Menocal’s government declared war on Germany on April 7, 1917, the day after the U.S. entered World War I. On April 11, McKinley asked Congress for authority to send American troops to Cuba for the purpose of ending the civil war there. Not to be dissuaded, on March 25, Martí presented the Manifesto of Montecristi, which outlined the policy for Cuba's war of independence: The insurrection began on February 24, 1895, with uprisings all across the island. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Cuban-Independence-Movement, United States History - Cuban Fight for Independence. Spanish Liberal leader Práxedes Mateo Sagasta admitted in May 1897: "After having sent 200,000 men and shed so much blood, we don’t own more land on the island than what our soldiers are stepping on". Protests by Afro-Cubans against a law prohibiting political organization by race or religion led to a bloody government crackdown that claimed the lives of thousands. Congress formally declared war on April 25. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. In addition, booby traps were placed at locations most likely to be attacked. Batista continued to rule Cuba through two presidents—Jose Barnet y Vinageras (December 1935–May 1936) and Federico Laredo Brú (December 1936–October 1940). The American cry of the hour became, Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain! Disorder and strikes continued, but Mendieta and his chief of staff, Batista, used dictatorial measures and postponed elections until December 1935. Until 1919 Cuba enjoyed phenomenal prosperity, thanks to the high price of sugar. During the years 1869–1888 of the so-called "Rewarding Truce", lasting for 17 years from the end of the Ten Years' War in 1878, there were fundamental social changes in Cuban society. [citation needed] Using a variety of sources, Tone estimates that civilian losses totaled 155,000 to 170,000 deaths, representing nearly 10 percent of the total population.[8]. This defense line was to confine rebel activities to the eastern provinces. The U.S. and other countries granted him prompt recognition. Pledged to a program of reform, he made good only a few of his promises during his first term. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They defeated Spanish Gen. Arsenio Martínez-Campos y Antón, who had gained victory in the Ten-Year War, and killed his most trusted general at Peralejo. Omissions? This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 05:51. In May 1902 Tomás Estrada Palma became the first president of the new republic, and material prosperity came to certain segments of the Cuban population. They established a central government, which grouped the executive and legislative powers into one entity named "Government Council", headed by Salvador Cisneros and Bartolomé Masó. [13] The amendment disclaimed any intention on the part of the United States to exercise jurisdiction or control over Cuba for other than pacification reasons, and confirmed that the armed forces would be removed once the war is over. After deliberations with patriotic clubs across the United States, the Antilles and Latin America, "El Partido Revolucionario Cubano" (The Cuban Revolutionary Party) was in a state of pendency and was affected by a growing fear that the U.S. government would try to annex Cuba before the revolution could liberate the island from Spain. A constitutional convention met at Havana from November 5, 1900, to February 21, 1901. Theodore Roosevelt named his secretary of war, William Howard Taft, governor of Cuba. Poet and journalist José Julián Martí, the ideological spokesman of the revolution, drew up plans for an invasion of Cuba while living in exile in New York City. They were José Miguel Gómez (1909–13), Mario García Menocal (1913–21), and Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso (1921–25). American Intervention, Independence Granted in 1902. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. After the Ten Years' War, the government had forbidden possession of weapons by private individuals. Tuesday, October 17, 2017 The Ten Year War Three Wars Cuban Independence was realized on May 20, 1902 following 400 years of Spanish colonial rule and a brief occupation by the United States after the Spanish American War in 1898. The revolution should bring new economic life to Cuba. Although the Cuban independence movement enjoyed much popularity and official support in the 1860s and 1870s, awareness of the movement and the war was considerably more widespread … The revolution’s leader, Fidel Castro, went on to rule Cuba from 1959 to 2008. On December 25, 1894, three ships – the Lagonda, the Almadis and the Baracoa – set sail for Cuba from Fernandina Beach, Florida, loaded with soldiers and weapons. Spain gave Cuba representation in the Cortes (parliament) and abolished slavery in 1886. Many wealthy Cubans lost their property, and joined the urban middle class. [15][16] "Faced with a revved up, war-ready population, and all the editorial encouragement the two competitors could muster, the United States jumped at the opportunity to get involved and showcase its new steam-powered Navy".[7]. Krohn, Jonathan. In 1876 Spain sent Gen. Arsenio Martínez Campos to crush the revolution. Cuban Independence Movement, nationalist uprising in Cuba against Spanish rule. [14] President McKinley, Speaker of the House Thomas Brackett Reed, and the business community opposed the growing public demand for war, which was lashed to fury by the yellow journalism. On April 19, Congress passed joint resolutions (by a vote of 311 to 6 in the House and 42 to 35 in the Senate) supporting Cuban independence and disclaiming any intention to annex Cuba, demanding Spanish withdrawal, and authorizing the president to use as much military force as he thought necessary to help Cuban patriots gain independence from Spain. On February 15, 1898, the Maine was rocked by an explosion, killing 260[11] of the crew and sinking the ship in the harbor. When Cuba's first war of independence broke out in 1868, some of those same soldiers were assigned to Cuba; they brought along what had by then become a derogatory Spanish slur for insurgents. Hearst, when informed by Frederic Remington, whom he had hired to furnish illustrations for his newspaper, that conditions in Cuba were not bad enough to warrant hostilities, allegedly replied, "You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war". Chief among these groups was the 26th of July Movement under the leadership of the charismatic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. His party, the Conservatives (later known as the Moderates), emerged victorious in the elections of December 1905, but the opposition Liberals accused the government of rigging the vote. Fulgencio Batista (left), with Gen. Malin Craig, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, in Washington, D.C., November 10, 1938. Grau San Martín’s attempts at reform were also short-lived, and his four months in office were characterized by bloody strife. Spanish colonial administration was corrupt, inefficient, and inflexible. He was elected president without opposition for a four-year term beginning February 24, 1955. On December 25, 1894, three ships – the Lagonda, the Almadis and the Baracoa – set sail for Cuba from Fernandina Beach, Florida, loaded with soldiers and weapons. Realistically, Spain could have had no interest in drawing the United States into the conflict. U.S. rule and the creation of the Cuban Republic, Independence, instability, and continued U.S. intervention, The rise of Castro and the outbreak of revolution, https://www.britannica.com/event/Cuban-Revolution, National Public Radio - Fidel Castro: From Rebel to El Presidente, Florida Memory - State Library & Archives of Florida - The Cuban Experience in Florida, PBS - American Experience - Castro's Failed Coup. Las Tunas had been guarded by over 1,000 well-armed and well-supplied men. By January 1896 rebel forces controlled most of the island, and the Spanish government replaced Martínez Campos with Gen. Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, who soon became known as El Carnicero (“The Butcher”). Grau San Martín’s administration began with much emphasis on “political house cleaning” but failed to achieve any kind of concrete reform. Campos tried the same strategy he had employed in the Ten Years' War, constructing a broad belt across the island, called the trocha, about 80 km long and 200 m wide. [20] On August 12, the United States and Spain signed a protocol of Peace, in which Spain agreed to relinquish all claims of sovereignty over Cuba. They compensated by using guerrilla-style fighting, based on quick raids and fades to the environment, the element of surprise, mounting their forces on fast horses, and using machetes against regular troops on the march. Twenty-eight ships were intercepted within U.S. territory; five were intercepted at sea by the U.S. Navy, and four by the Spanish Navy; two were wrecked; one was driven back to port by storm; the fate of another is unknown. Estrada Palma’s administration attempted to implement progressive measures, but it was plagued by instability. In 1897, the liberation army maintained a privileged position in Camagüey and Oriente, where the Spanish controlled only a few cities. The Cuban exiles fled to the U.S., and, as violence intensified, the U.S. offered to mediate. Thus, Oriente was under control of Americans, but U.S. General Nelson A.