Pro tip: you can justify imperialism if you’re simultaneously fighting imperialism (1898)
by jackt-up
Pro tip: you can justify imperialism if you’re simultaneously fighting imperialism (1898)
by jackt-up
15 Comments
“It’s not imperialism if you buy it.” – United States of America 1898, or something
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_War_of_Independence
“Just because”
Spain literally invented the concentration camp to supress Cuban independence. The US is no angel; but don’t pretend Spain is innocent either.
Well, at least we can all drink rum with cola, right?
Their remaining New World colonies.
They still had a their African Colonies
A reminder, the USA (and, for balance; Russia too (especially under it’s USSR incarnation) have been doing that from day 1.
They really copied the UK’s notes from using prevention piracy and slavery as an excuse to colonize various islands territories. lol
Classic misrepresentation to make America look bad
*The American Peril* by Dan Carlin covers this pretty well.
Everything leading up to the war, the two halves of America needing to be brought together (Let us liberate the Cubans/Think of how much Stuff that island has…), the mystery around the *USS Maine*, the war…
… and the horrifying Vietnam style guerrilla warfare American soldiers in the Philippines found themselves dealing with when it became clear they were the latest occupation force having been trying to oust the Spanish before all this happened.
Key difference being that the colonies that the US took over were immediately granted independence, were given a roadmap for independence, or routinely vote that they don’t want independence.
Cuba: You have saved us
America: More like under new management
The US logic: you can’t have colonies if I have them first
Philippines: We’re free. USA: More like under new management
We didn’t even really want them.
I know that’s not the narrative, but it was politically unpopular and kinda got pushed through on the need for coaling stations and closed off markets from existing imperial powers.
Ironically Cubans were in that time period pursuing independence were because Spain repressed movements for autonomy, which was the original idea of those groups. Puerto Rico didn’t even sought of independence, not even autonomy. Iirc the relation with Spain and the Caribbean settlers is kinda silly considering the Dominican Republic tried to reintegrate into Spain after the independence and there is some small movements today about that issue. It kinda did it but they fought AGAIN for independence because of tariffs, trade monopolies and some rumor which had a good basis about Spain integrating slavery again in the island. The issue about this people which is very funny to me is that originally they felt kinda Spanish (as If we have to be fair, the region was very close to the metropole in terms of demography and economy) but the government refused giving them any autonomy, something was answered with the movement getting more radical and in a certain moment Spain even said ‘You know what? Fuck off’ as they did in Dominican Republic (for the second time)
This opens an interesting deal about how states in crisis fail to innovate themselves.
I’m not justifying imperialism by the way, I’m just explaining the overall situation that by the way shouldn’t be dragged to the Philipines since it was another whole deal.
REMEMBER THE MAINE