20th Century U.S. the War

20th Century U.S.

The war with Spain, which the U.S.A. began in 1898, paved the way for the U.S.A. domination on world arena in the twentieth century. The success in this war directed development of American imperialism in the Western Hemisphere for the next century and turned American economy into one of the strongest in the world. The political and economical potential, which was accumulated in the U.S.A. By the end of the 19th century created a strong public opinion inside the country that it was already a leader in both Americas and could also influence world politics in future. That's why from many points nearly all wars in which the U.S.A. participated since 1898 were fought to insure its political, economical positions and from the other side they were fought to promote democratic values and humanism.

Such reasons were both common for entering WWI and war with Spain, in addition there existed serious objective premises to start the war. The war with Spain was declared after the contraversary and mysterious sank of battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor, 1898. The decision to declare war was also strengthened by public opinion in the U.S.A., which was very anxious about instability in Cuba, which was in prolonged war with Spain. Poverty, famine, cruelty of Spanish soldiers and inability of American companies to penetrate on Cuban market created universal opinion that the U.S.A. should intervene to this conflict mainly to insure its positions in the region and to provide "humanitarian aid" to local population struggling for independence. As a result this war turned into war against all Spanish possessions in the Western Hemisphere (including Guam, Puerto Rico and Philippines in the Pacific).