Power and Politics between the Porfiriato and the Revolution. The «reyismo»

Abstract

The central theme of this paper is the political movement known as «reyismo», one of the most important political groups of opposi-tion in the transformation of the Mexican public sphere that paved the way to the revolutionary outbreak of 1910. This movement emerged as an internal opposition to Porfirio Díaz's dictatorial re-gime and blossomed during the major political crisis of this regime: the presidential succession of 1910. First, the paper takes into consideraron the functioning of the political world during Díaz's era, then it explores the conditions for an internal opposition to arise. It points out the increasing divergence between, on the one hand, the citizens mobilized around the figure of general Bernardo Reyes, using the means of modern politics (party organization, formation of public opinión, citizens' participation) and, on the other, General Reyes himself, whose actions are ruled by politically traditional re-presentations.