Opening Mexico: The Making of a Democracy

Opening Mexico documents Mexico's transformation from a one-party authoritarian state to a democratic nation between 1968 and 2000. The authors, both New York Times journalists who covered Mexico for many years, chronicle the key events, figures, and social movements that drove this political evolution. The narrative follows multiple threads including student protests, economic crises, corruption scandals, and electoral reforms. Preston and Dillon draw from extensive interviews with politicians, activists, and citizens who participated in Mexico's democratic transition. The book examines how grassroots movements, opposition parties, and reformers within the ruling PRI party gradually dismantled the mechanisms of authoritarian control. It traces how independent electoral institutions emerged and how Mexican citizens learned to exercise democratic rights. The authors present Mexico's democratization as a case study in how civil society can overcome entrenched power structures through persistent, incremental pressure for change. Their account highlights both the institutional and cultural dimensions of democratic transformation.

Readers describe the book as a thorough account of Mexico's transformation from one-party rule to democracy, based on Preston and Dillon's firsthand reporting as New York Times correspondents. What readers liked: - Detailed coverage of key political events and figures from 1968-2000 - Personal stories and interviews that illuminate the broader history - Clear explanation of PRI's control mechanisms and eventual decline What readers disliked: - Dense writing style with excessive detail in some sections - Focus on political elites rather than grassroots movements - Limited coverage of economic factors Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (43 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (21 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Reads like long-form journalism rather than academic history" - Goodreads reviewer "The authors had remarkable access to Mexico's power players" - Amazon reviewer "Too much emphasis on personalities rather than institutions" - LibraryThing review

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🔷 Julia Preston and Samuel Dillon spent over a decade as correspondents in Mexico for The New York Times, giving them firsthand access to many of the events and figures they describe in the book. 🔷 The book covers Mexico's 71-year single-party rule by the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party), which was one of the longest-running political dynasties in modern history. 🔷 Both authors won Pulitzer Prizes for their journalism work in 1998 as part of a New York Times team covering drug corruption in Mexico. 🔷 The book details how the 1994 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio became a pivotal moment that helped accelerate Mexico's democratic transformation. 🔷 The peaceful transition to democracy described in the book culminated in 2000 when Vicente Fox became president, marking the first time in Mexico's history that an opposition candidate defeated the ruling party in a presidential election.