Reflections on Uneven Development

A focus on transformations in social property relations and engagement with historical sociological debates on modern state formation can contribute to an understanding of the social origins of the transition to capitalism in Mexico. The basis for capitalist production there was created by primitive accumulation under the conditions of uneven and combined development. This situation can be understood as a “passive revolution” based on state intervention and mass mobilization from below that shaped capital accumulation and political modernization, resulting in a form of capitalism consistent with authoritarian and hegemonic influence.