Table of Contents

Preface The Formative Years (1795-1824) From Hope to Disenchantment: The Emergence of the Professional Politician (1824-1829) Snakes and Ladders (1830-1840) "So Many Hopes of a Blissful Future" (1841-1844) "Ploughing the Sea" The Mexican--American War and its Aftermath (1845-1853) Conclusion Bibliography Index

About the Author

WILL FOWLER lectures in Latin American and Spanish History literature at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As well as having edited four volumes of Mexican and Latin American political history, he is the author of Military Political Identity and Reformism in Independent Mexico, An Analysis of the Memorias de Guerra, 1821-1855 (1996), and Mexico in the Age of Proposals, 1821-1853 (Greenwood, 1998).

Reviews

.,."a significant contribution to the history of Mexican politics during the early nationa period."-South Eastern Latin Americanist

.,."Fowler has contributed significantly to the new wave of historiography through this and earlier books...[a] very important contribution to Mexican historiography."-Choice

?...a significant contribution to the history of Mexican politics during the early nationa period.?-South Eastern Latin Americanist

?...Fowler has contributed significantly to the new wave of historiography through this and earlier books...[a] very important contribution to Mexican historiography.?-Choice

?[A] heavily footnoted, exhaustively researched, and important study on one of the principal figures of the time....If Santa Anna remains the central enigma in early republican Mexican history, Fowler's biography clearly demonstrates the pivotal role Tornel played.?-Latin American Research Review

?[A] substantial step forward in our knowledge of the Santa Anna era.?-Latin American Studies

?Because this is a well-researched study by one of the foremost experts of the period, it offers a rare view into the complex events that characterized early nineteenth-century Mexico....It is a compelling read, free of jargon, that is up-to-date on the political trends of the era, and it puts to rest many stereotypes about Santa Anna, as well as Tornel and other Mexican leaders.?-Western Historical Quarterly

?Fowler's study of Tornel and Santa Anna casts new light on the complex evolution of politics and relationships during Mexico's postindependence decades.?-New Mexico Historical Review

..."Fowler has contributed significantly to the new wave of historiography through this and earlier books...�a� very important contribution to Mexican historiography."-Choice

"�A� heavily footnoted, exhaustively researched, and important study on one of the principal figures of the time....If Santa Anna remains the central enigma in early republican Mexican history, Fowler's biography clearly demonstrates the pivotal role Tornel played."-Latin American Research Review

"�A� substantial step forward in our knowledge of the Santa Anna era."-Latin American Studies

..."a significant contribution to the history of Mexican politics during the early nationa period."-South Eastern Latin Americanist

"[A] heavily footnoted, exhaustively researched, and important study on one of the principal figures of the time....If Santa Anna remains the central enigma in early republican Mexican history, Fowler's biography clearly demonstrates the pivotal role Tornel played."-Latin American Research Review

"[A] substantial step forward in our knowledge of the Santa Anna era."-Latin American Studies

"Fowler's study of Tornel and Santa Anna casts new light on the complex evolution of politics and relationships during Mexico's postindependence decades."-New Mexico Historical Review

"Because this is a well-researched study by one of the foremost experts of the period, it offers a rare view into the complex events that characterized early nineteenth-century Mexico....It is a compelling read, free of jargon, that is up-to-date on the political trends of the era, and it puts to rest many stereotypes about Santa Anna, as well as Tornel and other Mexican leaders."-Western Historical Quarterly