What was the background of the Spanish-American War?

1898' s Spanish-American war had a far-reaching impact. The war lasted only 100 days, but it plunged the United States into the Far East issue and involved in complex international affairs.

/kloc-at the end of 0/9, the United States entered the period of imperialism. American monopoly capital consortia urgently need to open up new markets, investment places and raw material producing areas, so various propaganda machines create public opinion about external expansion. But just as the United States is preparing to expand overseas, the whole world has been carved up by the old colonial powers. The United States also wants to carve up the world colonies, but because of its limited strength, it is still unable to compete with countries such as Britain and France. Only the old empire Spain is a good target. At this time, Spain was dying, and the once huge empire was only Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines in Asia. The United States decided to take Spain as the first step to capture these Spanish colonies in order to control Central America and the Caribbean and gain a base for expansion to the Far East and Asia. At this time, the struggle of the western colonial people also created a favorable environment for the United States. Armed uprisings against Spanish colonial rule broke out in the Philippines and Cuba. Philippine rebels have liberated most of the country and surrounded Manila. Cuban rebels contained Spain's 0.2 million/200 thousand army

The USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba (1February 898 15). The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed almost a third of the front hull, and the rest of the wreckage quickly sank to the bottom of the sea, killing 266 people, most of whom were soldiers. When the explosion happened, almost all the officers were on land, and only two officers were on board. The explosion aroused the strong reaction of American newspapers and the anger of domestic people. On March 27th, the United States, through its special envoy to Spain, demanded that Spain cease fire in Cuba and abolish the law on concentration camps. In order to avoid war with the United States, Spain declared a truce on April 9. However, the United States Congress issued a resolution recognizing Cuba's independence and demanding Spain's withdrawal from Cuba. At the same time, it granted the President the right to use force and declared that the United States had no intention of annexing Cuba. On April 22nd, the US Navy blocked the Cuban port. The battleship. Shivell captured a Spanish merchant ship. On April 24th, Spain declared war on the United States. The next day, the United States declared war.

The United States has long been ready for war. The United States has established a powerful fleet known as the third in the world, which is deployed at various strategic points in the world, among which Hong Kong's Asian fleet is already rising. Congress has recruited 200,000 soldiers and has advanced equipment such as rapid-fire field guns, telegrams and telephones. Spain, on the other hand, was unprepared. Of the 200,000 Spanish troops in Cuba, only 65,438+2,000 can fight, and the rest are mostly old, weak and sick. The navy only has some old wooden-shell warships. There are only 42,000 troops in the Philippines, and the political situation in Spain is chaotic. Military politicians generally believe that there is no hope of winning the war with the United States.