Mexican petroleum since nationalization.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityThe first successful commercial exploitation of Mexican petroleum took place during the last decade of Porfirio Diaz's regime (1900-1910). Favorable concessions were given to British and American oil companies. Under these conditions, Mexico by 1921 had become the world's second largest oil producing country. The Revolution of 1910-1920 brought about profound changes in Mexico. There emerged a highly nationalistic orientation toward subsoil wealth. As a result, Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution vested ownership and control of mineral and petroleum deposits in the nation. In addition, there arose in post-Revolutionary Mexico a strong labor movement generally backed by the government. Under these new conditions, friction developed between the labor movement and Mexican government, on the one hand, and the foreign petroleum companies on the other, leading to the expropriation of the oil companies by the Mexican government on March 18, 1938. [TRUNCATED