Long-Essay #1

A revolution is a basic change in the structure of an organization or power system that takes place within a very short period. A political revolution is brought about by radical changes in the power system of a country, and it may be characterized by constitutional modifications or a shift in constitutions. The Mexican Revolution referred to the period in Mexico when Francisco I. Madero led an uprising against Porfirio Diaz. The former was a revolutionary, and a Mexican statesman who was instrumental in fighting the then president Porfirio was a dictator. The latter was an autocrat who had served as the Mexican president for more than three decades. However, it is argued that it is during the Madero’s reign that the economy of Mexico followed faltering steps and worsened the social change (Henderson 146). The revolution was characterized by revolts and constant shifts in political powers. The armed struggle started in the year 1910 and lasted for almost a decade till 1920s. The 1940s has sparked serious discussions about the nature of the Mexican revolution or its end due to various reasons. For instance, the revolution triggered the evolution of basic economic institutions in the country. The economic institutions were transformed as a result. For instance, basic agriculture was replaced by the oil industry that was formerly owned by foreigners and then nationalized. Additionally, the establishment of public schools, recognition of labor unions and the distribution of land to the peasants represent some of the changes that took place after the revolution. Hence by 1940s, it was clear that, Cárdenas honeymoon with the trade unions had come to an end, and the fact that both the rail and petroleum sectors were facing serious crisis (Teichman 55). The discussions about the events of 1940s ascertain that various arguments on whether the evolution ended or not have been in existence for some time. This is because the revolution brought about various changes that were instrumental to the economic, social and political attributes of Mexico. The 1940s signaled a new direction for the revolution but not its death. The aspect is depicted by the various distinctive changes that the country was experiencing at the time. After the Mexican political revolution, other lesser revolutions evolved. The changes in politics and political systems created a platform in which concrete decisions regarding the different sectors of the Mexican economy were discussed. Through such discussions, new policies were formulated and later implemented. The policies, in this case, prompted further lesser revolutions in different sectors that played a great role in the lives of the Mexicans. The formation of the famous green revolution in agriculture after 1940s is one of the significant changes that took place in Mexico. The Green Revolution was prompted by the joint efforts of the Mexican Agricultural program (MAP) and Rockefeller Foundation. The main aim of the MAP was to increase production and industrialization of agriculture in Mexico by the use of various agricultural practices such as fertilizers, pesticides, and crop breeding. Additionally, other sectors experienced changes too. For instance, in 1940s, the issues of modernity, domestic politics and corruption took a new direction (Niblo 5). The corruption issue signified yet another twist in the political life of Mexicans.

Some observers believe that the Mexican revolution is dead after 1940 due to various factors. Observers, in this case, support their claims by referring to the reduction in the number of military conquests and revolutions. The observers do not focus on the minimal changes like the ones that took place in agriculture as substantive enough. Therefore, their claim is embedded in the fact that from the 1940s there were minimal cases of military uprising that signified the death of the Mexican revolution. Further on, observers believed that the revolution died in 1940s because of the increased cases of unfavorable conditions such as political corruption and capitalism. The two aspects could bring forth adverse effects to the unstable country hence the death of the anticipated revolution.

On the contrary, some observers have argued that the revolution was alive and well after 1940s. They too backed up their argument with a combination of observable factors and claims. For instance, the formation of new organizations such as the Mexican Agricultural Program was one of the concrete reasons that observers used to support their arguments. Additionally, the new economic and political changes evident in the country after the 1940s depict the live notion of the revolution. The effort by the Mexican government to overcome the Mexican miracle by reducing industrial importations by substitution was one of the economic development strategies after the political revolution. The results of these changes were depicted by the economic growth of the country by 5-6% between 1940s and 1960s. Mexican migration and the related policies and the reduction of rampant racial discrimination are some of the arguments that observers put across to support their live claims (Graham 24).

Some people believe that the Mexican revolution was not a true social revolution owing to its major setbacks it had on the social platform. The revolution did not include only a single movement. Through the various undertakings by these movements, the aspect of the social revolution was severely fought. The participation of the people from different social groups to various political activities of Mexico was limited. For instance, there was increased levels of income inequalities leading to the development of social classes. In this regard, the attributes of the social revolution were not realized hence its non-existence.

The 1940s did not depict the death of the social movement due to the various positive impacts that were associated with the Mexican revolution. The evolution triggered various political and economic changes in the country thereby upholding all the features a social revolutionary movement. The country’s economic propellers such as agriculture and industrialization encountered some severe diversification processes thereby triggering the anticipated social revolution. The impacts of these undertakings by the then governments were depicted by various national indicators. For instance, between 1939 and1954 agriculture had contributed to about 20% of the gross national production. Additionally,   it led to significant effects on the transport, industrialization and communication sectors. From the arguments, it is clear that the decade of forties did not end the practice of social movement.

The decade of forties did not end the idea of Mexican revolution as a political change. The revolution opened up a series of political changes where the political leaders undertook various policies to help them in the governance process. The claim can be backed up by various instances of political change that took place in the country after the revolution. The deportation of Calles by Cardenas to the United States depicts the political and revolutionary changes that took place in Mexico. Political assassinations, unrests and the formation of various political parties depict the changes that took place after the revolution (Gonzales 219).

Long-Essay #2

The impacts of Mass Media on Mexican Culture

The mass media plays a great role in the dissemination of information to the citizens of a country. Mass media incorporates all the various technologies that are geared towards mass communication. The various mass media platforms in Mexico include the newspapers, internet, radio and television among others. The information that is conveyed will have significant impacts on the various attributes of human beings. For instance, the cultural values of the people are significantly affected by the media information. The essay will explore the significant cultural consequences that are attributed to different mass media platforms in Mexico. The various aspects of culture such as integration and enrichment will be lengthily discussed in this essay.

Firstly, mass media has been a vital tool in enhancing globalization of people into one cultural group in Mexico and its environs. Globalization has various spill-over effects on the culture of people. For instance, globalization has been instrumental in replacing the concept of cultural imperialism that had since weakened the cultural unity of the people (John 41). The contribution of mass media in upholding the cultural hybridity of the people in Mexico has been phenomenal. Cultural hybridity is characterized by several distinctive features. For instance, the feature of mixing previously separate cultural systems has a significant effect on the cultural values of the people. Secondly, the changes of the cultural practices from the original environment to new contexts have been very essential in bring about the anticipated hybridity of culture. The third feature of cultural hybridity is the the mixing of several cultural practices. In Mexico, impure cultural genres are depicted by the artisans who weave tapestries of masterpieces of European painters such as Joan Mira. The mix between the art and folk art works depicts higher cases of cultural hybridity (García Canclini 65).Increased networking and penetration of the mass media in the Mexico has been instrumental in influencing the lifestyle of the people in the interior zones of the country. The Mexican media has significant in enhance the cases self-identification and nationalism among the people. Mexicans can identify themselves with their unique cultures. The aspect of cultural identification has been influenced by the availability of television and radio transmissions in the interior of Mexico (Standish 77). The religion and the mode of feeding of the Mexicans have been greatly influenced by the mass media. This has been depicted by the increased cases of new churches and the introduction of new diets in the interior. The various information regarding diets, new fashions, religions has been disseminated through internet, television and radios hence diversification.

Short Answer Questions

1. The failure of Francisco I. Madero to stabilize his version of Mexican revolution can be attributed to various reasons. Firstly, after winning the elections of 1911, Madero failed to implement some of the policies he was advocating for, and this raised a lot of criticism from his initial supporters. Among them were the land policy reform and the social reform policy. This made Oronzo, one of his captains, to break away from Madero and organized his army called Orozqistas, hence diluting the support Madero had. Secondly, the media took advantage of media freedom it enjoyed to criticize Madero’s Governance and more so on the Madero’s handling of the three rebellions that broke up soon after his assumption of power. This sparked a lot of concerns from the public.
2. The Sonora dynasty is very crucial in the history of México; owing to the various roles it played that shaped the history of México. The Sonora dynasty refers to, one of the famous 32 federal entities of México. The significant role played by the dynasty is that it is the home of the eight indigenous peoples, among them Mayo, Yaqui, and Seri. It is also known for its luxuriant crop and beef farming and mining. Sonora is also known as a historical site. Remains of clay vessels have been found dating 750CE. It also hosts the famous traditions of Trincheras, Huatabampo and Central Coast.
3. The Mexican economic miracle had several setbacks that made it unsustainable as the years progressed. The miracle refers to the country’s comprehensive economic strategy. By the late 1950s, the government had calmed down popular movements to enhance and protect capital. The miracle came about when substitution of imports strategy was adopted, between 1940-1960, which saw Mexico achieve a growth rate of above 5%. The situation changed drastically starting from 1970s to early 1980s when President Jose Lopez started using the anticipated finances from freshly discovered oil reserves as collateral to secure loans to finance Mexican development projects. However, during the energy crisis of 1982, oil prices fell significantly, which made Mexico unable to pay the loans previously secured.

Works Cited

Teichman, Judith A. Privatization and political change in Mexico. University of Pittsburgh Pre, 1996.

Henderson, Peter VN. In the Absence of Don Porfirio: Francisco León de la Barra and the Mexican Revolution. Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.

Top of Form

Standish, Peter, and Steven M. Bell. Culture and Customs of Mexico. Westport, Conn. ;London: Greenwood Press, 2003. Print.

Bottom of Form

García Canclini, Néstor. “Hybrid cultures.” Strategies for entering and leaving modernity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press (1995).

John, Tomlinson. “Globalization and culture.” Cambridge: Polity (1999).

Top of Form

Graham, Richard, Thomas E. Skidmore, Aline Helg, and Alan Knight. The Idea of Race in Latin America, 1870-1940. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990. Print.

Bottom of Form

Gonzales, Michael J. The Mexican Revolution, 1910 – 1940. Albuquerque, NM: Univ. of New Mexico Pr, 2002. Print.

Niblo, Stephen R. Mexico in the 1940s: Modernity, Politics

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