mexico

• Father Miguel Hidalgo


  priest who led a popular rebellion against Spanish rule in 1810, was executed, seen as a champion of the indigenous people of Mexico, symbolizes political rights of peasants
• Benito Juarez


  Mexican national hero; brought liberal reforms to Mexico, including separation of church and state, land distribution to the poor, and an educational system for all of Mexico, a Mexican president (first who was Indian) who wrote a constitution and fought for a better life for the poor
• Lazaro Cardenas


  President of Mexico from who Nationalized the Oil Fields in 1938.. Responsible for redistribution of land, primarily to create Ejidos, or communal farms. Began program of primary and rural education, FDR of Mexico
• Porfirio Diaz


  A Mexican dictator who ruled from 1876 to 1910. Disposed by the Mexican Revolution, his rule was known as the Porfiriato
• Francisco Madero


  An initial leader of the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and a land owner who sought moderate democratic reform
• Pancho Villa


  A popular guerilla leader during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. An outlaw in his youth, when the revolution started, he formed a cavalry army in the north of Mexico and fought for the rights of the landless in collaboration with Emiliano Zapata.
• Emiliano Zapata


  Mexican revolutionary; he led the revolt against Porfirio Diaz in the south of Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Loved the poor and worked and fought to redistribute land to the natives and poor.
• Ernesto Zedillo


  last PRI pres., proposes an amend that the mayor of Mexico City should be elected, creates Federal Election Institute (independent of the government), and allows honest elections- which shows that not everyone is voting PRI, allows primaries to choose candidate instead of Dedazo (ends executive dominance), made Mexico more democratic-stops corruption and cheating in the elections, rescues the economy, Zapatista Revolution
• Cuauhtémoc Cardenas


  PRD's presidential candidate in 1988 and 1994, gained 31.1% of the popular vote, son of Lazaro Cardenas, ran for presidency 3 times under the PRD
• Vicente Fox


  Mexican president (2000-2006); of the PAN party; ended the 70-year rule of the PRI; gave possibilities to Mexico, pushed to end official corruption, reduce poverty, and spur economic growth; Tried to protect the rights of Mexico's natives
• Felipe Calderon


  PAN, President of Mexico (2006-2012). Trying to stop illegal immigrants from entering US and trying to defeat the drug cartels.
• Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador(AMLO)

  Current president. MORENA party. Mexican politician who held the position of Head of Government of the Federal District from 2000 to 2005. In the 2006 election, he represented the Coalition for the Good of All.
• Enrique Peña Nieto


  Former President of Mexico (2012-2018), PRI, has very low approval, El Chapo and drug cartel problems
• Mexican War of Independence


  was an armed conflict, and the culmination of a political and social process which ended the rule of Spain in 1821 in the territory of New Spain: it extended from the Grito de Dolores by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla on September 16, 1810.
• Mexican-American War


  The Mexican-American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas. Mexico claimed ownership of Texas as a breakaway province and refused to recognize the secession and subsequent military victory by Texas in 1836. Mexico lost nearly half of its land to the United States in this war.
• Pofiriato


  the long period of rule by Mexico's Porfirio Diaz, 1876-1911, often cited as a prime example of neocolonialism in Latin America. Diaz imposed strict political control, encouraged European and US investment, and gave special influence to a group of positivist thinkers called Cientificos.
• Mexican Revolution


  1910-1920, that transformed the government, ends the Pofiriato and established Madero as president, then he gets assassinated then Huerta comes into power and he too gets ousted and is replaced by Carranza, it leads to the creation of the Constitution of 1917 with parts to appease all parts of the country.
• Cristeros Revolt


  1926-1929. Was a counterrevolution against the Mexican Government by the Christians/Catholics. After the Mexican Revolution, a new constitution was written in 1917. This was an attempt to restrict the influence that the Church had on Mexico. The church could no longer own land and be involved politically (this was power). Two sides: The Government and the Cristeros ("Soldiers of Christ"). Peasants were drawn in to help the government in return for land.
• Establishment of the PRI


  founded by Plutarco Elias Calles, claimed to provide and create the institutions of Mexico post-Revolution, their legitimacy is based on the fact they stabilized the country
• Tlatelolco Plaza Massacre (1968)

  killing of 200 people in 1968, next president recruited large numbers of student activists into his administration, increased spending on social services, putting many young people to work in expanded antipoverty programs
• Zapatista Uprising/Chiapas Rebellion


  Guerilla movement named in honor of Emiliano Zapata; originated in 1994 in Mexico's Southern state of Chiapas. Government responded with a combination of repression and negotiation.
• Vicente Fox's Victory in 2000


  PRI dominance ends after 70 years
• System of Government


  • Federal Republic:

  o Federal District of Mexico City

  o 31 States
• One Party Dominant State


  one party dominates all the elections and are predicted to win the election and seats uncontested
• Caciques/Caudillos


  National military strongmen. Dominated Mexican politics in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Pendulum Theory


  Back and forth effect between socialist reform and free-market economic development. Swings in politics between left and right.
• Dinosaurios


  PRI political elites
• Tecnicos


  Mexican Political leaders in 1980. American Educated. experts in Economics. Liberalized Mexico's Economy and Politics.
• Revolution of 1910-1911


  This revolution failed to create a more equal society in Mexico, but did improve most things for the middle class (PRI)
• Constitution of 1917


  new Mexican constitution based on land, religion, and labor. it broke up haciendas, placed restrictions on foreigners owning land, and allowed the government to take over natural resources. church land was made the property of the nation.
• PRI Fulfilling the Constitution of 1917


  used to, but has since gotten off track, led to their declining popularity and their loss of dominance over the system, this is how the PRI gained legitimacy
• Elections


  TACOS!!! (ahem not tacos, BALLOT STUFFING), there has been a lot of controversy over the consistency of the PRI getting around 70% of the vote each time, but some are fair...
• Cleavages: Urban vs Rural

  more than 75% is urban today, literacy rate is 90%, system was originally set up to rule illiterate peasants, urban voters less inclined to support PRI, rural is in South and home to the indigenous
• Cleavages: North vs South

  Northern is dry and mountainous, much more prosperous, substantial middle class, higher levels of education, south is subtropical, people are generally less influenced by US and cities, Amerindian
• Cleavages: Social Class


  upper vs lower
• Cleavages: Ethnic


  Mestizo vs Amerindian: main ethnic cleavage, only 10% speak indigenous language, 30% think of themselves as Amerindian, more likely to live in rural areas and poverty
• Dependency Theory


  the economy of Mexico is tied to the US, so it follows the ebb and flow of the US economy, and the US keeps it afloat
• Import Substitution Industrialization(ISI)


  strategy for industrialization based on domestic manufacture of previously imported goods to satisfy domestic market demands.
• "Mexican Miracle"


  described a country with a rapidly increasing GNP in orderly transition from an authoritarian to a democratic government, economy soured after oil prices fell, peso took a nosedive, debt mounted
• Nationalization


  foreign business owners kicked out, controlled by the state. Lazaro Cardenas did this to the Oil Industry in 1938.