Mexico in World War II

Mexico was a member of the Allies in the Second World War, and even sent a squadron of planes to fight the Japanese in the Philippines. But there’s a great deal more to Mexico’s involvement in the conflict than that, and it’s a historical story that’s not very well known. In this video we’ll look deeply at the complicated context of 20th century Mexico, the reasons why Mexico joined World War II, what its leaders were trying to accomplish, and how the war changed Mexican society despite the country’s small contribution on the actual battlefronts. Sources for this video included: Halbert Jones, The War Has Brought Peace To Mexico: World War II and the Consolidation of the Post-Revolutionary State (Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2014); Enrique Krauze, Biography of Power: A History of Modern Mexico, 1810-1996 (New York: HarperPerennial, 1997); Stephen R. Niblo, Mexico in the 1940s: Modernity, Politics, and Corruption (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1999); Stephen R. Niblo, War, Diplomacy & Development: The United States and Mexico, 1938-1954 (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1995); María Emilia Paz, Strategy, Security and Spies: Mexico and the U.S. as Allies in World War II (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997); Monica Rankin, “Mexico: Industrialization Through Unity,” in Latin America During World War II, Thomas M. Leonard & John E. Bratzel, eds. (New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007); Monica A. Rankin, ¡México, la Patria!: Propaganda and Production During World War II (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2009); Friedrich E. Schuler, Mexico Between Hitler and Roosevelt (Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1998). The interstitial music in this video is (in order of appearance): “Horchata” by Orquestra de Absalon Perez / Abelando Valdes (1946); “Chinito, Chinito” by Trio Durango, Orquestra Tropical de Antonio Escobar; Ismael Diaz & Luis Felguerez (1945); “La Bamba” by Hermanos Huesca (1944); “Mexican de Verdad” by La Torcacita, El Mariachi Tapaito; J. de L. Paniagua (1944); “Serenata” by Trio Guayacan, M. Martinez, Agustin Lara (1948). Special thanks to: David Albers, Lawarch, John Marcucci, @CalibanRising, @AztlanHistorian. My new book, “The Gangster Crown”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPJF8HZX My previous book, "The Valley of Forever": https://www.amazon.com/Valley-Forever... My website: https://www.seanmunger.com My Ko-fi: https://Ko-fi.com/seanmunger My blog: https://gardenofmemory.net/ Chapters: 00:00-16:19: The Aztec Eagles 16:19-31:18: The Context 31:18-39:55: The Oil 39:55-53:21: The Winds Rise 53:21-1:04:10: Saving The Revolution 1:04:10-1:06:48: A Brief Interlude 1:06:48-1:17:25: 1941 1:17:25-1:30:20: The Americas At War 1:30:20-1:40:57: Mexico Declares 1:40:57-1:54:02: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral 1:54:02-2:03:11: Actually Getting Into It 2:03:11-2:14:25: Coming In For Landing 2:14:25-2:24:56: The Aftermath & Conclusion