Historical Perspective

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The Power and the Glory
A Historical Perspective

Graham Greene's novel of persecution of the clergy in the early 20th century is a study of sin, deceit, suffering, religion and politics. The story begins near the end of our hero's efforts to escape death by wandering throughout Mexico. The hero is the Whiskey Priest, so named because he was an alcoholic. To understand The Power and the Glory, one must have a bit of background knowledge about the violent history of Mexico.
History of Mexico
The history of Mexico is one fraught with civil war, dictatorships, revolutions and political intrigue. Religious persecution was a part of this history from the moment Mexico gained independence from Spain, which was in 1821.
Mexico became a republic, but the country had no experience in self-government and the economy was seriously depleted. The economic decline was a direct result of this very independence. There was pervasive distrust of Spaniards, which lead them to leave Mexico. This virtually eliminated capital reserves and the working class. In 1824 a republican constitution was adopted, based loosely on the constitution of the United States. The Mexican constitution created a federal republic of 19 states, four territories and a federal district, and remained in place until 1857 (Murray). Of note is the fact that "Article I of the constitution established Catholicism as the only religion to be tolerated" states Murray.
From 1824 until 1857 a number of factions and leaders were in power, all in contention for control. The Centralists wanted a strong central government in the vice regal tradition, a paid national army, and Roman Catholicism as the exclusive religion. The opposing faction, the Federalists, wanted limited central government, local militia, and nearly autonomous states. They were in favor of giving special status to ecclesiastics and the military and exempted them from various civil obligations. Then, ...