Final answer:
Economic factors such as severe inequality, exploitation under the hacienda system, and foreign influence were central to the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. The 1917 Constitution aimed to address these issues with reforms including agrarian reform and labor rights, reflecting the revolution's economic roots.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) was a complex event with various contributing factors, but economic factors played a significant role in leading to its outbreak. Prior to the revolution, Mexico experienced severe economic inequality, with land and wealth concentrated in the hands of a few elites, while the majority of the population, particularly the indigenous and the rural poor, suffered under oppressive conditions. This included poor working conditions, low wages, and lack of land ownership opportunities. The hacienda system exemplified this concentration of wealth and the exploitation of workers and peasants.
Additionally, foreign investments and influence, particularly from the United States, exacerbated economic disparities and nationalistic tensions. Influential groups and individuals, including Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, took up arms against the regime of Porfirio Díaz, who had encouraged foreign investments at the expense of local welfare. The revolutionary leaders rallied for agrarian reform and labor rights, with the 1917 Constitution later reflecting these demands by establishing an eight-hour workday and stating that the resources in the subsoil belonged to the state. Such changes aimed at addressing the deep economic injustices felt across Mexican society.
Economic grievances were at the heart of the revolutionary upsurge, and the reforms that followed aimed to redistribute wealth and create a more equitable society. Thus, while there were multiple factors at play, the largely agrarian and labor-oriented nature of the revolution highlights the centrality of economic issues in its causation.