Examine the impact of the Mexican Revolution on two of the following: the

arts;education
Introduction context:
● -The governments of Obregón and Porfirio (what changed, comparison)(“No
more oppression”)
● -The social situation of Mexico after the revolution (revolutionary vs
conservative)
● -Growth of the educational and creative sectors fueled by the state

Thesis: Education and art were strongly impacted by the revolution as they became
battle grounds for the revolution.

Claim #1: The educational reform after the revolution was a form of institutionalising
the revolution.
“socialist education”--> Presents ties with the revolutionary band
removal of church power in education → Used education as a weapon of the revolutionary
struggle.
democratisation of education → education used to impart revolutionary values to the people.

Relation to thesis: Education was one of the primary ways in which the ideals of the
revolution took form and were instructed to all mexicans. The reform shows that
there was a strong impact to education and its nature as socialist education shows it
was used as a weapon for the revolutionaries against the conservatives.

Claim #2: Muralism was a form of manifesting a new Mexican identity after the
revolution.
-Constant search for the agrarian reform as an aim of the revolution
-High influence of socialism
-Literacy through rural areas since Obregon´s government…… this would eventually
lead to the following passage: “By traveling with mariachis during his
presidential campaign, Cárdenas demonstrated the growing significance of
cultural changes that had accompanied the revolution, the rise of radio,
movies, comic books, and recorded music—all centered in the city. Mexicans
appropriated what they saw and heard, and reshaped these to their liking. No
better example of this exists than the adaptation of images from great murals
on public buildings, which were altered to suit the appropriating artists and
distributed as images on calendars." (2009, p. 111)

Relation to the thesis: Muralism was the result of an attempt for uniting Mexico as
one, creating a nationalist sense among the population. As the post revolution period
was on the way, a series of perspectives regarding the actual meaning of the
revolution, so murals not only had means of creating a new identity for Mexicans, but
also a way to establish idols to the mexican people.
Important Facts:
- The Big Three:
- Integrated by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente
Orozco.
- Had a sense of nationalism to spread through their artwork based on
socialism, focusing on the rural sectors of the mMexican society:
workers, peasants, and soldiers.
- The message of their murals was meant to establish who were the true
heroes of the revolution.
- However, the impact of muralism also showed the past of
indigenous people in Mexico.
- It was not until the 1930´s, Ortiz Rubio´s presidency, when socialism began to
have great influence in education, because of Narciso Bassols.

Juan Diego Prochazka

Enrique Paredes
Stefano Rosazza