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From 1855 to 1876, the liberal era in Mexico was marked by an impulse towardsmodernization of the country, its laws, and its institutions. This liberal era was interruptedby an invasion of Mexico by France in 1864 and the temporary establishment ofa European monarchy. Following the fall of the monarchy came the ascendance to powerof the universally celebrated president of Mexico, Benito Juárez. Development was drivenby the free trade of goods, thanks in part to the nationalization of the lands controlled bythe Catholic Church and by indigenous communities. Foreign investment was encouraged,the bureaucracy reduced, savings increased, and the first international treaty establishingfree trade with the United States of America was signed.After the rule of Juárez, President Porfirio Díaz brought more than three decades ofpeace, order, and progress (1877–1910). Díaz was a paternalistic dictator who promotedeconomic advancement over political and social reforms. Roads and railways were built,the power industry was developed, and the first exploitation of oil occurred, all with foreigninvestment. The good reputation of the nation was forged based on the confidenceshown by foreign nations. However, crucial political and social issues—such as theabsence of democracy and existence of pervasive poverty—were disregarded, and in1910 an uprising, known as the Mexican Revolution, broke out. Officially, the MexicanRevolution ended with the adoption of the Constitution of 1917, although the militarystruggle lasted until 1920.In theory, the Revolution opened up national discourse to a discussion of democraticprinciples and principles of social justice. In practice, neither was achieved. The years1920–1933 were marked by a pragmatic approach to national problems. An alliancewas established with the United States, and political and financial institutions were createdthat guaranteed stability for the rest of the century. Urgent needs of the populationwere met and progress was made in education, but social problems otherwise remainedunaddressed.The socialist experiment of 1934–1940 led to the redistribution of agrarian land, theexpropriation of the oil industry, the creation of central unions managed by the State, anda necessary alliance with the United States during the Second World War. These accomplishmentswere the beginning of the period called “stabilizing development,” lastinguntil 1970. During this time, an authoritarian government run by the official party, theInstitutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI), created anapparent democracy and a system of mixed economy. Growth was sustained, there waslittle acceptance of foreign investment, public corruption was pervasive, and Mexicanworkers were provided with a supportive social welfare system. The PRI fell in 1968, whenthe government acted brutally against students demonstrating for democratic rights.With the advent of a populist government (1970–1982), the Mexican economy collapsed,due fundamentally to presidential messianism, too many policies benefitingonly the majority, and an overdependence on oil exports. The uncontrolled issuance of29Profile of the Country