Villa was a sort-of communist.
Or, at least, he played one for those communists in the press.
Worth a read - John Reed’s “Insurgent Mexico”
John Reed was a very fine writer, though a complete communist. His Mexico piece, full of humor both deliberate and inadvertent, sort of subverts his own ideas, because at every turn, reporting everything as he does, warts and all, it implicitly raises the question of whether these people can make a revolution work. And as Reed spoke Spanish well, it is unfiltered.
Reed met Villa often. And its completely clear that Villa would have got nowhere without extensive help (money) from Americans. For a couple of years there he was a sort-of American proxy.
Villa was about as far from communist as can be imagined. But in the Wilson era, opposing the Mexican president was “communist”
Villa was about as far from communist as can be imagined. But in the Wilson era, opposing the Mexican president was “communist”
Yes, Villa was a tool. A friend of mine who grew up in Columbus wrote a pretty good song about it.
I think I have a picture of him that my husband’s grandfather took with his Brownie. I will check it some day.