Imperialism in Latin AmericaImperialist powers controlled Latin America with economic influence and political intervention.

Economic Imperialism

Economic Imperialism

• By the end of the 1800s, the U.S. and Europe were buying many products from Latin America.

• Americans ate bananas from Central America, drank coffee from Brazil, and smoked Cuban cigars.

• Americans started to invest money in Latin America.

Economic Imperialism

• American money built factories and textile mills, bought ranges, plantations, and mines, and even owned railroads.

• Foreign governments thought it was a good idea to allow the Americans to buy land and spend money in their countries.

• They had hoped the increased money spent in their country would quickly improve their economy.

Economic Imperialism

• Some Latin America countries borrowed money from the United States. They used the money to make public improvements or strengthen their armies and navies.

• Sometimes a country could not pay back their loans. Sometimes the U.S. sent their ships and troops to force a country to pay their debts.

The Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War

• In 1898, the U.S. became deeply involved in Latin America.

• The problem grew out of disagreements with Spain over Cuba.

• The Caribbean island had been a Spanish colony for many years but the Cubans were unhappy under Spanish rule.

The Spanish-American War

• A rebellion had failed, and the situation was tense in Cuba. Also, many Americans believed the Cuban people ought to be free.

• Anger boiled over in 1898.

The Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War

• The U.S.S. Maine, an American battleship, exploded in Havana harbor, killing some 260 Americans.

• The Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect American citizens and their property in Cuba.

The Spanish-American War

• No one knew the cause of the explosion and many conspiracy theories exist to this day.

• At the time, many in the U.S. assumed the Spanish were to blame.

The Spanish-American War

• Spain wanted to avoid war, but it could not withdraw from Cuba.

• The U.S. declared war in April 1898.

The Spanish-American War

• The U.S. Congress stated the U.S. was fighting only on behalf of Cuban independence and that America had no intention of taking the island itself.

• By May, the war had started.

The Spanish-American War

• The first battle ended with the defeat of the Spanish fleet in the Philippines.

• In July U.S. troops arrived in Cuba. With Cuban help, the U.S. troops quickly defeated the Spanish army.

The Spanish-American War

• The Treaty of Paris ended the war in December 1989. By the terms of the peace, Spain gave up it’s claims to Cuba.

• Spain also gave up its claim to Puerto Rico to the U.S.

• Following the war, the U.S. military controlled Cuba.

The Spanish-American War

• The Treaty of Paris ended the war in December 1989. By the terms of the peace, Spain gave up it’s claims to Cuba. Spain also gave up its claim to Puerto Rico to the U.S. in the Atlantic ocean.

• In the Pacific Ocean, Spain gave up the Philippine Islands and the island of Guam.

The Spanish-American War

• Following the war, the U.S. military controlled Cuba. Americans built schools, built roads, and tried to improve their health care.

• After two years, the U.S. military allowed Cuba to elect its own government. Cuba wrote it’s own constitution which included the Platt Amendment.

The Spanish-American War

• The Platt Amendment said that Cuba could not transfer any land except to the U.S.

• In addition, it gave the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuba whenever the U.S. believed the stable government in Cuba was at risk.

The Spanish-American War

• The U.S. also insisted on having a permanent naval base in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay.