WHY MEXICO, CHAPTER 5 (Part I)

Who are the Political Class? Why do politicians cheat so much? Why is there so much insecurity, migration, and unemployment?

BACKGROUND OF THE POLITICAL SUBCULTURE

Politicians have always been present in all societies, and from the beginning their behavior has been determined by their taste for power and the way they understand the teachings or orders of their leader.

   In Mexico, the Political Subculture began with the Spanish Colonization. Getting a membership of this group was difficult. The aspirants had to buy their assignments and they had to belong to families of good reputation.

   Initially this Subculture was integrated by Spaniards and their heirs of pure blood.

   The war of independence expelled the Spaniards and gave admission to the mestizos and some natives.

   The huge social outbreak that was the Mexican Revolution, opened its membership to friends and relatives of the military leaders, giving rise to the modern Political Class.

   This political class had as many leaders as participants, because they were all leaders and followers at the same time. They converted everything that their leaders said and did, into pristine guidelines and examples of justice.

Understanding politics as a total submission to the leader became the norm.

INVOLVEMENT OF THE POLITICAL SUBCULTURE IN MEXICAN CULTURE

   As mentioned, this subculture influences all Mexicans and is the backbone of the Political Class.

   We will concentrate in the Political Class because it is the physical evidence of the existence of this subculture, and we will discuss particularly, how they have twisted history to create “alternate realities” in which politicians and society have lost their way.

   All this to understand the involvement of the Political Subculture in Mexican Culture.

   One of this alternate realities is one put in place to explain how it was that Venustiano Carranza enters history as a democrat, becomes a tyrant, is hunted and killed like a thieve, and finally is remembered as a hero sharing credits with his killers.

   In 1919, Carranza decided that his successor to the presidency should be a civilian not a military, appointed Ignacio Bonilla, who was his ambassador in Washington, as candidate of the official party. Alvaro Obregon, the general who lead Carranza’s army to overthrow Huerta, made an alliance with Plutarco Elías Calles (friend and arms mate) to overthrow Carranza.

   The manifesto was launched as “Plan de Agua Prieta”, and says:

PROVIDED:

       I.            That the sovereignty of the Nation is the property of the people: and that the power of government officials is granted by the people and is only a partial delegation of sovereignty made by the people…

    II.            Venustiano Carranza, now President of the Republic, became the leader of a political party, and in pursuing the success of such a political party he has repeatedly deceived the popular vote…

 III.            That the deeds and procedures exposed are also in disobedience to our constitutional mandates…

IV.            That after trying in vain to review such matters with the President of the Republic through legal procedures… We have decided to commit ourselves to faithfully comply with what follows.

Plan to reinstate democracy.

Art. I. Venustiano Carranza ceases in his function as head of the federal government.

………………………

 

   Carranza fled to Veracruz. He was chased and killed by soldiers who supported the coup.

   The reasons for overthrowing Carranza were all true. The sayings that the inauguration of Obregon fulfilled the project of all the leaders of the revolution, and that Calles restored democracy by creating the political party that put Obregon in office, are lies.

   When the main leaders of the revolution (with the exception of Zapata, Villa, and followers) decided the way history was to be told, used the ousted Porfirio Diaz to justify their actions.  

   After Obregon, Mexico has been governed by an alliance of the followers of the ones who overthrew Diaz, the ones who remained silent when Madero was betrayed, and the ones who murdered Zapata, Villa, and Carranza.

  The Plan of Agua Prieta was a fake. Calles did what he criticized in Carranza. He founded the National Revolution Party (later on P.R.I) and used it to push himself to become Maximum Leader of the Revolution, initiated a era known as “Period of the Maximum” (Maximato), during which he ruled the party, cheated the people, and mocked the law by controlling the Presidents of the Republic he imposed.

   Calles was exile by Lázaro Cárdenas. In spite of that, the politicians of all the parties, adore and imitate his doings.

   After this discoveries my conclusion was:

The involvement of the Political Class with the Mexican Culture, is that of an oligarchic group who twisted historical facts to give legitimacy to their ambitions.

   After writing it, I can not settle with this statement because it gives no clues to a solution that is not violent.

   Looking for a solution different from that of the French when they got rid of the members of their nobility, I dug in the history of Mexico to measure the problem with more accuracy, and then look for a better solution.

   What I learned left me without sleep for at least three days.