Blog #3

I do believe that The Mexican Revolution still has meaning and power in politics, culture, and social relations. The Mexican Revolution was an event that had a significant impact on Mexican society. At its core, the revolution was a response to the political and economic inequalities that existed in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century. The country was ruled by a small, wealthy elite that controlled most of the land and resources, while most of the population lived in poverty and struggled to survive. The revolution was sparked by several factors, including the exploitation of workers, the concentration of land ownership, and the corrupt and authoritarian rule of President Porfirio Diaz. In 1910, a group of revolutionaries led by Francisco Madero launched an armed uprising against the Diaz regime, which ultimately led to the overthrow of the government and the establishment of a new political order.

However, in 1994 “the assassinations of PRI presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio and PRI Secretary-General José Francisco Ruíz Massieu, President Carlos Salinas’s former brother-in-law, shocked the nation.” (Gonzales) That same year the Zapatistas, a rebel group in Chiapas, “demanded political autonomy, native rights, higher government spending on health and education, and the redistribution of agricultural lands.” (Gonzales) The middle classes showed a lot of support for the campaign. Around the same time the insurrection also took place and NAFTA was formally ratified. This agreement established a free-trade area throughout the continent and called for a constitutional amendment to revoke Mexican sovereignty over its subsoil rights. Politically speaking, the unprecedented run on the peso that occurred in late 1994, not long after President Ernesto Zedillo assumed office, was even more worrisome for the regime. Capital flight, a financial crisis, and joint World Bank-US action to stabilize the peso were the results of this. Mexico, long a strong nation, suddenly appeared to be another Third World nation.

The revolutionaries sought to build a more just and equitable society that would benefit all Mexicans, not just the wealthy and powerful. However, over time, the revolutionary ideals that had inspired the movement were eroded by corruption, cronyism, and political violence. By the 1970s, the PRI had become a deeply entrenched political machine that was more concerned with maintaining its grip on power than with serving the needs of the Mexican people. This led to widespread disillusionment and discontent among the populace, which was further exacerbated by economic mismanagement and a series of political scandals. The assassinations of Colosio and Ruiz Massieu in 1994 were a stark reminder of the violence and corruption that had become endemic in Mexican politics, and they were a catalyst for the political upheaval that followed. However, the election of Vicente Fox Quesada in 2000 marked the end of the PRI’s long-standing rule and the beginning of a new era in Mexican politics, one that was characterized by greater democracy, transparency, and accountability.

The events surrounding the assassinations of Luis Donaldo Colosio and José Francisco Ruíz Massieu, were part of a larger pattern of political violence and corruption in Mexico that had its roots in the Mexican Revolution. The revolutionaries of 1910–1920 sought to address long standing social and economic inequalities in Mexican society, but over time, the ideals of the revolution were eroded by corruption, cronyism, and political violence. The events of the 1990s and early 2000s, including assassinations and subsequent political upheaval, reflected this larger pattern of corruption and violence. They also marked a turning point in Mexican politics, one that was characterized by greater democracy, transparency, and accountability, and which sought to address the underlying issues that had given rise to the revolution in the first place. Therefore, I do believe that The Mexican Revolution does have legs, because as long as the people of Mexico remember what they fought for they will continue to get better.