Luis Echeverría Álvarez: 1922—: Lawyer, Politician Biography - Worked Way Up Through Ruling Party, Became Presidential Nominee, Struggled To Stabilize Economy, Maintain Control

When Luis Echeverría Álvarez took over as Mexico's president in 1970, he pledged to close the economic gap between the country's poor, rural peasants and its well-to-do urbanites. For six years Echeverría walked a political tight-rope as he tried to implement social programs to make life better for the have-nots, while at the same time trying not to worry capitalists with his socialist leanings. To this end, Echeverría spent staggering amounts of money on social and economic programs, creating a huge deficit. His policies, in the end, pleased no one and his administration went down in the history books as a failure. As one of the most unpopular men to ever serve as president of Mexico, Echeverría left office in 1976 amid mounting inflation, civil unrest, and a tumbling peso.