Professor Hart Wins Major Book Prize
Posted: April 29, 2008

John Mason Hart, the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History at the University of Houston, received the Michael C. Meyer Prize from the Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies at its most recent meeting for his book, Empire and Revolution: The Americans in Mexico Since the Civil War (California 2006). RMCLAS awards the Meyer for the best book in Mexican history over the preceding five years.

Empire and Revolution traces the development of the symbiotic connection between the United States and Mexico from 1864, when American capitalists sought to gain access to both resources and markets. Under the rule of Porfirio Diaz, Americans acquired significant assets, only to lose them during the revolution. Mexico nonetheless continued to be seen as a commercial opportunity. Hart traces this relationship to the present, building on his earlier works, most notably Revolutionary Mexico: The Coming and Process of the Mexican Revolution. In Empire and Revolution, Hart brings to light sources not noted elsewhere.

As one reviewer observed, "Empire and Revolution is an empowering as well as informative, providing a detailed record and judicious interpretation of the proteam relations between the United States and Mexico. As John Mason Hart convincingly narrates, the association is of dynamic importance for people of both countries."

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