Presentation Outline III. Citizens, Society, and the State Political socialization Cleavages Interest groups Civil Society

III. a) Political socialization Review: How would you define political socialization? Family The Media The Roman Catholic Church University campuses

The Media Prior to 2000 no television news coverage was critical of the ruling PRI party Although Mexico’s media is largely privatized (in contrast to China and Russia) Mexico’s largest TV station, Televisa, was accused by PAN and PRD supporters of giving PRI presidential candidate Enrique Nieto biased coverage during the 2012 election campaign, helping him to win

The Catholic Church 85% of Mexicans are Catholic Before 1992 Catholic clergy were not allowed to vote In 1992 the Mexican Constitution was amended to officially recognize the Catholic Church The Church continues to influence educational and family planning policies. Many priests have also supported efforts to address poverty in indigenous communities

University Campuses Since the late 1960s university campuses have been a hotbed of leftist and socialist political activity Students are major supporters of the PRD and have also been sympathetic to indigenous movements This student protestor claims that the TV networks helped PRI get into power and are making Mexico less democratic

III. b) Cleavages Indigenous Peoples (Chiapas) Mestizos/Europeans Review: How would you define a coinciding cleavage? Indigenous Peoples (Chiapas) Mestizos/Europeans Southern Mexico- rural Northern Mexico-urban poor Middle class, wealthy Politically marginalized Politically influential

Indigenous cleavage Zapatistas The EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Front) began in 1994 in the southern state of Chiapas in protest to the signing of the NAFTA treaty.  The Zapatista rebellion was based on ethnicity - the Amerindian disaffection for the mestizo, urban-based government.  Although the Zapatistas have officially renounced violence, their problems remain largely unresolved – possibility of future conflict

The Zapatistas are based in Chiapas, a largely indigenous region of Southern Mexico

North-South divide: Most of Mexico’s indigenous population lives south of Mexico City.

In 1994 Zapatista revolutionaries attempted to seize control of the state of Chiapas, killed several government officials, occupied several private farms, and attempted to redistribute lands to poor peasants. The Mexican army was sent in to restore order but the Zapatistas were not forced to surrender. Zapatista Commander “Marcos” surrounded by loyal supporters.

Income gap According to the OECD, richer Mexicans earn more than 26 times more than poor Mexicans. Income inequality in Mexico is significantly higher than other states in North America.

North-South Divide: Mexico City and the North are significantly wealthier than the South. The five poorest states are all found in the Southern part of the country.

III. c) Interest Groups Big Business During the period of PRI one party rule the interest group system was corporatist. Two main interest groups dominated the policymaking process, both of which continue to wield considerable influence despite the attempt to dismantle the state corporatist system in 2000 Confederation of Mexican Workers

Corporatism in Mexico under PRI rule, 1934-2000 How does corporatism limit the representative and democratic process? Articulates interest and influences policy Articulates interest and influences policy Aggregates interests into government policy

Interest Group arrangement since 2000 Mexican Government Major Influence Major Influence Towards a Pluralist system but limited

III. d) Civil Society The state of Mexican civil society Demonstrations and protest movements

Review: why is the growth of civil society crucial to the stability and success of democracies? Left: Graph showing the % of the workforce employed in civil society organizations. Why do you think Mexico ranks so low? What does this tell us about civil society in Mexico and the future prospects of democracy in Mexico?

Press Freedoms Being a journalist in Mexico is a dangerous profession, especially if speaking out against politicians or covering the ongoing drug wars According to Freedom House, Mexico’s press is considered to be NOT FREE- in the same category as China and Russia

Press freedoms have gotten worse not better in Mexico since 2003

Demonstrations and Protest Movements Tlatelolco Plaza 1968 Students in Mexico used the 1968 Summer Olympics as an occasion to voice their discontent with PRI’s repressive rule, demanding more democracy and freedoms The government order police and the Mexican military to crush the demonstration. This resulted in hundreds of deaths. This was Mexico’s equivalent of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre

2006 Presidential Election protests Thousands of citizens protested the close results of the 2006 presidential election. Many claimed that the election was fraudulent and that PRD candidate Obrador had been robbed of the presidency In Spanish: “Responsible for defending democracy”

2008 Mexican Farmers’ Protest Ramon Garcia, who grows corn just outside Mexico City, said he couldn't afford to fertilize his crop this year and had to rent a tractor to till his field. “The work is too much work for too little return,” he said. Thousands of Mexican farmers took to the streets to protests NAFTA and demand that the Mexican government renegotiate this treaty with the US and Canada. Corn farmers complain that they cannot compete with cheaper US corn.