Sovereignty, Authority and Power

"Every end of the century since the 18th century has witnessed the same pattern: long periods of peace, order and progress followed by political violence and revolution.” Mexican Historian Enrique Krauze

Overview

Lots of political turnoverWon independence from Spanish in 1821Independence did not change structure drasticallyHighly unstable in early 20th centuryMilitary Generals ruled until mid-20th centuryPresidents were essentially dictators until recentlyEconomic growth in late 20th century and early

20th centuryCurrently undergoing democratization

Stages of Mexican History

Colonialism (16th Century – Revolution in 1810)

Chaos (1810-1990) Development (Late 20th Century- present)

Legitimacy

Considered a legitimate government Revolution of 1910-1917 is major source of legitimacy

Admire Revolutionary Leaders Benito Juarez Emilio Zapata Pancho Villa

Charisma is valued highly

Formation of PRI (Institutionalized Revolutionary Party) in 1929

Historical Traditions

Authoritarianism Started by Spanish Current President holds lots of authority

Populism Strong Leaders

Elite Splits Politicos vs. Tecnicos

Instability Presidential candidate assassinated in 1994

Political Culture

Sense of National Identity Religion (Catholic)

Patron-clientelism (camarillas) Hold Mexican politics together PRI defeat indicated decline

Corruption Caused by camarillas

Dependency Spain (colonialism) United States (recent times)

Colonization (1517-1810)

Conquered the Aztecs (Hernan Cortez) 1521Brought Christianity (official religion)Slavery of indigenous peopleEstablished Spanish style of government Spanish became official language of colonies

Chaos (1810-1910)

Independence from Spain in 181044 governments in 33 yearsNo sense of stabilitySeparation of Church and State Porfiriato

Porfirio Diaz (1870-1908) Authoritarian Conservative Modernized Income gap increased Stepped down to allow democracy in to the government

Stability? (1910-1994)

1910 ‘Epic Revolution’ led by Emiliano Zapata and others

Uprising led by Pancho Villa in 1910’s New Constitution in 1917PRI established in 1929 (see next slide)Peaceful transition from authoritarian to

democraticNumerous assassinationsPRI held power for decades (71 years)

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

Established in 1929Transition from authoritarian to democraticWritten Constitution

Democratic Government Three Branches

Strong LeadersRuling Party for DecadesPolitical MonopolyLost power in late 20th CenturyPRI lost presidency and a house in Congress in 2000Future role in Mexico is uncertainCurrent President is PRIRuling party for 71 years

‘Mexican Miracle’ (1930-1970)

During first four decades of PRI ruleMajor figure was Lazaro CardenasOrderly transition from authoritarian to democraticNational development

Copied Soviet UnionGDP increased by 500%Population only doubledPeso-dollar parity maintainedProtectionismSubsoil law (constitutional)Utilized “ISI”

Import Substitution Industrialization

1994

NAFTA signed in 1994 (January 1st)

Uprising in ChiapasAssassination of leading presidential candidatePeso devaluedGovernment leaders investigatedPolitical turnoverPRI losses a house in CongressIncreased debtOil losses value

Recent Mexico

Recovery Paying back debts to United States Fair election in 2000

Mexico Today Labeled “newly industrialized country”,

“transitional democracy”, and “developing” Purchasing Power Parity of $9800 (fairly high) 58% of workforce in service sector Fairly confusing country politically Political future is uncertain Drug cartels

Geographic Influence

Mountains and Deserts Difficult communication Regionalism

Natural Resources Plentiful Misused

Border with United States 2000 miles long Causes political tension

Geography (cont.)

100 Million People Population Growth of 1.8 percent Top 10 most populous countries

Urban Population Movement away from rural areas ¾ of population lives in cities 18 million in Mexico City

Varied Climates “Long” country

But the reason then and now has always been the same Mexican Historian Enrique Krauze

Why Mexico Can’t Catch a Break

PoliticalEconomicSocialStructuralReligiousHistory of MexicoDrug Cartels

“Mexico has not been able to solve its basic problem, which is to find out how we should govern ourselves.” Mexican Historian Enrique Krauze