What is Cardenismo? Origins and history of the movement
A review of this social and political movement in Mexican history.
The history of humanity and how it has structured its society is complex and convulsive. Throughout history there have been many revolutions and socio-political movements that have been generated to change society, often when there are widespread situations of great social unrest, famine, hunger and perceived inequality among citizens. The clearest and best known example of this is the French Revolution.
However, it is not the only one, just as Europe is not the only continent in which they have occurred. Another example, this time in Mexico, can be found in the political movement known as the Cardenal. the political movement known as Cardenismowhich we are going to talk about in this article.
What is Cardenismo?
Cardenismo is a political movement that took place in Mexico during the thirties and owes its name to its main promoter, President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río. its name comes from its main promoter, President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río.. This political movement took place in a time of great conflict, following a peasant revolution, and is characterized by the search for an improvement in the situation of the peasants and other working classes.
It is defined as a socialist movement that, although it initially had little acceptance by the classes it was intended to favor, with the passage of time it ended up generating important socioeconomic changes. eventually generated important socioeconomic changes, to the point of being considered one of theIt is considered one of the political periods that have generated the most changes in the situation of the country.
A little history: the origins of this movement
In order to understand what Cardenismo is and how it arose, it is first necessary to take into account the situation from which it started. The origins of this political movement can be found in the arrival to power of Porfirio Diaz under the promise of establishing a democracy and his subsequent permanence in office, becoming a dictator and remaining in power by force of arms and the support of a privileged circle.
As the years went by, the population, especially the workers and peasants, began to suffer serious repercussions, with no protection for the working classes, but poverty and great differences. Movements against the regime began to emerge, as well as multiple conflicts and armed struggles in which leaders such as Madero and Zapata participated. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 arose to overthrow the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz..
After the destitution and flight of the dictator, the new leader and organizer of a great part of the Revolution, Madero, began to make great changes. However, he was assassinated in 1913, which returned the country to a situation of great social tension, political struggles and inequalities. The Cristeros War, an armed conflict in protest to the policies exercised by President Obregón and his successor Plutarco Elías Calles, also took place shortly thereafter.
Calles was a military man who defended the need to put an end to political tension by means of arms and sought to further empower the army, with a vision contrary to the working class. At the same time, this period would also see the effects of the Great Depressionwhich left the Mexican people as a whole in a precarious situation.
In 1933, with the elections a year away, two great confronting positions appeared: the traditional and military-like position of Calles or another one much more centered on the workers and laborers, which sought a democratic regeneration and which was led by Lázaro Cárdenas. During the 1934 elections it was the latter who would win, something that would make Cárdenas president again and would give birth to Cardenismo.
Cárdenas would propose in order to reduce the high level of social conflict to renew political life and return to an ideal of democracy, as well as to fight for the rights of the poor.He also proposed to fight for the rights of the different social classes and groups and to try to reduce social differences and the abuses of large landowners and businessmen. Likewise, the Mexican president was open to relations with other countries and welcomed a large number of immigrants fleeing from conflicts such as the Spanish Civil War.
Main political reforms
There were multiple changes that Cardenismo intended to make in order to improve the country's situation and recover socio-political stability, some of which were very controversial at the time.
The first of these was linked to a profound agrarian reform, which sought to distribute land among workers and peasants and reduce the power of the large landowners. The aim was to promote the development and cultivation of land, iron out social differences and transform the social fabric.
Associations such as the National Peasant Confederation and the Confederation of Workers of Mexico were formed, and the power and role of trade unions and strikes were encouraged.. In this sense, laws were also advocated in which
Educational policies also arose to improve the education of the working classes, aiming to offer a progressive and socialist-oriented training with which he also intended to reduce religious fanaticism as well as to train qualified professionals. He introduced free, secular and compulsory education up to the age of fifteen.and generated an increase in literacy in rural areas.
Another of the most well known moments of the Cardenista period is the expropriation of oilfields and oil companies, which was intended to regain control of the country.This was intended to recover control of these resources for the country itself, but at the same time it was a great source of conflict and unrest with the businessmen who owned the companies. The railroad industry was also nationalized.
End of Cardenism
Despite the changes in social policies introduced by Cardenismo, the truth is that this political movement faced numerous difficulties that led to its downfall.
To begin with, its various policies policies in pursuit of equality and education of the people, although they did generate an improvement at theAlthough they generated an improvement in literacy, they could not be fully implemented due to the entrenched social differences as well as the risks and lack of preparation of teachers in an environment that was often hostile to them.
Policies such as the nationalization of oil, which led to international unrest, and the high level of spending during the implementation of a country that at the time did not have excessively favorable economic conditions (it must also be taken into account that the world was still feeling the effects of the Great Depression) led to the emergence of a deep economic crisis. the emergence of a deep economic crisis..
In addition, some sectors of society considered that the Cárdenas regime betrayed the spirit of the Revolution, in addition to resorting to populism and allowing itself to be influenced by the influence of foreign countries and their political systems. Cardenismo was accused of being both fascist and communist (especially the latter), something that together with the above mentioned elements diminished its popularity.
Also, the old landowners and businessmen saw the social and economic reforms as threatening and many citizens began to see the established policies of change as excessively radical.
Some riots and revolts appeared, such as the Saturnino Cedillo, which led to several deaths, and fear of the emergence of a new civil war began to appear. All of this caused the voices of discontent to eventually The opposition (initially very divided) was gaining prestige.
The last years of the forties were convulsive, with Cardenismo passing into a more moderate phase due to the great social tensions and the beginning of preparations for the 1940 electoral campaigns. President Cárdenas tried to generate free elections, being one of the objectives of Cardenismo to try to revitalize the ideal of democracy.
However, during these elections there were numerous accusations of corruption and manipulation. Cardenismo came to an end in these elections, with the leader of the recently reformulated Partido de la Revolución Mexicana Manuel Ávila Camacho obtaining the presidency.
Bibliographical references:
- Knight, A. (1994). "Cardenismo: Juggernaut or Jalopy?" J. of Latin Am. Studies 26.
- Becker, M. (1995). Setting the Virgin on Fire: Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán Peasants, and the Redemption of the Mexican Revolution. Berkeley: University of California Press.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)