Gómez Morín, Manuel
by Emily A. Wells
Manuel Gómez Morín was a revolutionary who changed the face
of Mexican politics for the better. From his youth, he received the
best educated his mother could afford. Gómez Morín realized the
power of an education and used it to his advantage. From that
advantage, Gómez Morín propelled himself in a successful business
career in law, finance, and politics.1 Gómez Morín was the founder of
the Party of National Action (PAN).1 This political party was founded
on his unselfish desire to give the Mexican people and choice and a
hope for a democratic future. Manuel Gómez Morín tactically used his
intellect, political position, and help from associates to press forward
into Mexican politics.1
Gómez Morín's beginnings and education forged the initial path
of his career. In the year 1897, he was born in Batopilas, Chihuahua
Mexico. His mother was a native Mexican from Parral, Chihuahua and
his father was a Spanish immigrant from Santander.3 His father died
when he was young, but left his mother with enough money to
support her and her son and provide him with an excellent education.1
Gómez Morín attended the National University. There he began
to mark out his place in political history. He was one of the elite
"Seven Sages," which was a politically and philosophically minded
group of intellectual students at the university.3 Many of Gómez
Morín's most influential contemporaries were apart of this young
political group.2 At the National University, students expressed their
political angst against the university, mainly because the university
served as an extension of the government.1 Gómez Morín, other
students, and faculty members fought for university autonomy in
order to protect it from a seemingly unrighteous governmental
control.2 Gómez Morín graduated from the National University in
1918 and started his professional career at the university directly
afterward.1
Gómez Morín had a collage of successful careers. In 1919,
he served as the Under-secretary of Finance in Mexico.1 Gómez Morín
taught in the School of Law at the National University and co-wrote
the first Mexican income tax laws, the organic law of the Bank of
Mexico, and the first agrarian credit law.1 Gómez Morín was the
director of the bank of Mexico from 1925 to 1929.1 Internationally, he
advised the United States in its financial affairs with Ecuador. Served
as a consulting attorney to the Soviet Union.1 Despite his
involvement elsewhere in Mexico and other parts of the world, Gómez
Morín always remained heavily involved with the university.1 He
taught intermittently there twenty years and served as rector to the
University from 1933 to 1934.3 In this time period, he defended the
National University from he thought to be a Marxist regime mounting
in Mexico.
Manuel Gómez Morín's political participation Mexican politics
was sparked in college, but ended up being the fire throughout his
entire life. While Gómez Morín was still in college, Russian Marxism
intrigued him. The people surrounding Gómez Morín, such as
philosopher, humanist, and university professor Antonio Caso,
heightened his interest.1 Fellow sage, Vicente Lombardo Toledano
was the Marxist, founder the Popular Socialist Party.3 Albeit, Gómez
Morín related to some of the socialist philosophical viewpoints, but he
later leaned toward the conservative side of the Popular Socialist
Party more and more and soon disassociated himself from the party
altogether.1 As an educated economist, he undoubtedly identified the
flaws that existed in the Marxist regime concerning the economy and
the welfare of Mexican markets within a Marxist country. Gómez
Morín also gave attention to the de la Huerta rebellion, but again quickly
recognized that it would be short-lived and returned back to the
political safety of the Sonora Dynasty of
Alvaro Obregón and Plutarco
Calles.1
Manuel Gómez Morín seemed afraid and power hungry. It
appeared that he was looking for a quick way to the top and the
moment he realized that regime was no longer on its way up he
jumped back across the dividing lines and in 1929, left the
revolutionary camp.1 He appeared politically indecisive and tactfully
cowardice, but this was not the case. He believed that his generation
would have a key role in the building of a stable Mexico and self-preservation
was important to ensure his role in the new government.
Gómez Morín shifted his support to the opposition under the
leadership of José Vasconcelos.
Vasconcelos obtained a political base
much stronger than Gómez Morín and he recognized an opportunity to
make his political move under Vasconcelos as his campaign treasurer
hoping to secure a place for himself in a new Mexican government.
Under the advice of Gómez Morín, Vasconcelos ran for public office
and was defeated.2 Vasconcelos and Gómez Morín went in to exile.1
There Gómez Morín did not give up. He knew that he would never
have the possibility of being a Mexican president, because his father
was a Spanish immagrant.1 He continued to insist that Vasconcelos
should charge back into Mexico and raise a new permanent opposition
party.3
Through Vasconcelos refusal, Gómez Morín's motives were now
clear. He determined the only way to make a difference in the then
corrupt government a permanent party would have to be raised. This
would give the people an alternative voice and a voting option.
Gómez Morín was afraid that he himself would not be politically strong
enough to raise a permanent party, but soon realized that he would
have to be the one to take the initial stand in starting a new opposing
party.1
In 1939, Manuel Gómez Morín founded the Party of National
Action (PAN). PAN was originally founded to counter act ideals not
held by Gómez Morín, such as anticlerical sentiments toward the
Catholic Church, the governmental collectivization of property, and
Marxism.1 Men quickly jumped on the PAN bandwagon because of
fear or dislike of looming regimes of Nazism and Fascism that could
eventually make its way unto Mexican soil.1 Gómez Morín offered an
alternative. PAN blended democracy with Mexican traditionalism.
Gómez Morín's political views expressed a desire to hold traditional
views close.1 Gómez Morín considered family, organized labor groups,
religious communities, and interest groups a method of promoting
action in Mexican democracy.2 The groups, by remaining together,
spurred community and could work as one to receive political action in
their favor and economic stability. Gómez Morín believed that group
action and political quickness to correct wrongs would be Mexico's
best means to achieve social justice.1 Gómez Morin's views on land
holding were in between the extreme right wing latifundios and the
nearly communist ejido. Latifundios were large land holdings, usually
held by the extremely wealthy and the church, which are nearly
synonymous. Latifundios allowed not room the common peasant to
grow out of poverty. Ejidos were collective based farms. Ejidos did
not did not give ownership to peasants and were also used as a
controlling method by the government. Gómez Morín preferred family
farms, which again emphasized his views of group action to achieve
social justice.1 As a true economist, MGM believed that the Mexican
government should take a hands off approach to the economy. He
knew that a citizen controlled Mexican economy would stabilize itself
and be more fruitful in the end. An independent economy would
balance itself, unless market failure occurred and then government
intervention would be necessary.1
Supporters of PAN mainly came from three people groups:
Catholic activists, professionals and intellectuals from the National
University, and Mexican businesses that connect with Gómez Morín on
an economic level. This pool of supporters was also proportional to
the beliefs of Gómez Morín.1 He mixed his Christian beliefs, formal
economic education, and law education and experience to successfully
form a lasting opposition party. Ten years later he commented that
PAN achieved its goal.1 PAN may have not made a huge difference in
putting people in office, but it spurred the thoughts of the Mexican
people with different views and opinions of the way things should or
could be.1
Works Cited
1 Mabry, Donald J., "Manuel Gómez Morín," in Revolutionaries, Traditionalist, and Dictators in
Latin America edited by Harold E. Davis. Cooper Square Publishers, Inc. New York. 1973.
2 Mabry, Donald J. The Mexican University and the State. Texas
A&M University Press. College Station. 1982
3 Mabry, Donald J. Mexico's Accion Nacional a Catholic Alternative
to Revolution. Syracuse University Press. 1973.
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