MEXICO APCOMPGOV

El Chapo

• Mexican drug lord

• Former leader of the Sinaloa cartel

• Captured multiple times but escaped.

Mestizo

• Mixed indigenous and European (Spanish) ancestry

• Majority of Mexico’s population

• Reflects the cultural blending in Mexico.

Caudillos

• Charismatic strongman leaders

• Ruled through personal power, not democracy

• Common in 19th century Latin America.

NICs

• Newly industrialized countries

• Rapidly industrialized, with Mexico’s industrialization

• Driven by trade agreements like NAFTA.

Cientificos

• Group of technocratic advisors

• Worked during Porfirio Diaz’s regime

• Advocated for modernization and scientific approaches in governance.

Corporatist State

• A government system controlling and mediating interest groups

• Used by the Institutional Revolutionary Party

• Aimed to maintain power.

Anticlericalism

• Opposition to the political influence of the Catholic Church

• Prominent during the Mexican revolution

• Reflects broader tensions between religion and politics.

Cartels

• Powerful drug-trafficking organizations

• Include the Sinaloa cartel and Jalisco new generation cartel

• Control large regions of Mexico.

Camarillas

• patron client networks of political allies and supporters

• Used within Mexican politics to gain and maintain power

• Reflects the importance of loyalty in governance.

Coinciding Cleavages

• Social divisions in Mexico

• Include industrialized North vs agrarian South

• Rich vs poor, urban vs rural, and Amerindians vs Mestizos vs whites.

• 75% urban

• 90% literacy

Zapatista Movement (EZLN)

• A movement led by Subcomandante Marcos

• Advocating for indigenous rights

• Focused on land reforms and autonomy, especially in southern Mexico.

Iguala Mass Kidnapping

• The 2014 abduction of 43 male students

• Involvement of local police

• Revealed corruption and ties between local authorities and cartels.

Mixed Electoral System

• Mexico's electoral system

• Combines proportional representation and first-past-the-post

• Ensures geographic representation and proportional distribution of seats.

PRI

• Institutional Revolutionary Party

• formed after revolution in 1929

• ruled for around 70 years

• Dominant political party in Mexico for most of the 20th century

• Known for clientelism and patronage.

• rural, less eductaed, older, poorer

• 2000 - lost presidency and one house of congress

• 2006 - only held minory of seats in legislature

• 2009 - captured pluraloty in CofD

• 2012 - won presidency

presidents

• Lazaro

• cardinas

• Nieto

initial loss to fox

PRD

• PRIs left side opp

• Established to challenge the PRI

• Represents urban poor, workers, and advocates for democratic reforms.

• first won support in latw 1980s

• trouble defining left of center alternative to the market-centered policies by PRI

• young, populists, some intellectuals

• main strength mexoci city

• c. cardenas - lazaros son

• obrador

Federal Electoral Institute (INE)

• An independent body

• Established to ensure transparent elections in Mexico

• Reorganized from the IFE in 2014.

PAN

• Founded in 1939

• opposed to centralization and anti-clericism of PRI + right side opp

• strongest in north

• under calderon gained support of south

• regional autonomy

• marketization

• fair elections

• church relations

• private ad religous education

• A center-right political party

• Represented by Vicente Fox as its first president from 2000.

• professional, business, urban, better educated, religious

[all three in a row from 2000]

• fox

• calderon

• mota

Clientelism

• A political system

• Exchange of material benefits for loyalty and votes

• Prevalent in Mexican politics.

Dominant Party System

• A political landscape

• PRI held power almost continuously from 1929 to 2000

• Resulted in Mexico being a de facto one-party state.

Pact for Mexico

• A 2012 agreement

• Aimed at overcoming political gridlock

• Implementing reforms to modernize Mexico.

Maquiladoras

• Foreign-owned factories in Mexico

• Benefit from cheaper labor and trade agreements

• Key to the country's economic model.

NAFTA

• North American Free Trade Agreement

• Signed in 1994

• Eliminated trade barriers and promoted increased exports.

GATT/WTO

• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade / World Trade Organization

• Mexico joined GATT in 1986

• Became a founding member of the WTO in 1995.

Ejidos

• Communal lands granted to peasants

• Used for agricultural purposes

• Established under the 1917 Constitution.

PEMEX

• Petróleos Mexicanos

• The state-owned oil company

• Dominated the sector after nationalization in 1938.

Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)

• Economic policy promoting domestic industries

• Aimed to reduce dependency on foreign goods

• Implemented from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Privitization (Mexico)

• Initiatives in the 1980s-1990s

• Aimed to reduce the state's economic role

• Mixed outcomes in improving efficiency.

USMCA

• United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement

• Replaced NAFTA in 2020

• Updated trade rules.

Structural Adjustment Program

• IMF and World Bank measures in the 1980s

• Addressed Mexico's debt crisis

• Involved austerity and liberalization measures.

Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM)

• Mexico's largest labor union

• Founded in 1936

• Historically aligned with the PRI.

Mexican Miracle

• rapidly increasing GNP

• transition from auth to democratic gov

• Period of rapid economic growth

• Lasted from 1940 to 1970 when in 1980s peso declined

• Characterized by industrialization, urbanization, and low inflation.

Presidential System (Mexico)

• Political system in Mexico

• President serves as head of state and government

• Elected for a six-year term.

Sexenio

• The six-year presidential term in Mexico

• No reelection is allowed

• A unique feature of the political system.

Chamber of Deputies

• The lower house of Congress in Mexico

• Consists of 500 members

• Responsible for legislation and budget approval.

Senate

• The upper house of Congress in Mexico

• Composed of 128 members

• Responsible for foreign policy and treaty ratification.

Supreme Court

• The highest judicial authority in Mexico

• Consists of 11 justices

• Appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

1917 Constitution

• Constitution drafted during the Mexican Revolution

• Established labor rights and human rights

• Included education provisions.

Parastatal

• State-owned enterprises

• Like PEMEX, these were key during the ISI era

• Diminished due to privatization.

Dedazo

• The practice of outgoing presidents

• Handpicking their successors

• Common during the PRI era.

Amparo

• Judicial remedy protecting constitutional rights

• Allows for constitutional appeals by citizens

• Essential for legal protection.

Bicameral

• Referring to a legislative system

• Composed of two houses: the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies

• Essential for legislative processes.

Mexican Judicial Reform 2024

• Reform replacing appointed judges

• With pre-selected judges elected by popular vote

• Aims to improve the judicial system.

Televisa

• Dominant media company in Mexico

• Historically aligned with the PRI

• Criticized for monopolistic practices.

Telmex

• A telecommunications company

• Privatized in the 1990s

• Part of Carlos Slim’s business empire.

Carlos Slim

• One of Mexico's wealthiest individuals

• Influential across telecom, construction, and finance

• Notable for business success.

Porfirio Diaz

• Dictator from 1884-1911

• Known for modernization and repression

• His era is referred to as the Porfiriato.

• foreign investment [US] and economic growth

• strong dependecy on the US

• stability

• income disparity growig

• ended w coup and revolution 1910

Emilio Zapata

• A leading figure in the Mexican Revolution

• Advocated for indigenous rights

• Focused on land reform.

Carlos Salinas

• PRI President from 1988-1994

• Known as the architect of NAFTA

• Promoted neoliberal reforms.

Ernesto Zedillo

• PRI President (1994-2000)

• Known for promoting democratic elections

• Stabilized the economy after the peso crisis.

Felipe Calderon

• PAN President (2006-2012)

• Launched the war on drugs

• Implemented significant economic reforms.

Vincente Fox

• PAN President (2000-2006)

• First non-PRI president in 70 years

• Focused on economic growth with the US.

Enrique Pena Nieto

• PRI President (2012-2018)

• Known for major reforms in energy and education

• Involved in corruption scandals.

AMLO

• Leader of MORENA

• Serving as president from 2018-2024

• Focused on poverty reduction and combating corruption.

Claudia Sheinbaum

• Recent president elected in 2024

• Former mayor of Mexico City

• First female

purchasing power of mexici

17,900

• fairly high

• 62% of workers employed in servive sector

what type of country is mexco described as

economically as developing

politcally as transitional democracy

at an in between stage

authority history

early 16th century - spanish arrived and ruled until 1821

• no participation allowed by indegenous people

  early 20th century - unstable but constituition put in

mid 20th century - military generals as presidents

late 20th century - economic growth

revolution of 1910 to 1920

• a fight to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Díaz and establish a democracy.

• important source of legitimacy

• since mexicans deeply adminred revolutionary leaders

• charisma highly valued

politicos vs. tecnicos

late 20th

competitive splits btw elites

political vs skilled technical rulers

catholic church

• until 1920s church involved in politics

• priests often leaders of populist movements

• during early 20th gov developed anti-cleric position

• political infleunced declines

• large pop catholics

geographic infleunces

1. mountains and deserts - limit agriculture areas, regionalism, comms difficult

2. varied climate - long/south great distance

3. nat resources - oil, silver etc, not brought general prosperity to mexicans

4. border - 2000 miles, migration/dependency

5. 122 mil ppl - pop increasing still yet slowed a lot

6. urban pop - rapid, 3/4s live in cities, mexico city largest, shifted to this during late 20th century

independence

1821 official independence

1810-1911

• moguel hidalgo led rebellion against spanish in 1810

• after his execution is whne the revolution hapened

• ‘father hidalgo’ seen as champion of indifenous ppl

• still a symbol

• this period was unstable, military control, US dominated, and has liberals v conservative struggle

• Juarez (liberal) back to power after hidalgo die no peace come

colonialism

1519 - 1821 by Spain

• spanish and native pops mixing led to mestizo pop which is 60% of all mexicans now

francisco Madero

• general andlandowner from coahuila

• diaz tried to blocj his support

emiliano zapata and pancho villa

lead peasant armies and established another dimension to rebelliion 1910

later asssinated

constituition of 1917

• set up structure for democratic gov

• 3 branches

• competitve election

• spugh tto limit foreigners right to exploitt nat resources

• declare subsoil rights

the cristero rebellion

1920s

bloodiest conflicts in mexican history

• 100,000+ ppl killed

• liberals limited priests’ political power

• priests led rebellion

cardenas ‘upheaval’ 1934-1940

Lazaro Cardenas sexenio stabilized and radicalized mexico

• gave voice to peasants

• took land away from elites redist them as ejidos (collective land grants) to workers

• nationalized industry - PEMEX created

• invested in infrastructure and modernized mexico

• peacefully let go of power when term up

• established ISI - high tariffs

overall socialist type of reforms, while focusing on own country’s economy

pendulum theory

Migeuel Aleman presidency

• back and forth effect wiuth socialist to free market

• pendulum stoped when tecnicos leaders came in in 1970s

social class

• gin coefficient 0.47 (inequality high)

• informal economy - businesses not registern in country growing = middle class growing

• higher infant mortality rates + lower education + shorter life for the poor

• middle class and up - likely support PAN

mestizo v amerindian

• 10% mesican speak indigenous lang

• 30% rhink theyre amerindian

• amerinidan more likely poverty + rural areas

• most wealth mestizos in hand of their s

north v south

north

• dry,

• mountainous,

• more prospoerous,

• trade w US,

• substantial middle class

• high edu

• market based economy

• 8.1 years of school

south

• subtropical

• less influenced by cities and US

• many amerindians

• less europeans

• avr income lower than north

• 6 years f school

1968 student protests in Mexico City

• 2000 ppl kiled in tlatelolco plaza

chiapas rebellion beginign in 1994

• sponsored EZLN uprishing

Jalisco new gen

• set protests

• 15 ppl died

• burned buildingd and stuff

• rebelling

economic dependency

dependent on thwe US for trade jobs business

HDI

longevity, knowledge, income

literacy - high 90s % for both men and women

life expectancy - mid 70s % for men and women

type of development level in mexicxo

developing

how is democracy measured

1. politicak accountabilty

2. political competition

3. political freedom

4. political equality

election of 2006

felipe calderon [PAN] v Andres Obrador [PRD]

• obrador challeneged results as fraudulent since there was a 0.5% difference

• demanded recount

• obrador led rallies and protests but by 2007 crisis passed

• changed the power balance PRI lost heavily in both houses

• PAN gained in CofD

• PRD gained in both houses

election of 2012

Enririque pena nieto [PRI] v PAN v PRD

• PRI capitalized on PAN or PRD being less corrupt

• younger voters forgot authoritarinism of PRI

• nieto won 38% of vote

• obrador [prd] and mota [pan] 2nd and 3rd

2015 mid-term election

PRI took largest potion of cod but not a majority

PRI = 203

PAN = 108

PRD = 56

minor parties = 133

morena = 8% of pop vote

green party gained asw

how is the president elected

• FPTP

• no run-off required

how are members of congress elected COD

FPTP and PR

PR increased in 1986 reform

upper house senate how elected

each 31 states select 3 senators

2 - plurality vote

1 - whicheer party gets second highest numbe rof votes

32 senate seats - nationally through PR

[directly elected unlike duma which was appointed]

total seats = 128

6 year terms

COD how elected

300 seats - plurality within smds

200 seats - PR

[similar to russian duma]

3 year terms

powerful interest groups

educational workwrs union - latin americas largest trade union

• its leader elba gordillo charged with embezzlement by PRI nieto

ejido

land grants given to workers

bureacracy

• 1.5 million workers in federal bureacracy

• most in mexico city

• paid very little

• high and middle levels have a lot pf power

judiciary

• recent reform in 2024 electing judges

• follows code law

• now developing independent judiciary and judicial review

reforms

• Ernesto zedfillo tried to strengthen courts emphaisizing rule of law

• vincente foc promised to work for an independent judicairy but diaapointed everyone

• Calderon reformed by conducting oral trials

• also uniform procedures code passed in 2013

• general criminal law passed

supreme court

• on paper judicial review

• never overrules important gov action