Changing Capitalism: Business and the State in Mexico from the 18th to the 21st Centuries

This paper seeks to provide a broad perspective on how business in Mexico transformed between the mid-18^th and early-21^st centuries, as a result of changes in the global economy and the development of capitalism. It will examine the forms that local businesses adopted, and how they interacted with foreign capital and business over this long period. It will also examine the evolution of the government's role in this development. Focusing on the way business operated in relation to foreign capital and government policies, it finds five major distinct eras in the long period studied: 1) mid-18^th century to 1821; 2) 1821-1880; 3) 1880-1925; 4) 1925-1990; 5) 1990-2018. The paper describes the characteristics of each period and provides examples. Finally, it delves into a general reflection on the relationship between the development of capitalism and business in Mexico.