What Are The Consequences Of The Spanish American War

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The Spanish-American War was a short conflict in 1898 between the United States and Spain that took place in both the Carribean and South Pacific Oceans. The Americans were provoked into the conflict by stories of Spanish brutality in Cuba. The final event that prompted the United States into war was the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.1 The onset of this war is one of the earliest examples of the American government intervening in a foreign conflict in order to preserve the well being of an oppressed population. As the United States was still a fledgling country, at least in respect to the well establish Spanish, the political, strategic, economic implication of the Spanish-American War would further shape American policies for years to come. Politically, the Spanish-American War was an enormous test for United State’s policies. The first test was to see if the Americans would still hold to the Monroe Doctrine that was introduced in 1828, which stated that the United States would not tolerate any more efforts by European countries…show more content…
Industrialization was booming after the Civil War, but a change in weather patterns in the early 1890’s began to devastate agricultural communities. This in turn led to a downward spiral in profits for those that manufactured farming equipment.6 As demand was reduced in the United States, these manufactures began to look for foreign markets that had a need for the equipment that was being produced. The annexation of the tropical island nations after the war provided new markets for the American made goods to be exported. Cuba also held a great economic advantage for American sugar interest. Although a large investment had been made in sugar and other trade exports, the outsourcing of crops that could be grown in the United States was popular amongst the populace of the United
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