Mexican Student Movement Of 1968

Mexican Student Movement of 1968

• The Movement’s Background o What is the context for the movement?
• During the summer of 1968 while some people were excited about the Olympic games high school and college students were tired of dealing with their corrupt government and were determined to make a change towards the repression that they (the students) and other citizens were receiving from the police and the state overall.
• Gustavo Diaz Ordaz who was the current president at the time along with the ruling party of the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) posed several challenges to the students because the student’s objective was to create a democratic state however this clashed with the ideas of the authoritarian president Diaz

o What are some of the key events in its emergence?
• People have been fighting for open democracy in Mexico for years and although many demonstrations took place before the massacre one specific event drove the students to feel more attacked than ever by the police and decided to continue the protests.
• The incident that sparked the movement that lead to the massacre was a conflict that occurred between two students from rival high schools. The fight between the students after a football game got so intense that the police intervened.
• The police used violence to break up the fight causing the students to lock themselves in a school.
• After this day the protests continued and students begin to occupy school building in order to perform their demonstrations.
• On July 30th the police used a bazooka to break into a school and take the students out of the school. This day is called “el dia del bazukazo” or the day of the

• The participants who were part of the movement ranged greatly there was individuals from different age groups, their race was different, their social class also varied since some had better working positions than others and both genders contributed to the movement.
• Disparities Within the Movement o What are the dynamics of race/class/gender and/or other inequalities within the movement?
• The movement accepted the support of anyone who wanted to help the movement. Individuals from different races, genders and social classes went to the protests to support the movement and many of them took their families with them as well.

• The Movement’s Social Networking Structure o What are the key organizations, networks or other large movement structures?
• Mexican Electrical Workers union
• National Strike Committee (CNH)
• Parents
• Support from other universities
•