The Mexican Revolution as Catalyst

Abstract

This chapter explores how the Mexican revolution helped to catalyze a debate within U.S. labor, Socialist, and immigrant Left circles over Woodrow Wilson's internationalist principles that would grow significantly in the coming years. It shows that most labor and Socialist participants in the debate over U.S. foreign policy toward Mexico converged in trying to prevent a U.S. military occupation of Mexico. It also considers the reactions of groups such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL), the United Mine Workers of America, Partido Liberal Mexicano, Industrial Workers of the World, and the Socialist Party regarding Wilson's claim that his military interventions in Mexico were designed to help the Mexican people rather than to protect American corporate interests. Finally, it discusses the disagreements among labor and Socialist groups over a host of issues, such as whether industrial democracy or an end to imperialism could be achieved within a capitalist context.