Mexico

Question 1

What is NAFTA

Answer 1

North American Free Trade Agreement – a trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that became effective in 1994

Question 2

Mestizo

Answer 2

A person of mixed white, indigenous, and sometimes African descent. (60% of Mexico’s population)

Question 3

Mexico’s Geography

Answer 3

Coastal plains, high plateaus, fertile valleys, rain forests, deserts, and two mountain ranges in an area roughly 3 times the size of Texas.

Question 4

Natural Resources

Answer 4

Oil and silver

Question 5

Mexico’s Indigenous Groups

Answer 5

Maya in the South and Nahua in the central areas – Population descended from original inhabitants of the Americas, prior to Spanish conquest. (30% of the population)

Question 6

Maquiladoras

Answer 6

Factories that produce goods for export, often located along the U.S. - Mexico border

Question 7

caudillos

Answer 7

Charismatic populist leaders, usually with a military background who use patronage and draw on personal loyalties to dominate a region or nation.

Question 8

Hernan Cortes

Answer 8

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs in 1521. Within a century Aztec population was reduced from an estimated 25 million to less than 1 million.

Question 9

How long did Spain rule over what is now Mexico?

Answer 9

1521-1821 (300 years)

Question 10

Miguel Hidalgo

Answer 10

Parish priest who began a series of wars for independence from Spain, partly because Spain was exploiting Mexico for its natural resources.

Question 11

When did Mexico gain independence from Spain?

Answer 11

1821

Question 12

Stability of Mexico shortly after independence.

Answer 12

Unstable. In 22 years between 1833 and 1855, 36 Presidential administrations ruled the country. Mexico lost half its territory: Central America rejected its rule in 1823, Texas seceded in 1836, a border dispute resulted in the U.S./Mexican war between 1846 and 1848 which resulted in the loss of what is now New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California, Nevada, and parts of Colorado.

Question 13

Mexico for 20 years after the war with the U.S. (1848 - 1867).

Answer 13

Constitution of 1857 incorporated ideals of a democratic government, bill of rights, and limited the influence of the Catholic Church. In 1861 Spain, France, and Great Britain invaded to collect debts. France went so far as to occupy Mexico City and install Emperor Maximilian until Maximilian was defeated and executed in 1867.

Question 14

Benito Juarez

Answer 14

President who defeated Maximilian.

Question 15

the Porfiriato

Answer 15

34 years of stability (1876 - 1910) under authoritarian rule of Porfirio Diaz.

Question 16

Result of the Porfiriato

Answer 16

Rapid growth and development, but increasing resentment among the poor because they were forced off their land and anger among the middle and upper classes because of Diaz’s monopoly on power.

Question 17

Mexican Revolution

Answer 17

1910 – ended the Porfiriato, fought by a variety of forces for a variety of reasons.

Question 18

Twitter version of Mexican Revolution

Answer 18

Diaz promised an open election in 1910. Middle and upper class fought Diaz. Peasants fought middle and upper class because of land rights. Diaz repressed growing dissent, but lost and was sent into exile. New leader assassinated after using the military to suppress revolts to his rule. Political order collapsed.

Question 19

Pancho Villa

Answer 19

Key figure in revolution that ousted Diaz.

Question 20

Emiliano Zapata

Answer 20

Most well known of the leaders among the peasants in their demand for land reform.

Question 21

1917

Answer 21

New Mexican constitution establishing a formal set of political institutions and guaranteeing a range of progressive rights including agrarian reform, social security, the right to form unions, minimum wage, an 8 hour workday, profit sharing for workers, secular public education system, and universal male suffrage.

Question 22

Suffrage for Women

Answer 22

Did not occur in Mexico until 1953 for local elections and 1958 for national elections.

Question 23

Sonoran Dynasty

Answer 23

Group of revolutionary leaders from northern state of Sonora who gradually consolidated power. Led by Plutarco Elias Calles, this introduced the PRI and 70 years of uninterrupted one party rule.

Question 24

Ejido

Answer 24

Land granted by the Mexican government to an organized group of peasants.

Question 25

Rule of the PRI until 1940

Answer 25

Initially (until 1940) mobilized peasants and workers in pursuit of more radical goals of the revolution. Distributed land under ejido, providing an enduring base of support for the government. Expanded government. Took petroleum industry from foreign investors and put it under government control.

Question 26

Rule of the PRI from 1940 to 1982

Answer 26

Patronage, industrialization, and accumulation of wealth gradually replaced earlier egalitarian reforms. Growth initially spiked but then stagnated in parallel with increasing dissatisfaction with authoritarian rule. Large oil deposits were discovered that prompted massive investment but then collapse in oil prices led to Mexico’s default on their debt and an economic downturn.

Question 27

Rule of PRI from 1982 to 2000

Answer 27

Economic crisis of 1982 led to reforms that limited the government’s role in the economy and reduced barriers to international trade (NAFTA in 1993.) Nonetheless, economic volatility continued, prompting political instability.

Question 28

Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Answer 28

Guerrilla movement of 1990s demanding land, democracy, indigenous rights, and repeal of NAFTA.

Question 29

2000

Answer 29

Vincente Fox elected first non-PRI president in 70 years.

Question 30

Administration of Vincente Fox

Answer 30

Unsuccessful both domestically and internationally. Domestically, he did not have a cooperative congress to pass his legislative priorities. Internationally, September 11th led the United States to restrict immigration and focus attention away from Latin America. The PRI returned to power in 2012 in a peaceful transition.

Question 31

War on Drugs and Organized Crime

Answer 31

Cooperative effort between Mexico and the United States that led to the arrest or death of many leading drug cartel leaders but also started a wave of violence across the country. The resulting violence resulted in thousands of deaths, tarnished the country’s reputation, and undermined confidence in the government to maintain law and order.

Question 32

Corporatist State

Answer 32

A state in which interest groups become an institutionalized part of the state.

Question 33

Civil Society

Answer 33

The space occupied by voluntary associations outside of the state such as professional associations (doctors, lawyers, teachers), trade unions, religious bodies, and student groups.

Question 34

Comparison with Russia and China

Answer 34

Framed by social revolution but driven by democratic ideology not communism.