During the French intervention, unlike the war against the United States, Mexico did not surrender after the occupation of the capital, but thanks to the large size of the country continued its resistance in the North, South, West and East, said historian Héctor Strobel , author of the recently published book To Resist is to Win: Military History of the French Intervention, 1862-1867 .
In an interview with La Jornada, the researcher referred to a phrase that titled one of the chapters of his text published by Grano de Sal: “'The Republic defends itself with its size,' a strategy that Benito Juárez adopted when he left Mexico City.”
The French army, which invaded Mexico and was defeated at Puebla on May 5, 1862 , was then the most prepared, disciplined, and best armed in the world; even more so than Great Britain's
, he said.
“The famous phrase 'the best army in the world,' coined by Ignacio Zaragoza, wasn't far from reality. It was well-seasoned. It came from a very long colonial war: the conquest of Algeria, from 1830 to 1860. After the Napoleonic Wars, Europe was at peace, but France engaged in military confrontations in Crimea and Italy.”
