Democracy requires several elements to succeed and grow. The leaders of a democracy must respect the boundaries they are given. Freedom of the press is an essential element of modern democracy. People must be willing to participate and support the system of government. Classes may exist in a democracy, but should not be perceived as a detriment to participation in a democracy. Cultural and ethnic cohesion will support a ‘group think’ toward policy and ideals. Mexico during its history lacked several of the elements for a successful democracy. Mexican independence was initially a continuation of Spanish colonialism. The government was not able to see a way forward without continuing policy. Every new nation has a bumpy time converting from monarchy to democracy, but Mexico faced a difficult cultural change. The Catholic Church had a strict hierarchy that also permeated the culture of Mexico and the indigenous people did not have a fair voice in the new government. The wars with France, the US and Texas did not help stabilize a new democracy and led to dissatisfaction and a non-cohesive government. Democracy could not grow in this environment and led to further dissatisfaction with the ‘democracy’ in Mexico. …show more content…
Mexico was an agrarian society at the time and the lack of education led itself to a dictatorship. Although Diaz brought science and industry to Mexico, he did not allow democracy to flourish under this success. Diaz was more concerned with keeping centralized power of the country and did not allow mass participation in government. Any dissent was silenced. The press was not free and was used by the government to strengthen the Diaz government. Without freedom of the press and centralized power Mexico could not gain true democracy. A free press allows citizens the ability to criticize and form opinions of their government. Mexico did not have this ability under