The deep relationship between the United States and Mexico has had repercussions felt around the world. This sweeping and unprecedented chronicle of the economic and social connections between the two nations opens a new window onto history from the Civil War to today and brilliantly illuminates the course of events that made the United States a global empire. The Mexican Revolution, Manifest Destiny, World War II, and NAFTA are all part of the story, but John Mason Hart's narrative transcends these moments of economic and political drama, resonating with the themes of wealth and power. Combining economic and historical analysis with personal memoirs and vivid descriptions of key episodes and players, Empire and Revolution is based on substantial amounts of previously unexplored source material. Hart excavated recently declassified documents in the archives of the United States government and traveled extensively in rural Mexico to uncover the rich sources for this gripping story of 135 years of intervention, cooperation, and corruption. Beginning just after the American Civil War, Hart traces the activities of an elite group of financiers and industrialists who, sensing opportunities for wealth to the south, began to develop Mexico's infrastructure. He charts their activities through the pivotal regime of Porfirio Díaz, when Americans began to gain ownership of Mexico's natural resources, and through the Mexican Revolution, when Americans lost many of their holdings in Mexico. Hart concentrates less on traditional political history in the twentieth century and more on the hidden interactions between Americans and Mexicans, especially the unfolding story of industrial production in Mexico for export to the United States. Throughout, this masterful narrative illuminates the development and expansion of the American railroad, oil, mining, and banking industries. Hart also shows how the export of the "American Dream" has shaped such areas as religion and work attitudes in Mexico. Empire and Revolution reveals much about the American psyche, especially the compulsion of American elites toward wealth, global power, and contact with other peoples, often in order to "save" them. These characteristics were first expressed internationally in Mexico, and Hart shows that the Mexican experience was and continues to be a prototype for U.S. expansion around the world. His work demonstrates the often inconspicuous yet profoundly damaging impact of American investment in the underdeveloped countries of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Empire and Revolution will be the definitive book on U.S.-Mexico relations and their local and global ramifications. This history traces the development of the symbiotic connection between the United States and Mexico from 1864, when American capitalists sought to improve Mexico's infrastructure and thereby gain access to both resources and markets. Under the rule of Porfirio Daz, Americans acquired significant assets, only to lose them during the revolution. Mexico nonetheless continued to be seen as a commercial opportunity. Hart (Latin American history, Univ. of Houston) traces this relationship to the present, building on his earlier works, most notably Revolutionary Mexico: The Coming and Process of the Mexican Revolution. Having spent 12 years researching this book, he brings to light sources not noted elsewhere. The title of this otherwise outstanding work is misleading in that it emphasizes those who implemented the macroeconomic and commercial relations between the nations; Americans in Mexico, e.g., ex-Confederates, Mormons, and even tourists, receive scant attention. Nevertheless, given its insights and the quality of writing, this work is recommended for both academic and public library collections. Daniel Liestman, Florida Gulf Coast Univ., Ft. Myers Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. "A major new study." -- Houston Chronicle "[A] sweeping examination of United States economic relations with Mexico from the Civil War forward . . ." -- San Antonio Express-News "This is an extraordinarily important history of both U.S.-Mexico relations and of the political, economic, social, and cultural activities of Americans in Mexico."—Friedrich Katz, author of The Life and Times of Pancho Villa "Empire and Revolution is empowering as well as informative, providing a detailed record and judicious interpretation of the protean relations between the United States and Mexico. As John Mason Hart convincingly narrates, the association is of dynamic importance for people of both countries. While there have been studies on discrete parts and periods of the U.S.-Mexico relation, this book charts and anchors the relation globally. Hart allows the reader intellectual as well as imaginative insight into the multifaceted social, cultural, and political reality of the sharing of North America—then, now, and in the future."—Juan Gomez-Quinones, author of Mexican-American Labor