He Government of Vicente Guerrero As president Mexico lasted from April 1 to December 17, 1829. Despite his short term, he became an important reference point in the political struggles of the time.
Guerrero's radical reputation, key to securing the support of the working mulatto class on the Guerrero and Veracruz coast and the urban crowd of Mexico City, have made him a relevant figure in the nation's history.
After coming to power, his political decisions were limited due to the serious economic problems facing the Mexican republic, the latent threat of the Spanish Empire to try to recover its largest and most powerful colony, as well as strong internal opposition to its mandate .
An additional problem faced by the ruler was the deterioration of his relationship with Lorenzo de Zavala , Who was in principle one of the precursors of the Mutiny of the Agreed, a revolt that contributed in great measure to the arrival of the general Guerrero to the power.
Zavala was considered by Guerrero like a man of confidence, reason why designated him like minister of finance as soon as it assumed the first magistrature. However, their ideological differences became evident during the period of government.
Zavala did not support several elements of Guerrero's government program, which in his opinion had been designed to favor his impoverished supporters, so he firmly rejected the populist tone of the Guerrero administration.
In addition, she was not very enthusiastic before the expulsion of the Spaniards. He also disagreed with the government's protectionist measures.
Characteristics of the government of Vicente Guerrero
Many authors have pointed to the populist and egalitarian tone of the Guerrero government, and some of their gestures prefigured those of the Latin American populists of the twentieth century.
Guerrero, for example, invited the poor of Mexico to his birthday party, and he understood the symbolic value that the abolition of slavery had for his mulatto supporters, although in reality there were few or no slave in Mexico.
The Guerrero administration emphasized the fight against foreigners. These efforts were most directly manifested in the statement of the Second Law of Expulsion.
Some considerations of different kinds that took effect during the mandate of Guerrero are outlined below.
Economic Considerations
During the government of Guerrero proposed measures as extreme as bills that sought to make illegal the marketing in public stores of any imported merchandise.
It was also proposed to prevent the access of immigrants to mortgage loans. Although these measures did not become law, they suggest the tone of the era.
Anti-Spanish sentiment was linked to much of the measures that the Guerrero government adopted to help its impoverished supporters.
The governor prohibited the importation of textiles and other goods that competed with the products elaborated by Mexican artisans.
Guerrero criticized in his inaugural speech the"application of bastard economic principles"for having allowed foreign goods to displace Mexican workers.
In May 1829 he signed protective measures for local production, but their application was conditioned by the opposition of the Minister of Finance Lorenzo de Zavala and then by the need to obtain customs revenue to finance the defense against the imminent Spanish invasion.
Guerrero's supporters justified their protectionist policies by claiming that by prohibiting the marketing of imported products, it would generate more demand for Mexican products.
Therefore, foreign investors would have to acquire new manufacturing technologies that would generate jobs in the local market and even the possibility of manufacturing goods to be traded in international markets.
Religious Considerations
The Guerrero government differed from its liberal successors in that it did not take action against the riches of the Church.
Guerrero pledged to protect the religion in his inaugural address, noting that Catholicism was one of the foundations of the 1824 Constitution.
The alliances with the cleric's authorities allowed Guerrero the support of the Church in the preparation of the resistance before the imminent Spanish invasion.
The Archdiocese of Mexico published a pamphlet criticizing the Spanish assertions that religion would return only when the Spaniards did so; This pro-independence position was particularly important considering that the Mexican government and the papacy still disputed the right to appoint clerical officials.
Political considerations
The Guerrero government anticipated the liberal movement that later emerged. What was most remarkable was the way he explicitly embraced federalism and accused his detractors of centralism.
In his inaugural address, Guerrero defended egalitarianism and the equitable distribution of power at the local level, insisting that:
"... the interest of the localities is the most adequate to defend the interest of individuals. As the authorities multiply, needs are examined and better understood. Everywhere there will be a power closer to doing good and avoiding evil. The authorities will find themselves in all strata of the people, avoiding to grant titles of superiority that cause distinction and preference".
The outcome of the government of Vicente Guerrero
In July, finally the landing of the Spanish invasion near Tampico began, reason why the government of Guerrero was forced to raise funds quickly.
In that sense, it increased the collection of taxes and confiscated half of the income of the properties belonging to Spaniards.
Antonio López de Santa Anna led an energetic defense and the Spaniards did not receive the support they expected within Mexico, so the Spanish invading force quickly capitulated and was repatriated. The Guerrero government did not last much longer than the Spanish invasion force.
From August 1819 until its overthrow at the end of December, Guerrero ruled by decree under emergency powers, exacerbating the fears of the upper classes of Mexico and alienating important federalists with their emergency revenue collection measures.
A decisive factor in the fall of Guerrero was the mobilization of Mexican reserves, which were maintained even after the invading force surrendered.
The reserves located in Jalapa called for the resignation of the executive power and asked Vice President Anastasio Bustamante and Antonio López de Santa Anna to direct them in the reconquest of the nation. Bustamante agreed.
The Mexican Senate declared it morally impossible for Guerrero to govern in a 22 to 3 vote. The Chamber of Deputies, for its part, declared that the continuation of the mandate with a margin of 23 to 17 was untenable.
Guerrero's enemies launched a mass media campaign to discredit the former president and his intellectual abilities.
All these events prompted the Minister of Defense to order all military leaders to Jalapa Plan .
General Guerrero met dissident troops with loyal Mexico City forces, but rebel supporters soon seized the capital and the desperate president withdrew to his farm near Tixtla, where he rejected the offers of indigenous peoples To defend it.
The mandate of Guerrero was characterized by the fear infused by a president who came to power with the help of some impoverished segments of Mexico.
This fear only increased when they were granted special powers to Guerrero to respond to the Spanish invasion and once overcome the crisis the president refused to resign them.
At the end of the period, the Mexican aristocracy feared the so-called Mafia government, the nation's treasury was virtually nonexistent, and even some supporters of Guerrero welcomed the coup because they considered that the president had weakened the autonomy of the states.
Under these circumstances it is perhaps surprising that the government lasted as long as it did.
References
- Delgado de Cantú, G. (2002). History of Mexico, Volume 1. The process of gestation of a people. New York, Pearson Education.
- Fowler, W. (2016). Independent Mexico: The Pronunciation in the Age of Santa Anna, 1821-1858. Nebraska, University of Nebraska.
- Guardino, P. (1996). Peasants, Politics, and the Formation of Mexico's National State: Guerrero, 1800-1857. Stanford, Stanford University Press.
- Potash, R. (1983). Mexican Government and Industrial Development in the Early Republic. Massachusetts, The university of Massachusetts Press.
- Stacy, L. (2002). Mexico and the United States. New York, Marshall Cavendish.
- Williams, R. (2007). The Cooperative Movement: Globalization from Below. New York, Routledge.