Luis Echeverria Alvarez

Luis Echeverría Álvarez was one of the presidents who ruled the Mexican country for a period of four years. An important lawyer and politician , he began his career when he was only 22 years old as part of the Party of the Mexican Revolution .

What did

Luis Echeverría Álvarez established a policy of openness with the aim of being able to restore the democratic life of the country. He looked for a way to make trade more diverse, to include more technology, and to improve sources of financing . Despite his efforts, inflation in the country increased considerably and he devaluation of the peso against the dollar. He was in charge of giving political asylum to several exiles from South America but he also had a strong hand against the national left movements .

Biography of Luis Echeverría Álvarez

He was born on January 17, 1922 in Mexico City where he lived practically his entire life. He studied at the local school and college and later graduated as a lawyer from one of the most recognized universities in Mexico. In 1946 he began working for the Institutional Revolutionary Party as secretary, he also served as secretary of public education. He was appointed as undersecretary of the governorate in 1964, at which time several students were massacred in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas , on October 2, 1968. He was appointed as a candidate for the presidencyfor his party the PRI , on November 8, 1969.

Death

Luis Echeverría Álvarez is in fact the oldest Mexican president in all of history. In 2018 he was admitted to a hospital due to pneumonia and as a result of this situation the news of his death spread, however, this was denied a few hours later.

Political career

Regarding his political career, Luis Echeverría Álvarez managed to obtain a position to work as the private secretary of General Rodolfo Sánchez , who was the president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, better known as PRI . He also held the position of press secretary and for a few months he worked as a senior officer in the Mexican Ministry of Education . Between 1964 and 1970, he was in charge of the Interior Ministry of President Dias Ordaz.

After leaving the presidency, he worked as Minister of the Interior and as such, he had many problems, he was even accused in 2005 against him for the genocide committed in the Tlatelolco Massacre , on October 2, 1968, however, he was not found guilty.

Government of Luis Echeverría Álvarez

He managed to fully enter the government when he held the presidential seat in the elections that were held in 1970 . During his government, he managed to increase public investment and made possible the dialogue between the government and the youth , as well as the dialogue between the peasants and the workers . He was also in charge of being able to improve and strengthen the presence of Mexico as a country in various international organizations.

He fought to distribute the land among the peasants, he managed to improve public investment while increasing oil production , he improved the creation of electrical energy and he was able to increase and improve the road network , even building new airports.

Economic model

With the main objective of being able to improve and heal the economic situation that the country was going through at the time, Luis Echeverría Álvarez decided to create a commission called the National Tripartite Commission , which was made up of a group of businessmen , important trustees and public officials .

However, due to the international crisis that existed due to the lack of oil, public spending was notably increased and, subsequently, paper money was issued that had no value, thus causing the first crisis in the Mexican economy. During his government, the fixed exchange rate that had already been established was abandoned and the foreign debt increased considerably.

What study

He dedicated himself to studying law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, better known by its acronym UNAM .

Ideology

Luis Echeverría Álvarez had an ideology mainly based on nationalist ideology , which was reflected in the importance he gave to the exploitation of oil . An ideology that was based on political pluralism and the use of the monopolization of power .

Contributions of Luis Echeverría Álvarez

Among his main contributions are the following:

• He managed to create the Mexican Institute of Foreign Trade .
• He created new avenues for trade by visiting countries in Latin America, Japan , China , France and the Soviet Union among others.
• He released a large number of prisoners who had been arrested in 1968.
• He redistributed large amounts of land among peasants .
• Improved and expanded housing , social security , transportation, and education programs .
• He started a national program to reduce disproportionate population growth .
• He defended and preserved the historical heritage of the country as well as archaeological zones and monuments .

Physical characteristics

Among his physical characteristics it can be mentioned that he was a man of tall stature, with black hair but little, he wore glasses, his nose was profiled, thin lips and prominent eyebrows.

Personality

Many say that Echeverría’s personality leaned towards messianism and megalomania . He was the type of person who first acted and then thought what he had done. He was prejudiced against Western democracies and was biased towards favoring the third world.

Parents

His parents were Rodolfo Echeverría and Catalina Álvarez .

Relations

He married María Esther Zuno in 1945.

Sons

Eight children were born from their marriage: Álvaro, María del Carmen, Benito, Pablo, Rodolfo, María Esther, Luis Vicente and Adolfo

Importance

Among his achievements that gave him a certain degree of importance, we can mention the development of maritime ports , the increase in the country’s economy, the creation of the National Housing Fund for workers and the founding of the Mexican Institute of Foreign Trade. . It is also considered important because it managed to distribute enough money and land among the peasants.

Acknowledgments

He was recognized by the Mexican Army as the builder and founder of the Military College and a commemorative plaque was made for the impulse he exercised in professionalizing the cadets and for building the facilities where the Tlalpan military campus is currently located. The Government of Chile also recognized him for the humanitarian aid he provided to Chilean citizens who were exiled.

Phrases

Some well-known phrases mentioned by Luis Echeverría Álvarez are the following:

• The inflation did not benefit nor harm us, but quite the opposite.

Curiosities about Luis Echeverría Álvarez

After leaving the presidency, he served as ambassador of Mexico to UNESCO , Paris. Many consider that he was involved and that it was the main motivating blow for the newspaper Excelsior . During his government the “ dirty war ” took place , a type of repression campaign that sought to eliminate all opposition movements . He is considered responsible for the second student repression that occurred on June 10, 1971 and that left a total of 17 people dead.