In the 18th century, the Western world was experiencing what we know as the Industrial Revolution. This transformation was motivated by the large number of inventions that were developed in the second half of that century (from 1760), especially in England. Some of the inventions that revolutionized the industry were the steam engine, the locomotive, the mechanical loom and many more.
Unfortunately, at that time our country was still a colony of Spain and half a century later, already in the middle of the 19th century, it had more pressing concerns such as achieving its independence and then achieving economic, political and social stability. Consequently, We can affirm that the Industrial Revolution arrived in our country 150 years after that in Europe, the United States and the Western world.
XIX century: the foundations of the Industrial Revolution in Mexico
The first steps in the country’s industrialization date back almost a decade after the end of Independence, since in 1830 Lucas Alamán, then Minister of Foreign Affairs in the presidency of Anastasio Bustamante, he founded Banco del Avío with the aim of financing machinery industry processes in Mexican territory.
Likewise, at the end of the 1830s, the cotton textile industry settled in Mexico and in the following decades it experienced an expansion that culminated in its modernization during the Porfiriato.
Also, in 1850 the first railway section in Mexico was inaugurated with eleven kilometers in length, in Veracruz.
Finally, we can mention the emergence of the brewing industry that began operations in 1880.
The establishment of large Mexican companies between 1890 and 1910
According to historians such as Stephen H. Haber, from Stanford University, a large part of the country’s industrial capacity was installed during the Porfiriato; An example of this is the cement industry, represented by Cemex, founded in 1906; and the steel industry with Fundidora, established in 1900.
In fact, Many of the great companies that were founded during that time are today’s industrial giants. As an example, we mention Vidriera Monterrey, today Vitro; as well as the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma brewery, which together with Grupo Modelo control almost the entire Mexican beer market.
On the way to the Industrial Revolution in Mexico
Continuing with the establishment of industries in our country, the first half of the 20th century was very profitable; To give an example, in 1923 the British American Tobacco company was established in Mexico, which inaugurated three cigarette plants in what was then the Federal District, Irapuato and Monterrey. Likewise, between 1929 and 1939, industry was the sector of the economy that had the greatest expansion, achieving a growth of 125%.
In addition, in the 1940s the Mexican industry continued to develop, as a consequence of the productive capacity (plants and equipment) installed in previous decades; and by the middle of the 20th century, the industry finally dominated the national economy.
It is worth noting the role played by the administration of President Lázaro Cárdenas, who supported national industrial activity by stimulating the participation of Mexican investors; he allocated resources to build highway infrastructure and modified the Treasury Law to promote the appearance of new industries, among many other things.
the mexican miracle
Due to the industrial process of import substitution launched in 1940, the internal market was strengthened favoring the consumption of products made in Mexico. So, the country had the most important sustained economic growth in its history between 1948 and 1975, growing at an average of 6%, placing itself on a par with world powers.
Finally, The national industrialization process is consolidated in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At that time, the factories increased at levels of up to 52% and the sectors that had the most boom were the automotive, petrochemical, metal-mechanic and paper industries.