Hstorical events do not represent themselves, they are represented, they do not speak, they are spoken for Hans Kellner
According to Thomas Benjamin in La Revolucion, history is much morethan past events and the facts that describe them. It is also a collectivememory and the way some reminiscences are passed on from generation togeneration while others get lost or forgotten. Benjamin shows that peoplecan fight with memories just as they fight with guns. In this way, memoriesmay be as real, if not more so, than the "actual" events to which theyrefer. This is what happened during the Mexican revolution: Through suchmemories, the revolution with a small "r" became an all-compassing andalmighty Revolution with a capital "R." In "Construction," the first section of La Revolucion, Benjamindiscusses how from 1911 to 1928 each revolutionary faction put its ownslant on the meaning of the political conflict within Mexico. For example,freelance writer Gaspar Bolanas wrote propaganda for newspapers and gavespeeches that supported Madero. Bolanas and other Madero "voices," livingin Mexico as well as Paris, New York and Havana, considered themselvesinterpreters of reality-making events clearer and more easily understood bythe masses. At the same time, however, they were creating a new occurrence
As a result, historians now debate the value of theRevolution to the country. Their cause was equated to the cause of all ofMexico. It was then transformed by differentpolitical groups and developed into a tremendous state spectacular. Benjamin concludes, however, that the Revolution is not dead asstone. Orations, symbols, myths and rituals all became part of theday's activities as people came together to share the common memory. First, the Maderistashistoricized the Revolution, as a third stage of on continuingrevolutionary that started with the Insurgency of 1810 and continued withthe Reform of the 1850s. Still, theydid have some advantages over other political groups. The INEHRM soon became responsible not just forsubsidizing and publishing historical work, but also for commemorating therevolution, the independence movement, and the reform. Benjamin then moves on in the second section, "Performance," todescribe how the different revolutionary factions incorporated this newlyformed version of the Revolution into later historic and cultural monumentsand festivals, so future generations would have knowledge of what occurredduring this memorable time. "To passjudgment of the practices of the old regime is the constitutive act of thenew order," Paul Connerton is quoted in the book. He quotes Jose Revueltas who noted that a symbiosis was takingplace: "Revolution and nationality are consubstanial. AsBenjamin says, "The Revolution itself became greater than the sum of itsdissonant parts. Such embellishmentstransformed a concept into a myth. Also, critics of the present government use this day as ameans to stress undemocratic policies. Finally in 1951, Alberto Morales Jimenez' book was publishedand two years later the Instituto Nacional de Estudios Historicos de laRevolucion Mexicana (INEHRM) was created to promote the-4-official history.
Common topics in this essay:
Revolutionary Tradition,
Mexicana INEHRM,
Mexico Maderistas,
Diaz Mexico's,
La Revolucion,
Zapatistas Villistas,
Paul Connerton,
Revolution Day,
Revolution Maderistas,
Obregon Revolution,
memory revolution,
la revolucion,
mexican revolution,
adds benjamin,
revolution maderistas,
revolutionary tradition,
transform mexico,
november 20th,
past events,
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Acceptance Essays
