USS Maine in Havana Harbor 1898

The German Connection with the Spanish American War

Oct 28, 2009 Michael Streich

In the months before the outbreak of war with Spain in April 1898, German warships prowled the Caribbean, meddling in affairs & hoping to benefit from a weakening Spain.

In 1897 Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was twenty-nine years old; Theodore Roosevelt, the American Assistant Secretary of the Navy, was thirty-nine. Events in the Caribbean in late 1897 would test the resolve of both men and ultimately serve as a cause of the 1898 Spanish-American War.

Kaiser Wilhelm and German Imperialism

Following the dismissal of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1890, the Kaiser embarked on a series of reckless foreign policies adventures that led other European leaders to see him as an arch meddler, eager to benefit from the misfortunes of others or to exacerbate international crises in the hopes of securing either land or long term influence. This occurred in Morocco and later during the Boer War in South Africa.

Kaiser Wilhelm, against the advice of Bismarck, wanted his “place in the sun.” He had also read Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan’s wildly popular book, The Influence of Sea Power on History: 1660-1783 and had it translated into German. Mahan’s blueprint, which included colonies, a strong fleet, and island coaling stations, provided the Kaiser with a rationale for imperial adventures.

Germany came late to the imperialistic table. Although not too late to participate in the “scramble for Africa,” most desirable world properties were already under the control of Britain, France, and Russia. Germany had acquired joint custodianship of Samoa with the United States, but the Caribbean offered new opportunities in the wake of Spain’s growing inability to maintain her last remaining colonial possessions.

Cuba and the Coming of War with the United States

In November 1897 Teddy Roosevelt learned from intelligence sources that two imperial warships had left Germany for the Caribbean. His superior was on vacation, so Roosevelt, on his own initiative, ordered the USS Maine to set sail for the Florida Keys. The Maine was one of America’s newest warships, part of a fleet of over 110 vessels.

In early December a German warship sailed into Port-au-Prince and humiliated the government, threatening to bombard the city. Although Haiti appealed for US help, no American warships were close enough to assist. In Cuba, tensions were mounting and in January 1898 the American press reported rioting in Havana. The decision to send the Maine to Havana was based on reports of rioting but also to counter the potential threat of four German ships in Havana’s harbor. The last thing President McKinley wanted was for the Germans to provoke an incident giving them an opportunity to intervene and perhaps transfer ownership of the colony from an increasingly weak Spain.

When the Maine arrived in Havana on January 25th, there was no rioting. The ship had not been expected. American lives, interests, and property were in no danger. Historians like G.J.A. O’Toole believe that the presence of Gneisenenau, the Charlotte, and the Geier, in Havana – all German warships, played some role in the decision to send the Maine. German ships had also been reported off Manila Bay in the Philippines, further suggesting that the Kaiser hoped to benefit from Spain’s deteriorating position as a colonial power.

The Drift toward War in 1898

Diplomatic solutions, either with the overt meddling of Kaiser Wilhelm or with Spain’s queen regent, were not forcefully attempted. McKinley’s Secretary of State was Ohio’s John Sherman, a venerable member of the US Senate and a founder of the Republican Party but who, in 1898, was senile.

The Maine exploded on February 16th, an action many Americans blamed on Spain despite evidence to the contrary. Americans had already been predisposed to war through the rabid yellow journalism that portrayed Spain as a brutal colonial master. By mid-April, Congress approved a resolution that authorized what John Hay dubbed “the splendid little war.”

As to Germany, the Kaiser’s meddling continued in Central and South America. During TR’s term as president, he averted a naval standoff with the Kaiser over the Venezuelan dispute.

Sources:

• Ivan Musicant, Empire by Default: The Spanish-American War and the Dawn of the American Century (Henry Holt & Co., 1998)
• G.J.A. O’Toole, The Spanish War (W.W. Norton & Co., 1984)
• Page Smith, The Rise of Industrial America (Penguin, 1984)

*The copyright of this article is owned by Michael Streich. Any reprint or republishing in any form must ge granted permission in writing by Michael Streich