Mexico vs Germany

Mexico vs Germany

By:

Alejandra Marischen Sans Fonseca- A01652881

Gyandra Alexa Santos Pardo - A01653014

Ximena Alejandra Castillo Díaz - A01652744

Contemporary Society of the Nineteenth Century
Group 204

a.     Select one of the political ideologies that we reviewed to explain how was Porfiriato government similar or different to the government of your assigned country during the requested period of time.
Imperialism was, back then, one of the most accepted ideologies with most of Europe seeking to become stronger. In a nutshell, Imperialism can be defined as the desire to take control over other countries by force. Germany, for example, was an empire made up of prussians, austrians, and some other little kingdoms that were there. Mexico, on the other hand, was governed by someone who wished to adapt and become an empire like the rest, Porfirio Díaz.
Porfirio was very much into the european society, so he would take influence from the Imperialist countries that were established, like, say, the German empire. However, unlike the Germans, the Mexicans were never able to achieve their objective. Another thing that they didn’t have in common was the constant wars that Germany had, unlike Mexico, which flourished like never before.

b.     Select one of the social ideologies that we reviewed to explain how was Mexican society and social structure similar or different to the one of your assigned country during the requested period of time.

During “Porfiriato”, the ideology of social darwinism ruled the country for about 30 years. In spite of the economic stability, and the modernization brought to the country, only those wealthy and powerful enough were able to enjoy all the benefits. Thus, the term “Survival of the fittest”, perfectly exemplified the uneven distribution of wealth among the citizens of Mexico. Moreover, social darwinism , which is also based on the evolution from lower to more civilized forms, also appeared with the introduction of foreign(mainly European) products and culture in order for Mexico and its civilians to resemble them;  according to Díaz beliefs,  they were a better and more educated society.  

At that time, on the other side of the world, Germany also presented uneven distribution of wealth between the industrialized areas and the rural ones. Nevertheless, the social ideology that stood out the most in this country was nationalism. After the Germanic States Unification, and the establishment of an empire, the sense of  pride and belonging for the country started to rapidly increase. First of all, Germany was composed almost entirely by Germans, as a result, the ethnic groups were overlooked and marginated. Secondly, the victory over three wars (against Denmark, Habsburg, and France), created an even more ferocious love for such a “strong and powerful country”. Lastly, the exponential growth in economics due to private industrialization caused Germany to transform into a world power with citizens in love with its vigor.

c.      Select one of the economic ideologies that we reviewed to explain how was the Mexican economic situation different or similar to that of your assigned country during the requested period of time.

On the last period of the 19th Century, Mexico was ruled under a capitalist government named “Porfiriato”. Diaz´s, the president at that time, achieved revolutionary results that introduced Mexico into the modern world of the 20th Century. To begin with, he made international trade relationships with Europe. At the same time, he transformed the country into an industrialized one; introducing the railroads, and expanding the mining industry. Moreover, he paid of all missing debts that Mexico owed. Nevertheless, in spite of the economic stability he brought to the country, Diaz made an improper distribution of wealth among the citizens. Leaving the poor even poorer, and the rich (such as foreign population) even richer; allowing them to be wealthier with more infrastructure and even more land.

Similarly to Mexico, the German Empire was a nation-state governed by capitalism. After the arrival of Otto von Bismarck, economic liberalism was destitute, and replaced focusing on the wealth that the industrial private sector provided. As a result, the increase of its economy due to this sector was surprisingly fast and really successful. Consequently, many of the rural population migrated to urban areas, leaving the rural ones with small farms and workshops; which caused an uneven stability in the traditional trades Furthermore, Germany's economy was based on the trade of its products, which were mainly trade with the countries that employed their same ideology; such as Great Britain.

d.     What is the importance of geopolitics for the decision-making process in your assigned country during the requested period of time? To answer, think about how the geographical position of your assigned country and Mexico influenced the political decisions that they took during the times of Imperialism.

At the time, with Imperialism at large and the risk of being taken over, it was obvious for Germany to react the way it did. Their leaders had to take in account that their land as a territory was still quite unstable, so they tried to expand and conquer other pieces of land through wars. 

The German Emperor was also very opportunistic, often taking advantage of the right situations to gain more pieces of land, this is shown through several occasions of that year period, some examples include the time in which they helped China with its revolutions in exchange of some of its territory or that other time in which they wanted part of Africa during the distribution because of the raw materials in the land. 

They also had a secret alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy which they renewed every now and then, in which they gained protection or neutrality from each other depending on the situation, this helped a lot during the wars with other countries and, eventually, would help them several years later during the World Wars.

References:

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