Leon Trotsky, Russian Revolutionary

Throughout the twentieth century every society in the world was characterised by massive inequality - there were huge differences in wealth between the elite and the mass of peasants and labourers, even in countries where there was a major rise in living standards. During the second half of the nineteenth century many people, not just the Marxists, socialist and revolutionaries, believed that the survival of unequal societies was unlikely, and that the poor would revolt against such degradation and try to create a new society with a more classless social, economic and political structure. However, one of the strangest phenomena of the twentieth century was the lack of revolution, the survival of political structures and the acceptance of inequality.

During the twentieth century none of the so-called great powers (France, Germany, Great Britain) experienced social and economic revolution, because, firstly, the industrial workers, who are normally the most radical group on account of their le

The 1900s saw the eventual collapse of the Porfiriato. The huge flood of foreign investment resulted in a steep rise in inflation. The Depression in Great Britain and the USA had their effects in Mexico, along with growing unemployment, migrant workers returning from the US, together with a massive fall in real wages, all produced an economic crisis. The government then raised taxes for the middle and peasant classes. This led to a minor revolt in the south, but the major problem for the government was how to replace President Porfirio Diaz. In the north, many were turning against him, and Francesco Madero founded the Anti-Re-Election Party to oppose Diaz in the 1910 elections.

The construction of a new stable political order took a considerable time. In 1923 there was a military revolt due to the appointment of the minister of the interior, and all the leaders were killed. Calles, the man in question, took office in 1924, but had problems with Obregon. The new government was strongly against the church. By 1927 there was another rebellion by the peasants in the west to protect the church, and guerrilla warfare continued for another two years. Meanwhile in Mexico City Obregon had been assassinated, so there was an election in 1929, where a relative unknown, Rubio, won, and Calles was now the power behind the scenes.

By 1965 the Soviet Union was a major international power, its economy was growing slowly, and it had little interest in changing the status quo. Ideas of economic reform died by the late 1960s, and corruption was rife. The power of the party and its internal discipline ensured that there was little, if any, debate over alternative policies. The period of uninspiring old leadership by old and sick men ended with Mikhail Gorbachev's election as head of the party. His attempts to reform the system (such as glasnost and perestroika) unleashed to forces already present which would lead top the destruction of the Soviet Union.

During the 1900s, Porfirio Diaz, a military leader, ruled Mexico and he had been in power since 1877. Under him, rapid economic expansion thanks to foreign investments and raw material exportation had taken place. No political parties were allowed, and the system was governed by large landowners and the wealthy elite. The peasants, and therefore the overwhelming majoirity, were excluded from this system. Under the Porfiriato there was a massive expropriation by landowners to form huge estates, or haciendas, to grow crops for export. By 1920, nine out of ten peasants were landless and forced to work on these haciendas. In effect, huge numbers of peasants were living in slavery.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 6216
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page double spaced)