Title: MEXICO%20Introduction%20
1MEXICOIntroduction Background
- Environments to the Political System
2Country Bio Mexico
- Population
- 106 million
- Territory
- 761,602 sq. miles (roughly size of U. S. east
of Mississippi River) - Year of Independence
- 1810
- Year of Current Constitution
- 1917
- Head of State
- President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa
- Head of Government
- President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa
- Language
- Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuati, Zapotec, and
other regional indigenous languages - Religion
- Nominally Roman Catholic 89, Protestant 6
3Mexico Basic Geography
- Regions
- South more like Central America
- North along U.S. Border
- Central Plateau (heartland)
4Caribbean Basin
5MEXICO
6Tenochtitlan
- Present day Mexico City
- The capital of the Aztec Empire founded in 1325
- Built on Lake Texcoco, divided into four zones
- Aztec legend of the City and the coat of arms
- One of the largest cities in the World
7Mexico City Crown Jewel of Spanish Colonialism
8(No Transcript)
9Instability follows Independence
- Liberal-Conservative conflict
- Destruction of economic infrastructure
- Amerindians impoverished
- Legitimacy of ruling elite weak
10Conflict with the United States Mexico Loses
40 of its territory
- Settling Texas with Gringos backfires
- Mexican American War
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
11More Nineteenth Century Instability
- Defeat in Mexican war followed by more political
chaos - French Intervention 1862-67
- Confusion of Liberal governments 1867-76
12Porfirio Díaz and the Científicos
- Positivism as catch-up 1877-1910
- Dark side of catch-up
- Concentration of land holdings
- Exploitation of the labor force
- Role of Foreigners
- Emergence of generational strife
13 Revolution and its aftermath
- 1910 first of the great social revolutions that
shook the world - In Mexico revolution originated with the ruling
class - Anti-Porfirio Diaz and local bosses and
landowners - Led by Francisco Madero
- Huertas dictatorship United States
intervention - Descent into warlordism
- Zapata
- Pancho Villa
- Venustiano Carranza and the Sonora elite
14INSTITUTIONALIZING THE REVOLUTION
- Constitution of 1917
- Article 3 free, universal, secular education
- Article 27 subsoil belongs to state
- Article 123 worker rights
- No reelection of the president and the deal
between Obregón and Calles
15Legitimating the Revolution The Cardenas
Upheaval
- Sonora Elite maintained control during the 1930s
- But era of massive social and political upheaval
- Alvaro Obregon Plutarco Calles
- Calles finds his match in Lazaro Cardenas
16Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940
- Encouraged urban workers and peasants to demand
land and higher wages - Wave of strikes, protests, and petitions for
breaking up large rural estates. - Most disputes settled by the government in favor
of labor - Creation of large organizations for labor and
peasants - Fundamentally reshaped political institutions
- Presidency primary institution of the political
system - Sweeping powers but limited six year term
- By 1940 more Mexicans included in the national
political system
17Nationalization of Mexican Oil Fields
18Revolutionary Family COURTs THE AFFLUENT
- AVILA CAMACHO (1940-46) approaches the private
sector - Miguel Alemán (1946-52)
- First civilian president since the revolution
- Slowing social reform
- Increased industrialization
19Revolutionary Family Modernizes Mexico
- Cárdenas as godfather of the left
- Alemán as godfather of the center
- Institutionalization in structuring of the PRI
- Labor sector
- Peasant sector
- Popular sector
- Paseo La Reforma Mexico City
20PRI (Revolutionary Institutional Party) The
Era of Hegemonic Party Rule
- Mexican Political system as oriented by Cardenas
Aleman - Remarkably durable
- PRI would become the worlds longest continuously
ruling party (with the fall of the Soviet
Communist Party)
21Political decay undermines Hegemonic Party Rule
- Political tensions increase in 1970s
- President Ordaz dirty war
- Alledged execution of 700 enemies of the state
- Economic roller-coaster
- Good news discovery of massive oil and natural
gas resources - Collapsed and so did support for reform
- Chiapas rebellion