$9.99 on Kindle, Nook, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play (October 2025)Mexico and the United States, 1821-1973: Conflict and Coexistence by Karl M. Schmitt (XX,000 words)
“This volume... is a survey of the political, economic, and cultural contacts between Mexico and the United States viewed in the context of the relations between a small power and a great power. Karl M. Schmitt, a specialist in modern Mexico, contrasts and analyzes the uneven development of the two nations and demonstrates that, after a short period of indifference, the United States became determined first to acquire Mexican territory and then to dominate the Mexican economy. His central thesis is that the success of the United States depended upon the degree of its own freedom from internal or foreign distractions and the state of Mexican leadership, stability, and internal cohesion... Schmitt has treated his subject with commendable impartiality and has challenged a number of common myths in Mexican-United States relations. For the nonspecialist, this well-written study provides a valuable perspective on Mexican affairs, a useful framework, and a generally judicious appraisal.” — Kinley J. Brauer, The Americas
“Repeatedly Mexico has confronted the danger of political and economic domination by ‘the Colossus of the North.’ This brief, thoughtful volume explores the historical dimensions of the encounter... In a cogent survey of relationships since independence, Schmitt articulates two principal and related themes. First, the United States posed the most acute threat when Mexico could least ably defend itself, particularly in times of domestic disorder and instability... Second, Mexico's economic dependency has developed only in the last century... [Schmitt’s] book, through its clarity and insight, will benefit specialists and novices alike.” — Mark T. Gilderhus, The Journal of American History
“Karl Schmitt has written a useful survey of Mexican-American relations... for the student or general reader who seeks a reliable, essentially narrative account of Mexican-American relations, the book has a good deal to recommend it. Schmitt steers his way skilfully through the vicissitudes of this fraught relationship; he shows deftness at unravelling vexatious diplomatic knots (such as the 1920s oil controversy), and an ability to précis complex internal developments succinctly and accurately — an ability which is especially valuable on the Mexican side where, the author stresses, internal political problems regularly touched off conflicts with the United States... a useful, factually reliable summary which will suit the needs of its intended audience.” — A. S. Knight, International Affairs
“This volume provides an effective capsulization of existing studies of United States-Mexican relations, which will be useful to generalists and students. Its principal contribution is the drawing together of existing scholarship about this subject into a single convenient form which can serve as an introduction to the interrelationship between these two neighbors.” — Kenneth J. Grieb, Pacific Historical Review