Spanish-American War 1898

In 1898,  the USA went to war with Spain, which most historians agree marked a change to a more active foreign and imperial policy. Cuba was on America's doorstep and according to the Monroe Doctrine, was in the USA's sphere of interest. However, Cuba was controlled by Spain but Cuban revolutionaries were demanding independence.  Spain did offer the Cuban rebels concessions by not enough. The USA was unsure about how to react to either Spain or the rebels until two incidents resulted in war with Spain. A private letter from the Spanish minister in Washington DC was stolen and printed. It accused President McKinley of being a 'weak bidder for the admiration of the crowd' in his Cuban policy. McKinley and the American public found this very insulting. This was followed by the 'Maine' incident. In February 1898 with the (probably accidental) sinking of the 'USS Maine', killing 260 American sailors, they entered the war.

Reasons for US involvement

There has been much debate about the reasons for the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. Overall, there were several reasons for US intervention:

• The historian Carl Degler, writing in the 1950s, suggested  that it was due to economic reasons, with American seeking new markets in response to the 1893 Depression.
• It was partly inspired by an aggressive and patriotic press campaign that inflamed public opinion, known as the 'Yellow Press'.
• The desire of the USA to join the ranks of the Great Powers in international influence.
• Others have emphasised the role of President McKinley who was elected with a pledge to protect US interests and, with so much interest in Cuban sugar, it was essential to maintain stability in Cuba. There had been debate about the significance of the part played by McKinely. Traditionally, he has been seen as being reluctant to go to war,…