In the popular mind, nationalism is often seen as a reactionary political ideology designed to serve the interests of a socioeconomic elite. Yet at various points in history, nationalism has actually been an emancipatory creed, freeing the common people from the domination of a ruling creed.

This is certainly how nationalism functioned in relation to the Mexican Revolution. Most of those who participated in the long struggle to overthrow the old, corrupt regime were inspired by the idea of a Mexican nation free from foreign control. In the eyes of revolutionaries, the endemic weakness and corruption of Mexico's political system were closely linked to the diminution of Mexico as a nation-state.

Prior to the outbreak of revolution, Mexico had lost almost half its national territory. Although the revolutionaries had neither the ability nor the inclination to win back this lost territory, they were nonetheless determined to ensure that a post-revolutionary Mexico would be better able to control its own affairs, free from foreign influence.

It is notable in this regard that virtually all of the leading revolutionary figures—Pancho Villa was an exception—rejected the intervention of Woodrow Wilson, who landed US troops at Veracruz in an attempt to overthrow Victoriano Huerta, the President of Mexico. To be sure, the revolutionaries desperately wanted to get rid of Huerta, but they were determined to do it themselves, without any foreign assistance.

Further evidence of nationalist sentiment in the Mexican Revolution can be seen in the 1917 constitution, which explicitly limited the role of foreigners and foreign influences in the new Mexico. These provisions were allied with a radically new conception of the role of government, which from now on was to be much more active, especially in the area of land reform.