2. ‘The United States in 1898’ (31 December 1898)

Abstract

A report of the London Daily Chronicle of 4 July 1898 reveals the mainsprings of American imperialism. According to The Monroe Doctrine, any attempt by European powers to extend their rule over any part of the American continent would be regarded by the Union as a hostile act; and the American continent could no longer be regarded as an object of colonisation by any European power. When Monroe proclaimed his doctrine, Cuba was in a relatively peaceful and prosperous condition. During the Spanish wars against Napoleon, Cuba was loyal to the motherland. In February 1895, the revolution broke out that paralysed Cuba's main industry. The tangible economic interests of the United States, their vehement demands for new markets, as well as the traditional sympathies of the Americans for peoples struggling for bourgeois freedom, led to intervention on behalf of Cuba and the annihilation of the Spanish colonial empire. Keywords:American imperialism; Cuba; imperialism; revolution; Spanish colonial empire; The Monroe Doctrine; United States