Behind the Scenes - Clientele and Citizens in the Mexican Political Transition

Abstract

In contrast to most authoritarian regimes in Latin America, which were basically military and anti-popular, based upon a coup d’Etat that overthrew a national-popular regime such as those existing in Argentina and Brazil (established in the thirties at about the same time as the one of Mexico), the Mexican regime had enough legitimacy to endure until the year two thousand. Nevertheless, its legitimacy capital began to quickly run down with the change of economic model as a result of the economic 1982 crisis.