Answer:
The Spanish-American War was a military-economic conflict between the United States and Spain from April 23 to August 12, 1898. It ended with the United States taking possession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, and for Spain it meant the loss of his last major overseas colonies. The US goal was to control Spain's overseas territories and access Asian markets through the Philippines.
Cuba's independence struggle was the trigger for the war. The Cubans had been rebelling against Spanish colonial authorities for several years and the United States supported them after they went to war against the Spanish.
On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine sank mysteriously into an explosion in the port of Havana and the Spaniards were blamed for it. This further exacerbated the Spanish hatred of the United States and Democrats pushed the US President, Republican William McKinley, to declare war contrary to his conviction. McKinley signed a directive on April 20, 1898 requiring the departure of the Spaniards and, on April 25, the US Congress declared a state of war between the United States and Spain, which had actually begun as soon as the port ban went into effect on April 21.
The peace treaty was finally signed in Paris, where the Americans temporarily captured Cuba and the Spaniards also handed over to Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The United States paid the Spanish about $ 20 million to the Philippines to make up for the various Spanish infrastructure there.
The defeat of the Spaniards and their loss during the last remnants of the Spanish empire was a huge wrath for Spain's national image and led to a thoroughly re-evaluated Spanish community. The United States acquired various islands all over the world, so new disputes began about how sensible expansionism was for the state.
