Mexico: Past & Present Final

A) after a half century of turmoil, Porfirio Díaz would finally establish “order in progress“ in the late 19th century; unfortunately, this Porfirian stability and growth came at a price. How did Díaz manage to create “order“ when a few leaders had done so before? Describe this rapid social and economic “progress“ and its role in the long-term tensions behind the Revolution? What were the short-term political factors (after 1900) promoting the outbreak of violence? While few at the time could have predicted the events to come, would you say that the Mexican Revolution was “inevitable“ or just a “matter of circumstances” (explain)?

B) when Porfirio Díaz fled Mexico in May 1911, he departed with a prophetic warning “Madero has unleashed a tiger. Let us see if he can control it.” Díaz was proven right. For a decade (1910-1920), Mexico was plunged into the first great social revolution of the 20th century. Considering how quickly the Porfirian regime fell, why did the fighting phase of the Revolution last for so long? What practical steps did the new Revolutionary state take to reestablish authority starting in 1917 and continuing through the 1920s? By the late 1930s, the state not only had consolidated its control but had also gathered popular support behind it — how did it accomplish this task? Finally, do you feel that the Mexican Revolution qualified as a true social revolution (bringing real change) or simply a political rebellion as some have claimed (explain)?

C) In 1940, newly elected president Manuel Ávila Camacho declared the Revolution had entered into an “evolutionary” phase. As a result, the “institutional” revolution would embark on a new path starting in the 1940s. Often referred to as the “Mexican miracle” the country would experience unprecedented growth, industrialization, and political stability over the next three decades. How did the state go about constructing this political and economic “miracle?” How was the state able to keep this massive development drive going for so long and did all share equally in it? Why did this “miracle” collapse in 1982 — in other words, what went wrong? All in all, how much of this “miracle” would you say was fact and how much was fiction (explain)?

D) Mexico entered the “lost decade” of the 1980s with an economy in shambles and its political consensus under increasing stress. This crisis would continue through the 1990s and even up to present day. What economic challenges did Mexico face after 1982? What steps did the state take to restructure the Mexican economy? What explains the gradual breakdown of support for one-party rule under the PRI?Adding to its political and economic woes, what major social problems (pollution, migration, drugs, etc.) has Mexico faced recently? Would you say the Revolution ended with the fall of the “perfect dictatorship” in 2000 or does it remain alive (explain)?

Mexican oil expropriation

• Occurred March 18, 1938

• Was under the PRM which replaced the PNR

• Important to class: restored national sovereignty, national identity, and economic independence

Constitution of 1917

• Established Art. 27, 123, and 130

  • provided legal based for economic inequality

  • 27 for peasants and their property

    • promised to establish “ejido”

  • 123 for workers and an advanced labor code

    • 8hr work day and 6 day work week

  • 130 mandated civil marriages

    • suppressed church abilities

• Important to class: was the first steps to legitimize the efforts of the revolution

Tlatelolco massacre (1968)

• Occurred Oct. 2, 1968

• Supressed peaceful student protests

• Police and troops opened fire on a crowd

  • burned the bodies to hide true death count

  • citizens were suspicious

  • caused a loss in faith w/ in the gov

• Important to class: started a chain of events that tarnished the PRI

Rurales

• The rural police that consisted of bandits and artisans

  • stationed in Vera Cruz

• Relied on technology (Telegraph) which meant they did not need as many physical troops

• Not very violent

• Important to class: Forced change in the country side and attracted foreign investors through infrastructure (railroads)

EZLN

Cananea Consolidated Copper

• South of AZ

• Workers here got less money than the American ones

  • pay, housing, and position opportunities

• Workers went on strike (3K)

  • violent and the leaders were hung

  • Greene brought “rangers” to patrol and control

• Important to class: this proved that Diaz did not protected everyone but his people and was completely sold out to foreign individuals

Neo-liberalism

• President Madrid reinforced/supported these ideas

  • only because he had to

• Helped the state get out of the economy and remove barriers on foreign interest and trade

• New politicians were technocrats

  • meant they only followed the # and did not care about the people

  • Acquired 1118 companies and sold down to 286

• Important to class: helped with stabilizing Mexico after the debt crisis through privatization, trade liberalization, and foreign investment.

Cartels

• A destabilizing, drug trafficking organization that interrupted trade and investment and added violence

• Cartel leaders deaths always spark violence and create power vacuums w/ in the system

  • as well as the Balloon Effect

• Cartels are closely tied to the US during the prohibition

• In the past consisted of marijuana and poppy

  • have now moved onto synthetic drugs because to creates more overall revenue

• Not always seen as bad

  • they do and provide others with things the gov. wont (especially during COVID-19)

Land reform

• President Cárdenas created these because of insufficient land use that risked the food/crop industry

  • they ended up falling under state control

• Important to class: Land reforms created the ‘ejido’ system which helped dismantle the extreme land concentration some people had, alleviate poverty, and ensure social stability

Yaquis

• Indigenous group from Senora MX

  • made up 15% of pop

• Many landowners would take their land and use them as workers

  • many endured imprisonment, death, and deportation

• Important to class: they resisted gov. control to which they benefited from Díaz upcoming social policies and fertile land

NAFTA

• North American Free Trade Agreement

  • regional free trade agreement not a global one

  • created the largest trading block outside the EU at this time

• Hoped this would get MX out of

Zacatecas (video)

Debt crisis (1982)

PRI

Infrastructure

Braceros

“Dirty war”