Fahran wrote:Porfirio Diaz began as a liberal figure before consolidating power, bringing order to society, and improving the economy and infrastructure. He effectively balanced disparate interests, though this excluded the urban middle-class and the campesinos, proving disastrous for the campesinos in particular. He took a country that was a backwater and put it on an equal economic footing to the great states of Europe. He finally managed to succeed in the long-elusive goal of establishing a strong central government. His main problem is that he grew old and never decided on a formal method of succession.
Mind you, I'm not really a fan of his policies, in particular those relating to poorer rural interests, but he absolutely maintained an effective government that presided over a rapidly modernizing state. And likely set the stage for a lot of Mexico's modern economic successes.
Of course, I am not denying anything he did was for a great future for Mexico, I mean he set the path for a better Mexico. It's just that the background of his successes is not clean and to be fair it is the same with other presidents, my opinion of Porfirio Diaz is black and white unlike most of the history that school has taught me since I really understand that a future for a better Mexico was not possible if not thanks to his achievements but there is no doubt that it came at the costs of many people below the rich classes and a big disparity of incomes, not forgetting the amount of corruption he caused thanks to that. But whatever he is perfectly balanced as a president, sadly the institution that replaced him wasn't the best one...
There's actually a meme somewhere about how Maximiliano kept assuming the exact same policy positions as Benito Juarez. Maximiliano was by no means a conservative. He was a liberal in the Austrian mold who was principally hindered by his position as a foreigner installed by Napoleon III and Mexican republican sentiment. He wasn't particularly autocratic by the standards of Mexican politics, where pretty much every president who hung around long enough tried to become dictator, and he seems to have been more mild-mannered, tolerant, and gentle than most of those who preceded or succeeded him. Man died saying "May my blood flow for the good of this land. Viva Mexico!"
The problem with his government is that he was a liberal, who could thus not count on support from conservatives, and a monarch, who could thus not count on support from liberals.
To resume. Yes
