AMERICAN IMPERIALISM 1890 1919
THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Foreign military bases were important for American ships to refuel and gather fresh supplies.
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Europe was at war and the United States pledged to help Britain with a strong navy.
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A strong navy, or control of the seas, would be important during wartime.
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The US economy depended on manufacturing war ships.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Mahan argued that the United States needed a strong navy to protect economic interests. The nation needed strategically placed bases where the fleet could refuel. He said the U.S. needed to establish bases in the Caribbean, build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama and acquire islands in the Pacific.
Detailed explanation-2: -Traditionally the navy embraced a defensive strategy with an emphasis on commerce raiding. In contrast, the navy was asked during the Spanish-American War to gain control of the waters around the Philippine Islands and the Caribbean Sea.
Detailed explanation-3: -The main purpose of sea power has always been to protect friendly shipping from enemy attack and to destroy or hinder the enemy’s shipping-both commercial and military.
Detailed explanation-4: -Alfred Thayer Mahan also argued that modern navies needed repair and coaling stations. Those facilities would not be dependable if controlled by other nations. This reasoning inferred a rationale for American acquisition of port facilities throughout the world.