IDEOLOGIES THAT FORMED MEXICO AS A NATION STATE - HISTORY - 2025

The ideologies that formed Mexico as a nation state are liberalism, conservatism, and revolutionary radicalism. All of these were confronted once the country's independence from the Spanish Empire was achieved in 1821.

From then on, the struggle between liberals and conservatives for the establishment of the new state began in Mexico, to replace the old colonial structures.

The liberals or progressives fought for the establishment of the federal republic and the conservatives supported the thesis of establishing a centralist state.

This process of shaping and integrating the nation state will be affected by a prolonged period of political turmoil and internal wars between the different factions in conflict.

The 4 main ideologies that formed Mexico as a nation state

1- Conservatism

Defining conservative and liberal ideologies in Mexico is difficult due to their peculiar characteristics and the historical process of formation.

The Mexican conservatives opposed the changes and defended the pre-independence order.

After the proclamation of the independence of Mexico from New Spain on August 24, 1821, and the unsuccessful attempts of the Catholic clergy and peninsular whites to reestablish the absolutist monarchy, the rise to power of Agustín de Iturbide was used to achieve this.

Iturbide, a signatory to the Treaty of Córdoba along with Juan de O'Donojú, the last head of New Spain, was proclaimed emperor in May 1822.

Then he was crowned with the name of Augustine I. In this way, the monarchy and the conservatives were reinstated in power.

But in December of that year, Antonio López de Santa Anna provoked a civil revolt by proclaiming the Plan of Veracruz, which inspired the republican ideas of the former insurgents who were dissatisfied and disappointed with the new imperial regime.

With the signing of the Casa Mata Plan in February 1823, Bourbonists and Republicans gathered their forces and caused the overthrow of Iturbide, who, faced with popular and military pressure, abdicated in March 1823 and fled to Europe.

Thus, in just months, Mexico went from the federal Republic to the absolutist monarchy and then to the liberal Republic.

On October 4, 1824, the new Constitution of the Mexican state was approved and the republic and federalism were adopted as a form of government.

2- Liberalism

Mexican liberalism defended in theory the transformation of the country, individual freedoms and the secularization of the state (separating the Church from the State).

For the Mexican liberal ideological current it was also important that individual freedoms were manifested in all areas: thought, press, association, economy, among others; and in the equality of citizens before the State.

However, it was not possible to leave behind the deep-rooted colonial culture of privileges, the social division into classes, nor the culture of subjects instead of citizens, economic underdevelopment and corruption, among other elements.

It can be said that due to the colonial legacy and the process of political and social formation of the Mexican people, the liberal ideology failed to fully develop in Mexico as in other nations of the world.

3- Revolutionary radicalism

After the expulsion in 1855 of Antonio López de Santa Anna from the presidency of the republic, there were 48 changes of government in Mexico, two per year on average, over almost half a century.

It was a convulsed and disintegrated country, a state without real institutions or democracy, governed by regional leaders.

It is during the governments of Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz that the current modern nation-state begins to consolidate.

The public powers began to function and the country achieved a certain political stability, in addition to becoming a nation.

However, it was not a democratic exercise of power either, since it had more autocratic than institutional features.

This period gave way to the Mexican Revolution, which began on November 20, 1910 with the armed uprising led by Francisco Madero against President Porfirio Díaz, after 30 years in power.

In the Mexican Revolution socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarian ideologies converged.

It began as an armed struggle against the established order, but later turned into a civil war.

4- Establishment of the nation state

Scholars of the subject conclude that the creation of the nation state in Mexico preceded the establishment of a true Mexican nation.

This is due to the marked contrasts between their social classes, interests, political antagonisms and dominant ideologies in the country during the 19th century.

Furthermore, the fathers and ideologues of the modern Mexican state, after the country achieved its emancipation from the Spanish Crown, privileged the notion of a national state over that of a nation state.

References

1. Ferrer Muñoz, Manuel: The formation of a national state in Mexico. (The Empire and the Federal Republic: 1821-1835). Retrieved on December 13, 2017 from books.google.co.ve
2. The origins of Mexican liberalism. Elites and power groups in Puebla (1833-1857). Consulted of scielo.org.mx
3. The ideologies that shaped Mexico as a State / Nation. Consulted of eduteka.icesi.edu.co
4. Menchaca, Martínez and Gutiérrez. History of Mexico II. Mexico. Homeland. 2010. Consulted of editorialpatria.com.mx
5. History of Mexico II. Consulted from third partyhmii.blogspot.com
6. History of Mexico / The Mexican Revolution. Consulted of es.wikibooks.org