The Spanish-American War: Loss of the Last Colonies

Twenty years after the uprising in Cuba, which had been repressed by the Peace of Zanjón, the independence movement reappeared in Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1895, and in the Philippines in 1896.

Cuban Revolution and US Intervention

In Cuba, almost the entire population rose up against Spain, led by José Martí of the Cuban Revolutionary Party (PRC). Spain granted Cuba broad autonomy, but it was of little use because the United States entered the conflict on the side of the revolutionaries, hoping for economic advantages from trade with Cuba.

The sinking of the battleship USS Maine, which allegedly killed hundreds of people at the hands of the Spanish, provoked the immediate declaration of war on Spain by the United States. The US ended the Spanish fleet in a very short time; it was a very unequal war.

Treaty of Paris and its Aftermath

In 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed, in which Spain gave up all its colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines). These territories came under the influence of the United States.

Impact on Spain

This colonial disaster was very bad for Spain, especially in the Spanish consciousness, as it marked a break from the bourgeois ideology of the Restoration for the proletariat and the intellectuals. They began to realize the vast corruption within the government. Society fell into deep pessimism, which was reflected in the literature of the Generation of '98 (Pío Baroja, Azorín, Unamuno). This intellectual movement aimed at economic modernization, ending corruption, and democratization of the country.

Regenerationism

Also notable was Regenerationism, whose most important figure was Joaquín Costa. Within the Conservative Party, there was also some regeneration, but it was silenced. Within the Liberal Party, there was more regeneration. In 1912, during the presidency of Canalejas, there was an assassination, which ended attempts to regenerate the system from above. Some steps had been taken toward it by Antonio Maura (Cánovas' predecessor), but he failed to end warlordism, although he imposed protectionist measures and improved the working conditions and lives of workers.

Consequences of the War

The loss of the Spanish colonies was not an isolated event but part of a broader process of colonial redistribution.

• Demographics: The colonial wars (1895-1898) resulted in a total of 120,000 deaths.
• Economy: The defeat meant the loss of the colonial market.
• Military Resentment: Resentment of the military towards politicians and the growth of popular anti-militarism.
• Political Crisis: Change in international status - Spain had ceased to be an empire.
• Intellectual Movement: The emergence of Regenerationism, an intellectual and critical movement characterized by the rejection of the Restoration.