Cárdenas was appointed governor of his home state of Michoacan in 1928, which was then wracked by the political conflict between state and Church, the known as the Cristiada.  His ideological mentor Múgica had previously served as the state's governor, and had attempted to counter the power of the Roman Catholic Church through laws. He mobilized groups to support his positions, creating “political shock troops,” consisting of public school teachers and members of a disbanded agrarian league, forming the "Confederación Revolucionaria Michoacana del Trabajo", under the slogan of “Union, Land, Work.”  The organization was funded by the state government, although not listed as an official expenditure.  It became the single-most powerful organization representing both workers and peasants. Mobilizing worker and peasant support and controlling the organization to which they belonged became the model for Cárdenas when he became president.