México as two terrains of strugglein the 19th Century
1. Geopolitical struggle
Class antagonisms:
Landed Capital IndustrialBourgeoisie
Peasants UrbanWorkers
National Struggles
Mexicans versus Spanish
Mexicans versus French
This period can also be seen in termsof the fluctuations in territorialsovereignty
2. Ideological Struggles: Liberalismversus Conservatism
i. Propertya. End of peasant communes in 1857individual title given to indigenous peasants:Lerdo had meant only to end CatholicChurch control of property but a newgovernment in 1857 included Indianproperties as well
origin of contemporary distinction between:propiedad comunitaria andpropiedad privada known as pequeñapropiedad after the revolution(propiedad ejidal comes as result ofpost-revolutionary reform)
b. End of church propertiesCatholic Church owned 25% of urbanproperties(end of tithes as well)
‘Scramble for Church properties (esp. urban)in 1858
ii. Labor:Under Liberalism:Free Labor replacesBonded Labor
a. final (legal) blow toencomiendaend of debt peonageending (legally) tienda deraya
b. freedom to move to urbanareas
c. together with changesin property relations, anend to the bond betweenmany indigenous peoplesand specific places.
Forced Labor Systemsin Mexico1. Post-Conquest
RepartimientoIndigenouscommunities supplylabor
2. EncomiendaIndians are tied tolandHacendados(landlords) arelegallyentitled to useIndian labor(Independence endsencomienda &Slavery)
3. Debt PeonageBonded by debt:debtors cannot moveto new locations butmust work off debt.
Political Independence, Class andNationalismThe defense of Mexican Sovereignty afterindependence created bizarre twists in therealpolitik of Mexican governance. In essence,the split between liberals and conservativescreated the conditions necessary for colonialpowers (US and Europe) to invade and conquerMexico.(Back to the Future?: Aztecs and the Spanish)I. La invasión norteamericana (US Invasion)
1. 1846: war declared on Mexico2. 1847: Niños Heroes: batalla de chapultepec3. Mexico loses 1/2 of its national territory
1. La invasion francesa: The French invasionwas supported by Conservatives seeking toregain Church land and end Ley Lerdo landreforms
2. The French opted in favor of dispossessingChurch properties and pushed the end of debtpeonage, returned properties taken fromIndian communities and pushed land reform!Remember the French Revolution andNapoleon?
Again, maps aid us inconceptualizing the politicalstruggles…
Liberalism: Bourgeois Individualismi. ideals drawn from Jeffersonian democracy
and the French Revolution
ii. French rulers in Mexico were in favor ofequitable development
3. Conservatives teamed up to bring backLiberals (Benito Júarez is Back)!!!!!, but anew, chastened liberalism
End of land reform until revolutionreturn of tienda de raya and debt peonageChurch lands not returnedIndigenous peoples mostly did not get lands
back
4. French kicked out: Maximiliano has headchopped off. French reinvasion defeated inBattle of PueblaCinco de Mayo! Celebration of anti-imperialism
Porfiriado and the Lessons of Liberalism 1. Porfirismo, brought an anti-humanist form of
modernity to Mexico 2. Porfirio Diaz and 19th Century Modernization
a. Railways and comparative development
