ABSTRACT
In 1996, Mexico's political system appeared in the catalog of twentieth-century regimes as "a museum piece", to cite the words of one North American observer. This chapter analyzes the events that have dominated Mexican politics during the last few years, as seen in the light of various experiences of the collapse of authoritarian order that history has recently provided. It outlines the general problems attendant upon any democratic transition as well as the varieties of regimes that have resulted therefrom. The chapter offers an analysis of the Institutional Revolutionary Party's crisis of legitimacy and the various changes that have been set in motion. Through an analysis of developments in the recent past, the definitive moments of the Mexican pretransition process are studied, and its possible results are indicated. The fundamental condition for the development of a societal democracy in Mexico is the emergence of a social movement capable of dismantling the elitist bases of traditional political representation.
