What if Spain won the Spanish-American war in 1898?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ค. 2024
- A warship, the USS Maine was sent to Spanish Cuba to protect American interests in the region. While it was docking in Havana, the capital of Spanish Cuba, the USS Maine exploded. Spain was blamed for the explosion, which later turned out to be false. Anyways, 2 mounts after that, the USA and Spain went to war.
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▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 - Video intro
00:26 - Pacific theatre
00:41 - Caribbean theatre
01:12 - Peace treaty of Paris
01:33 - How the war could have changed?
01:52 - The Spanish Empire
02:22 - Real-life silver coins
02:40 - State of Spanish colonies
02:55 - What if Spain won against the USA?
03:51 - The Spanish-American war
05:43 - Peace treaty of Havana
06:13 - Politics in the USA after the loss
06:33 - Post-war Spanish politics
07:03 - The Panama Canal situation
08:25 - Video outro
![[TH] VCT Pacific Stage 2 - Playoffs Lower Bracket Final // PRX vs DRX](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5HwO1bQyAx4/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice video! One thing I think might be different is the fate of the U.S. government. President McKinley didn't want to go to war, and he was pressured both by the media and his own government to take aggressive action after the explosion of the USS Maine before he knew all the facts (it ended up being an accidental explosion not a mine). The assistant secretary of the navy, Teddy Roosevelt, actually illegally went behind McKinley's back to begin preparing the nation for war. So what I think would happen instead is that McKinley's anti-war position would be vindicated and he would remain in power. However, Teddy Roosevelt would be disgraced as a warmonger and be fired from his governmental position, which would still lead to a less aggressive foreign policy like you said.
One more thing was that the Dominican Republic wasn't part of the Spanish Empire by then, having regained independence in the 1860s.
Looking forward to the next video!
Thank you very much! You are very knowledgeable and if I got that information sooner, I would have included it into my video. If you want, you can check the description and join my discord where I'll be sharing future videos.
Regarding the Dominican Republic, I don't know how I missed that, I think it was because they became independent and not so long after that became a colony again. This confused me while making the custom map, it's my bad.
@@rewriting-history No problem.
Done! I've joined your Discord.
Yeah I feel you. Colonial histories can get messy and way too overcomplicated.
@@rewriting-history Yes Dominican republic got independence from Spain in 1821
In fact, during the 1860 it became part of spain Again, You can Google it @Rewriting-history
From Haiti. Spain had not had it for 80 years I think.
Spain: *helps the 13 colonies to gain independence*
USA: *blows up their own ship to justify a war to gain even more land*
Spain: 😐
Actually, the Spaniards had a strong and modern navy in mainland Spain but because of some troubles with the british and some indecisions theyu just did't send that navy neither Philipines or Cuba, if that navy were sent to one of those territories the war would have changed
That, and also not getting the Peral Submarine into the navy (literally because the head of the navy at the time disliked Isaac Peral and was afraid he would be fired in his favour
I think the US also made several moves to make harder to the Spanish Navy to refuel coal in any foreing port. In a way the ships on the territories, like Cuba and Filipines were considered as losses before they even were sunk, in exchange Spain retained the mainland fleet intact for later. Those two factors (lack of fuel and wanting to conserve the mainland fleet) also made us discard the plan of shelling the East Coast of the US with the battleship Pelayo.
I might be wrong, but I think that the Dominican Republic was independent when the Spanish-American war started.
You are correct, it's my bad I don't know how I missed that, in the future I'll watch out more!
Yes Dominican republic got independence from Spain in 1821
@@familyandfriends3519but It was re-encorpored between 1858 and 1863
@@roblerow4589 but mostly importantly it got independence from it's colonizer Spain
@@familyandfriends3519yeah, it got reannexed in 1850s. The only reason they lossed it was due to American pressure
I like this timeline because the Philippines, though independent, would be a Hispanic nation. ¡Viva las Filipinas hispánicas!
I'm glad you liked it!
Just one thing, Spain didn’t have colonies, they were territories
Yes I'm well aware, but I think that if I said that, I would confuse most viewers, that's why I decided to call them colonies
And the US doesn’t have colonies, only unincorporated territories /s
@@kingdmind that is a false equivalence fallacy
@@rewriting-historycreo que ya va siendo ora de que l agente entienda la diferencia de una colonia con un virreinato o jn territorio de ultramar
@@kingdmind only used for extracting resources, creating strategic points and having a consumer base to sell them products. Definition: colony
In 1897, Puerto Rico gained self autonomy, one year before the United States invaded the island. Puerto Rico, unlike Cuba (and Dominican Republic prior to that) didn't have any rebelion and were fairly happy with the recently achieved autonomy. Cuban rebel leaders were in most part financially inspired to rebel due to them thinking that they would fully benefit from profits from the then cash crop of sugarcane. Unfortunately full autonomy and control over cash crops only were dominated much heavier under American domination.
They were still a part of Spain, they just became one of the first autonomous overseas provinces, this led to other places in Spain itself that have self or full autonomy but are still a part of Spain.
@@mar3869 , Many of us Puerto Ricans believe that the occupation of Puerto Rico is illegal and has damaged the island in several ways. A return to Autonomous status with Spain would be preferred in my opinion despite the U.S. never offering this option. Statehood would only wipeout our language, culture and religion. Independence would only mean impoverishment worse than its present situation.
@@JeOrtiz1 I’m Puerto Rican myself, and while being of primarily Iberian extraction (over 80%) I would love nothing more than to return to Spain. And in my younger days I supported this, today I believe Puerto Rico’s future lies in independence from the USA that stole us.
Nothing changed with the "Autonomy letter". That was just another special law from Spain but didn't change Puerto Rico's political status back then.
Would love a follow-up video. I think not enough alternate history scenarios are made on Spain.
I have a great idea for a follow up video!
I expected Spain to annex the Florida keys
loved the video, it was realistic, and if our goverment back at the time had build some military factories in those islands for suplying the garrisons, they could have protected cuba and puerto rico without naval superiority. Keep the good work man, loved the video :D
Thank you a whole lot! Really appreciate the support! Soon I'm planning on making part 2 on this scenario!
might sound like a nitpick, but Cuba did want independence from Spain. the Cuban war of Independence turned into the Spanish-American war, as the original war goal of the USA was to help Cuba gain independence, protect Americans property, and possibly liberate the Philippines, but that turned into annexation. (i heard somewhere the USA annexed them because of fears Germany would just conquer them if they didn't, but it could just be the USA was feeling a little imperialist at the time, as they also took Guam and Puerto Rico). But this is also a very good video, please keep making videos like this.
Thank you very much for leaving a nice comment, I really appreciate it. Regarding Cuba, online there are so much options and I didn't know which one to choose. Same was with the Philippines.
The War of Cuba was considered a civil war by the Spanish, with the west of the island being generally pro-Spanish and the east being divided, with cities being pro-Spanish and the countryside separatist.
@@mcbabwe4977 Thank you for letting me know, this is actually every interesting!
Puerto Rico aside from some traitors in the South did not want independence. They were the only ones that didn’t betray the Empire.
As someone who is alive today because of spanish expansion and colonialism in the new world and heavily influenced the language, religion and culture to this day I do feel bad that history did Spain dirty compared to all the other imperial powers like the British, French, Dutch, etc which all still have territories in the americas to the present and no one bats an eye or attempts to invade them as the U.S did. Granted the Spanish also had their own fair share of shame with colonialism but a lot of the other imperialist nations weren't any better
Thank you for sharing your personal view on the matter, I wish you the best in life and appreciate the support!
spain was the colonist that less hurt the natives and treated them best
They were much better than the others. There’s a reason there’s more Indigenous and Native people in former Spanish provinces than there are in North America. And that’s despite that the Democratic Republics that came to power genocided the natives for their formerly protected lands.
@@mar3869yes because they brought slaves from Africa
Sometimes, instead of a luxurious dish, you're in the mood to eat a simple but good sandwich. In the context of alt-history content, this is a good sandwich. It's nothing extravagant or revolutionary, but it's alt-history done right
Thank you very much, I'm developing my unique style with somewhat short videos without explaining the backstory of the alt history for 80% of the video and in the end not giving a solid answer
@@rewriting-history Yeah, a lot of alt-history TH-camrs tend to do that. I like how you construct your own timeline instead of saying vague things, it makes your scenario feel more alive and entertaining.
@@ari3903 I'm still evolving as a creator, so expect my content to be better in the future! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
2:47
That's true. In fact, nowadays Peru doesn't have an independence hero. But rather a national hero that participated in a much later war (War of the Pacific)
Damn that's very interesting, I would look it up even more, for example the national holiday and etc.
I love your videos, you can always feel that you put a lot of work into them!
Doubt that because the US doesn't join the war, WW1 would end in Central power victory as the landings of the British in Thessaloniki made both Bulgaria and the Ottomans to exit the war, the Hamsburg Empire was really unstable so it would also collapse as well, the main thing that would probably change is the fact that France may fall to the Germans but I don't think that's enough to change the out come of the war, but overall great video keep it up!
Thank you for the reply! I agree with you, however what if Spain joined the Central Powers and the USA stayed neutral? In that case the Central Powers would for sure win! What do you think about this scenario?
@@rewriting-history Oh yeah if Spain joined the Central Powers they would most definitely win
@@rewriting-history if Spain joined it would be guaranteed win.
@@rewriting-history Spain and Germany/Austria have been allies since the birth of Spain, specially Spain and Austria wich would have a strong relationship due to both being Catholic
Nice video!
I like your newest video and I really like this scenario as well! 😁😆
I'm very glad that you liked it! Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any future videos! I start to notice you in my comments very often, I really appreciate the support!
really interesting video, I never saw anyone cover this before
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked the video!
I want to see Part 2 of this video to see what will happens to Spanish Empire in WW2. 😊😊
You will see very soon!
@@rewriting-history Oh really?’ Thank you so much! XD 😁😆
I’ll say that Spanish Empire will crash with the Japan during the WW2 at this universe.
For sure! I will include that in part 2 once i get there
Nice video! You’re doing great!
Thank you very much for commenting on all my videos!
Great video !
However there are some criticisms that I would point out within the video.
1. Davao would not be a main target for the Americans since it was a small hamlet in Mindanao back in 1898, instead, they might make a landing in Zamboanga. From Zamboanga they could cultivate a relationship with the Sultanate of Sulu, which was a subjugated Spanish protectorate back then.
2. It is more likely that the Philippines would be given more autonomy to prevent seperatist sentiments within the colony, instead of a republic. Philippine nationalism was still in its infancy, compared to Cuban nationalism, with PH nationalist ideologues merely concentrated among the local ruling class of Central and Southern Luzon.
Great information and thank you for the reply! Really appreciate learning something new, i will screenshot this and use it for later if i come to the Philippines around that time period
Great video!🎉
Thank you very much!
Very interesting
Glad you think so!
Wait, why is the Dominican Republic Spanish? It was already an independent country.
Yes it was my bad, Idk how I missed that, a lot of people have pointed that out in the comments
Spain could also annex the rest of Morocco.
Maybe for part 2 they can connect their west african colonies
Could you please do a what if about a Greek victory in the Greco Turkish war
Sure! I will write it down, I have mentioned that in previous videos. In the meantime if you want you can join my discord and you can suggest videos there too! Link in description.
If the Spanish coin you showed is from the actual peak, and not just the territorial peak of the Spanish empire, then it is the first globally used coin, like nowadays the dollar
Yooo this is such a good perspective to look at. Also like the British Pound during the Victorian Era!
@ 2:18 This is not the Islas Carolinas and Las Marianas which are around Guam. The arrow is pointing to New Guinea
Maybe I made a mistake, Pacific islands are hard to go by
I think one thing missed here that I've heard about before are the German Empire's plans to take the colonies from Spain, something that was foiled in our timeline by this war. How would that play out after this chnaged result for the war.
Another good reason the Spanish could had won this war if they used their recently invented small submarine, the first in the world, the *Peral Submarine*.
Did you know that Andres Novales, a filipino rebel attempted to make a "Empire of Phillipines" in 1823?
Nice one
Thank you very much I appreciate the support!
A fun idea, what if Muslim were never kicked off Iberia
Oh boy you're gonna love my next video after 3 days :D
@@rewriting-historyI’m going to be waiting
@@ugbhffggThat will be horrible…… 😱😱😱
@@rewriting-history bro the treaty of Paris states Cuba got independence from Spain in 1898 the USA just occupied it
I’m buying a Lego model of the uss maine
The usa already had an isolanation policy so it wouldnt effect the usa as much the only reasonteddy rosevalt is usually seen as this internationalist president but he was mostly internally focused president whith mostly only goals for the american continent as well as except for that it was a nice video.
Thank you very much, I'm still learning americans politics, appreciate the advice and I'm glad you liked the video!
2:45 To be fair this isn’t true. There wasn’t a single Hispanic (besides Masonic bourgeoisie French and English agents) that wanted true independence. The very little resistance offered to the hordes of brits and mercenaries led by free masons that auto proclaimed themselves as”liberators” was put by the indigenous and mixed habitants of Hispanic America. However they where quickly overrun and massacred by those “liberators” that literally assassinated anyone that offered resistance to their invasion, so in fact besides some structural changes the true population didn’t want independence but they couldn’t to anything about it without the help of the Spanish armies.
Thank you for sharing more information, as I red online I only got confused even more with someone saying they want total independence, and others saying they were fine as it is. That's why I said in the video there were mixed opinions.
I was kinda hoping Spain would retake Florida
Would be cool, but fairly historically inaccurate.
I know, but a man can hope, y'know?
0:57 the dominican republic wasn't a part of spain at this time
Yeah I got that comment quite a lot, it's my bad idk how I missed it
Dominican republic got independence from Spain in 1821 and the treaty of Paris states that Cuba got independence from Spain in 1898 the USA just occupied it
By that time I highly doubt that Spain could have created an alliance or built the Panama canal because of it's internal instability and terrible economy, the same could go for joining ww1, which could happen in a remotely possibility if there had been a Hozenhollen monarchy when Spain tried to change it's monarch, and that would have ended in some revolution like Russia had, but in the short term of joining the war
Thank you for sharing extra information! You might be right, but I wanted to create an interesting scenario. If I was mostly accurate, than it would be very boring video I feel like. In the end, I grow on TH-cam by making interesting videos, that is how things are.
The Dominican Republic won their independence from Spain in 1821 and was later controlled by Haiti until 1844 when it achieved full independence.
the world would be better
Maybe, I will make a follow up on that scenario
Maybe Nicaraguan Canal might’ve gone through instead of the Panamanian Canal perhaps in this timeline. But hey that’s just a theory, a History Theory thanks for reading.
Thanks for commenting! I'm sure a canal would be dig up somewhere!
I don't understand why America would pay Spain reparations just because they failed to invade Cuba doesn't mean they weren't winning they still had the naval advantage and no reason to pay to end the war?
They paid them historically after winning the war + after fighting for a year with nothing to show for it, the American public would revolt
I mean, there were no Vicerroyalties at that point, but for the rest seams plaussible. This would have massive effects on Spain, as we would get literally the same pride rush as Danemark in the 1st Sleswig war, as opposite to the pesimistic and introspective political and cultural climate unraveled by the '98 disaster, the most probable outcome after that would be more or less: The Restoration regime would be massivley popular, culture and politics would be greatly optimistic and prideful, leading to more Spanish nationalism as opposed to periferical (Basque, Catalan, Galician ...) one, also republicanism will be a very fringe ideology, as the monarchy is sky high popular, slavery will probably be abolished in Cuba (yes, there was slavery in Cuba until the US conquered it) so that could trigger unrest with some industrialists that also had plantations there, but nothing really major, policies in Africa would be more expansionistic as a victory against the US would have caused a renwed expansionist mindset, the army wouldnt be rebellious and ultranationalistic and also way more popular, the Rif War would probably end quicker due to a lot of very moaralized volunteers going to fight there rather than drafted conscripts, this also avoids the 1917 crisis, and subsequently the Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, with this climate, I suspect that the Conservative Party headed by Antonio Maura in the early 1900s would be hegemonic, and the political system of turns of the Restoration would slowly disappear, with that in mind, when the Great Depression comes I think that Spain would be hit harder without the policies of Primo de Rivera, but maybe the economic ministers that worked for his Civil Directory (the 2nd stage of his dictatorship) would have managed to still rise to power, this paves the way to a Spain that has no Civil War, no ultranationalist ideologies neither socialistic ones taking power, and that probably becomes a more or less neutral power in the world stage. I still don't think that Spain would enter WW1 in either side, technically with a political hegemony of the Conservative Party (although the Liberal party could also have gotten monopolistic of power as they were in charge during the war with the US) most of the politicians would be pro-german, a great deal of industrialists would still be more pro-Enente as Britain and France were closer partner economically, but the King was very saunchly pro-neutrality and with visions to make Spain a mediator in the conflict to gain concessions, so probably neutrality would still be chosen as the course of action, as Spain has no obligations from either side nor substantial gains that an already satisfied Spain would need. Also it is relevant to point out that in 1987 the government made a deal with the Filipino separatists to give them money and free passage to Hong Kong, and autonomy to the Philipines but the conflicts started again when the US landed on the islands, so I dont think that the Philipines would become independent, but the US would probably be allowed some sort of naval base or something as well as official protection of American businesses, same in Cuba, to keep positive relations and avoid future escalation.
No well I don’t think Spain would of lost all of their fleets Spain had a third more larger and modern fleet in Spain which was in route to the Philippines in the real timeline which most likely would of destroyed the American Fleet in the Philippines .
It's impossible to say, I just chose this outcome to make the video more interesting
5:48 Hobart was the Vice President, not Prime Minister, a nonexistent position in the US.
You are correct, I think in my script it was Vice President, but for some reason I read it out wrong and didn't notice in the editing. My bad here, thank you for pointing it out!
@@rewriting-history We all make mistakes. Overall, this is a great video.
@@aaronTGP_3756 Thank you very much! Really appreciate it!
I think that even if Spain won, they would probably leave Cuba by 1910 because of all the rebels there
What if Spain kept Peru as well
That's a topic for another video, what if they had saved their colonial empire from an earlier point in time.
Si solo hubieramos ganao
Remember the Maine. Revenge 1898
VIVA ESPAÑA
Indeed
The amount of Spanish nationalists here is hilarious. Cope that you’re the least of all European colonial empires.
Is its wrong that i say Cuba should be an state of USA? Let 20 years of american warfare and will be a miami (Ibiza) in the caribean.
I would think the Pelayo and Carlos V battlegroup reaching Manila Bay is far more likely. I cant imagine the USA paying reparations unless faced with the prospect of invasion. If the blockade of Cuba was lifted, then that alone would likely be the best that could be hoped for. The USA would likely hold Guam, but otherwise it would be status quo ante bellum less the destruction of the of the US Asiatic Fleet and the destruction of the Spanish Caribbean & Asiatic squadrons.