Mexico, NAFTA and the Hardships of Progress

Since the 16th century, Mexico has in many ways been held captive by outsiders. In the modern era, outsiders have most often made their impact through control of the Mexican economy and helping to establish a ruling elite while millions of ordinary citizens face abject poverty. With the advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico’s leadership predicted a new wave of economic progress in the country. However, a devaluation of the peso showed that the Mexican economy was as problematical as before. This work first examines the sociopolitical history of the country, and how the events of the past continue to influence the government’s policies. Mexico’s post–NAFTA future is then explored, with particular emphasis placed on how economic policy could evolve in a period of free trade. A 2013 postscript concludes the work.

Richard Krooth lives in Berkeley, California.

Richard Krooth
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 396
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013 [1995]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7605-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0597-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      vii
Introduction      1

Part I • A Portrait of Mexico Past&      21
1 From Inquisition to Independence      23
2 From Empire to the War of Reform      57

Part II • Return to the Past&      73
3 Revolution, Independence, and Imperial Impositions      74

Part III • Looking Forward: Old Ways, New Means&      111
4 Nationalism, Development, and Foreign Influence in the Late 1920s and the 1930s      113
5 Nationalism and Industrial Reform in the 1930s      137
6 Nationalization and Imperial Oil      146
7 A Historic Breakthrough      156

Part IV • From the Status Quo Ante to the Policy of Progress&      165
8 Mexico’s Historic Transformation      169
9 The Policy of Progress
I: The Lost Half-Century, 1940–94      186
10 The Policy of Progress
II: Reconquest and Proletarianization of the Land      200

Part V • From the Old Status Quo to a New Order&      217
11 Domestic Reorganization and the Emergent Zone of Influence      222
12 Free Trade and the Great U.S. Transformation      233
13 NAFTA: A Divisive Pact      249
14 The New Sphere of Influence      264
15 Political Boundaries, Unified Economy, and Maquiladoras      277
16 In the Domain of Each Nation      290

Part VI • Steps to Mexico’s Future      305
17 Democracy Led by a Few: Government Frame for the New Order      311
18 The War on Civil Society      324
19 Mexico in the Twenty-first Century      328

Postscript (2013)      335
Notes      341
Bibliography      367
Index      381

“a very useful discussion and history of capital and labor relations in the two countries”—Choice.