U.S. Imperialism and 1898

Abstract

Historians generally view 1898 as a key date in United States and world history. The U.S. victory in what they call the Spanish-American War of that year marks the aggressive emergence of Yankee imperialism on the world scene, complete with colonies and an informal empire. Like most dates, 1898 doesn't open or close an era, but represents a year in which significant changes became obvious. Only by looking at events leading up to and immediately after the war does its full significance come into focus. But first we should note that the term Spanish-American War is incorrect. Spain and the United States fought a war, but the Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Filipino people also struggled against Spain and the United States. The conflict, therefore, should be named the Spanish-Cuban-Puerto Rican-Filipino- American War. It is not called this because imperialists cover up the history that they do not want people to know. The material that follows shows some of the reasons why the truth has remained mostly hidden.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.