Mexico has been ruled by an oligarchy since the Spanish came over from Spain in the 16th century. throughout the 20th century, many Latin American countries were ruled by a caudillo, a military dictator or political boss, but in 2000 Vicente Fox became the first non-PRI (institutional revolutionary party) in almost a hundred years.

The main struggle with establishing a democratic government is the economic and political stability of the countries. A solution to this was a land reform movement to give the poor farmers their own land to farm, in an attempt to help the economic problems.