Military History (Essay Sample)

The Spanish American War Name of Student Institutional Affiliation Date The Spanish American war of 1898 - commonly known as the first media war, was a war between Spain and the United States of America that ultimately led to the end of the Spanish colonial rule in Cuba, and US acquiring territories in the western pacific and Latin America (Cosmas, 1998). This war was very significant to the United States since by winning the war, it made the country a super power. The cause of the war, though provoked by Spanish colonial brutality in Cuba, was largely influenced by the US quest for expansion. This was so because the energy that had been channelled by the US into internal development was diverted to enterprise development in other countries (Cosmas, 1998). The navy and the army were hence called upon to help propel these interests. For decades, Cubans had rebelled against Spain's repressive colonial policies. After almost a year of unsuccessful suppression of the Cuban rebellion, Spain turned to harsher measures that were poorly executed leading to the death of many civilians from disease and starvation. The sinking of the American Maine on February 15, 1898 in Havana harbour fuelled the war even further (Cosmas, 1998). It was reported that Spain was responsible for the explosion on the ship that claimed 260 lives. The American congress issued a formal declaration of war on Spain, a country that had not prepared for the war. The emerging media propagated dramatic events in order to gain popularity and sell the papers - a style that was later called yellow journalism. ...