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Essay / The Rapid Metamorphosis of Mexican Government
The Mexican Revolution was a period in Mexican history when the entire political, economic, and social fabric of Mexico was plunged into rapid transformation. During this period, the principles that founded Mexico – the role of Native Americans in society, the power of the Church, isolation against foreign imperialism, the role of heavy bureaucracies and hierarchies – were called into question by the Mexican people. Ideologies such as nationalism, neoliberalism, socialism, and anarchism have seeped into the collective consciousness of the Mexican people, sparking a push for political reforms. Radicals and reformists like Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Venustiano Carranza and Álvaro Obregón rose from the ashes of the reign of Porfirio Díaz and Victoriano Huerta. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Mexico's volatile history of colonization, foreign occupation, imperialist rule, and revolution continues to unfold affect his present. However, the three most influential developments resulting from the revolution itself were the inclusion of Article 3 in the 1917 Constitution, the connection of Mexico to the United States, and the formation of the National Revolutionary Party in 1929. inclusion of Article 3 in the 1917 Constitution. The 1917 Constitution was one of the most influential developments resulting from the Mexican Revolution. The 1917 Constitution, particularly Article 3, required that education be compulsory. Preschool, primary and secondary education were included in compulsory education. In order to satisfy the 1917 Constitution, the Mexican government had to devote most of its budget to building schools for rural municipalities and hiring teachers. The inclusion of this article allowed José Vasconcelos, head of the Ministry of Education from 1920 -1924, to implement Russian communist policies and practices into the Mexican education system. During this period, 1,000 rural schools were opened. Before 1900, less than 15% of the Mexican population was literate. Thanks to Article 3, in 1940, 50% of the population was literate. The increase in literacy in Mexico, and any country for that matter, is an important development because literacy is a good measure of education for a country. As the population becomes more literate, more people will pursue higher education and advanced careers, allowing Mexico to have a larger pool of professionals to draw on. The advancement of an educated population in Mexico meant a broader democratic base and a more robust economic system. The second most influential development resulting from the Mexican Revolution was the revival of relations between Mexico and the United States. From the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the skirmishes along the Mexico-United States border to the occupation of Veracruz, relations between Mexico and the United States have always been tense. Franklin Roosevelt implemented his Good Neighbor Policy in which he pledged not to intervene in the affairs of Latin American countries. From this new relationship was born NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. The North American Free Trade Agreement, although there is controversy over its imperialist nature, brought Mexico into the global trade market by linking it to the two greatest powers in the Western Hemisphere, the United States -United States and Canada. Many researchers have linked NAFTA to the increased flow of illicit drugs.