Break in Relations between Mexico and the USSR	170	(21)
Final Reflections	191	(4)
Notes	195	(36)
Bibliography	231	(20)
Index	251