Brachet-Marquez has written a major new interpretation of postrevolutionary Mexico. Previous writers about social change in Mexico have regarded the state as the sole agent of change; Brachet-Marquez decisively rejects this "top-down" thesis and presents an alternative reading that demonstrates the importance of the working class in shaping and modifying the Mexican system of political domination.

She examines three broad periods: from the eve of the Revolution (1910) to 1939, from 1940 to 1970, and from 1970 onward. Within each period, Brachet-Marquez considers the historical data in light of her hypothesis that social reforms follow from confrontations between labor and capital that threaten the stability of the state. If the state fails to respond to demands from below at critical moments, she argues, it creates opportunities for dissident groups to weaken rank-and-file loyalty to the status quo.

This puts additional pressure on the state to make concessions. Mexico's modern history thus can be seen as a series of such crises, each resulting in a new "pact of domination" and a period of relative social peace.

1. While offering a new interpretation of Mexico's transformation in the twentieth century, the book also provides a methodology for analyzing nonrevolutionary social change in other Latin American countries. This important work will be especially useful to students in history, political science, and sociology, and to specialists seeking an overview and a new theoretical approach.