Definition
The Spanish-American War was a short conflict in 1898 between the United States and Spain. It grew out of a Cuban independence struggle against Spanish rule, and it ended with Spain's defeat and the loss of most of its remaining empire.
Under the peace settlement, the United States gained control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and established strong influence over a nominally independent Cuba. With these acquisitions, the United States, a nation that had itself been born from an anti-colonial revolution, became an overseas imperial power.
Why it matters
How it works
A war can transform a nation's role in the world far faster than gradual policy change. The United States entered the conflict amid public anger over events in Cuba and a press eager to inflame it. Its modern navy won quick, decisive victories, and the peace negotiations then offered territories that expansionists were keen to take. Acquiring an empire, however, proved easier than governing one — as the prolonged and brutal war against Filipino independence fighters soon showed.