Pancho Villa leads the revolutionariescaravanapgov.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/2/8/4828291/mexico... ·...

Mexico:Historical Foundations

AP Comparative Government J.F. Walters 2002

Pancho Villa leads the revolutionaries

Historic Highlights 1519-2000

Mexico: Historical Foundations

1519-1821

Spanish Colonial Rule• Destruction of indigenous civilizations• Economic changes

– establishment of encomienda (plantation) system– extraction of gold & silver– importation of slaves from Africa

• Cultural diffusion– Spanish language– Roman Catholic religion

• Intermarriage of Spanish and native Americans produced mestizos



1810-21

Mexican Independence Movement• Causes

– growth of nationalism & spread of ideasfrom European Enlightenment

– Spanish busy fighting Napoleonic Wars• Key figure: Miguel Hidalgo

– Roman Catholic priest– Speech: Grito de Dolores (Cry of Sorrow)– Led revolt, but was executed (1811)– Hero of Mexican nationalism

• Mexico recognized as independent (1821) Miguel Hidalgo



1821-1876

Period of Instability• Political fragmentation and economic

disorder• Territorial loss to the U.S.

– Texas– New Mexico, California, Arizona, Utah,

Nevada & part of Colorado



1876-1911

The Porfiriato• Popular retired general Porfirio Díaz became

president• Mexico became a corrupt dictatorship

– Relied upon cienteificos (scientists) to import Europeantechnology, lifestyle and foreign interests.

– elite used tax money for their own wealth and comfort;controlled wealth and power in Mexico

• Result: growth of general dissatisfaction in Mexico



1910-1917

Mexican Revolution• Background/Causes

– Government: corrupt dictatorship (Porfirio Díaz, 1876-1911)– Farmers wanted land reform (most farmers did not own land)– Foreign economic investment benefited Mexican élite– Mexican nationalism against outside, foreign influences– Middle class Mexicans wanted democratic government– Desire to reduce the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in

Mexican politics



1910-1917

Mexican Revolution• Events

– Poor farmers attacked largelandowners

– Revolutionary leaders• “Pancho” Villa (led

revolution in the north)• Emiliano Zapata (led

revolution in south)Emiliano Zapata



1910-1917

Mexican Revolution• Democratic constitution established (1917)

– Huge plantations and mines divided among poor– Plan for free education was established– Political influence of the Roman Catholic Church reduced

• Immediate results of Mexican Revolution– Democracy weak due to sharp economic differences between rich

& poor– Political violence prevalent, especially in the 1920s



1917-1934

Sonoran Dynasty• Background

– Revolutionaries who consolidated power after revolution– Named after their home state (Sonora)

• Plutarco Elías Calles––emerged as leader (jefe máximo)– Instituted extreme anticlericalism (anti-Church) in government– Created what would eventually be called the Institutional

Revolutionary Party (PRI): would dominate the Mexicanpresidencies from 1929-2000



1917-1934

Results of Mexican Revolution & Sonoran Dynasty• Power of traditional rural landowners was cut• Power of the Catholic Church at the national level was destroyed• Power of foreign investors was severely limited and Mexican

nationalism would shape economic policy-making• New political elite agreed to resolve problems through accommodation

and bargaining rather than violence• Constitution and the PRI laid the basis for a strong central government

that could assert its power over the economic and social development ofthe country



1934-1940

Lázaro Cárdenas: Agrarian Reform & Workers’ Rights• Took command of the PRI from Calles• Cárdenas’ Agrarian Reform

– Oversaw the distribution of land to peasants (over 35 million acres)– Most land distributed as ejidos––grants to groups of peasants– Land reform strengthened peasant support for the PRI

• Encouraged workers to form unions, demand higher wages and betterconditions

• Increased role of state in economy [ex., nationalized oil industry fromAmericans and British)



1934-1940

Cárdenas: Expanded Participation• Increased political participation

– organizations of peasants, workers,middle-class groups, and the militarywere added to the PRI

– issues of the masses were heardthrough councils of government

• Established many presidentialpolitical traditions, including “ElDedazo”––the big finger Lázaro Cárdenas



1940-1970

Industrialization, economic growth and social problems• Economic changes

– increased state influence in the economy– initially increased jobs and availability of consumer goods– urbanization: many Mexicans moved to cities

• Problems– rural poverty– unemployment– housing and services issues resulting from rapid urbanization– high population growth



Late 1970s & Early 1980s

Oil Boom• Boom

– new resources of oil were discovered in the Gulf of Mexico– oil fueled public investment programs in many areas– on the promise of oil wealth to come (so-called “petrodollars),

government and business borrow huge sums of capital from foreignbanks and governments

– Government slogans• “sow the oil”• “administer the abundance”



Late 1970s & Early 1980s

Oil Bust• Bust

– international oil prices fell rapidly in the early 1980s– Mexico defaulted on loans and sank into economic crisis– Mexico suffered rapid inflation

• Results of Oil Boom & Bust– business classes suffered heavy losses; unions lost influence– Mexicans questioned large role of state in economy; initiated a period

(late 1980s & early 1990s) when technocrats would attempt to reformthe economy

Carlos Salinas de Gortari: 1988-1994


Background• Born in Mexico City, 1948• Harvard-trained economist• Technocrat• Rose to political

prominence in the 1980s– Worked to deregulate

Mexican economy underPresident Miguel de la Madrid

– Selected by President Madridto be the PRI candidate in1988 elections, which SalinaswonCarlos Salinas



Domestic Policies and Programs• Surrounded himself with U.S.-educated technocrats• Sought to rebuild Mexican economy

– Attempted to make Mexican business & industry more competitive• privatized most state-owned industries• slashed protective tariffs

– tightened controls on inflation– issued new currency to rebuild confidence in Mexican peso

• Initiated social reform– created Ministry for Social Development: Directed resources to vast

infrastructure projects– challenged corruption and the power of the unions



North American Free Trade Association (1994)• Salinas negotiated NAFTA with the United States and

Canada• 15-year phase-out program on tariff barriers among three

countries– agricultural products– manufactured goods– automobile production– banking and insurance restrictions lifted

• Noteworthy exceptions of NAFTA– foreign ownership of Mexican oil fields was expressly banned– Mexican trucks were not allowed free access to U.S. roadways



Conflict in Chiapas• Chiapas

– southern Mexican state– home to many indigenous

Amerindians (Mayan)– Mexico’s poorest state

• Zapatista NationalLiberation Front (EZLN)– Group that wants Mexico’s

constitution to be changed toreflect the rights of indigenouspeople

– Led by SubcommandanteMarcos (dons a black mask inpublic)



Conflict in Chiapas• 1994 Rebellion by the EZLN

– Began the day NAFTA went into effect (1 January 1994)– Machete and assault rifle-carrying rebels captured four towns,

including city of San Cristobal de las Casas– Rebel demands

• wanted an end to “exploitation” by landowners and leaders of the PRI• demanded social reforms for natives: health care, education, food• demanded open, democratic elections

• Salinas government ordered Mexican military to put downrevolt and re-take occupied towns

• Peace talks began but broke down after 1996; current hopethat they will resume under President Fox (2000- )

Ernesto Zedillo: 1994-2000


Background• Born in 1951• Doctorate from Yale• Brilliant technocrat• Minister for planning

under Salinas• Appointed to succeed as

PRI presidential candidateafter Luis Colosio (thehand-picked successor ofSalinas) was assassinated in1994

• Elected president 1994Ernesto Zedillo



Economics• Zedillo’s first year

in office wasmarked by afinancial crisis

• Following thecrisis, Mexicaneconomy grewrapidly, much of itresulting fromNAFTA

• Despite growth,many Mexicansremained poor

Source: The Economist, September 2000



Other Issues• Drug trafficking through Mexico to the

U.S. became a big issue in Mexican-American relations

• Conflict in Chiapas failed to be solved• Continued accusations of PRI corruption• Many Mexicans believed that the Zedillo

team of technocrats was out-of-touch withthe issues of everyday Mexicans– unemployment– poverty for Mexican farmers– rights of Amerindians



PRI Begins to Lose Control�• PRI lost majority in Congress (1997)––first time

in party’s history• Zedillo initiated democratic reforms in Mexico

– Announced that the Mayor of Mexico City would bedemocratically elected and no longer appointed by thepresident (election was won by Cuauhtemoc CardenasSolorzano of the PRD with 48.9% of votes)

– Made Mexico less corrupt and more transparent• Initiated political reforms to PRI traditions

– Ended the practice of “El Dedazo” in the PRI and helda democratic primary

Bibliography

• Books– Comparative Politics Today: A World View, Gabriel A. Almond, et.

al. (New York: Longman, 2003), 7th Edition.– Introduction to Comparative Politics, Mark Kesselman, et. al.

(Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2000), 2nd Edition.

• News Publications– The Economist– The New York Times

• Television & On-Line News Media/Resources– BBC World News– ABC News– BBCnews.com– Economist.com– Google.com

Last updated: 5-May-04

Pancho Villa leads the revolutionariescaravanapgov.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/2/8/4828291/mexico... ·...

Documents

Transcript of Pancho Villa leads the revolutionariescaravanapgov.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/2/8/4828291/mexico... ·...