Spanish-American War should not always draw in so many great powers

[rogerburks]

Historically, the Spanish-American War was between the United States and Spain, and not directly involving most of the rest of Europe. Spain appealed to other European powers for help, although they sided more or less with the United States and advised that Spain should submit. In-game, because most European great powers attempt to sphere Spain, they usually intervene on Spain's behalf in-game. This often results in a decades-long standoff that strongly alters the game's balance over the duration of the war. The historical sequence of events almost never happens.

I suggest a solution should make the historical sequence of events possible, even likely, if circumstances are similar to what they were historically. Namely:

• Spain is not a Great Power
• Spain possesses Cuba and Puerto Rico
• United States is a Great Power

My proposed solution is this: Spain should appeal to its sphere master, and to various powers that have it as Friendly. If they refuse to help, it breaks military alliance if it exists, and reduces influence to Neutral. This appeal should also leave open the possibility that European powers could actually choose to intervene on Spain's behalf instead of the near-certainty of intervention that game mechanics provide.

Criteria for intervening or refusing:

• Relations with Spain
• Relations with the United States
• Governing party (pacifist or not)
• War exhaustion
• Military power versus the United States
• Economic health

[rogerburks]

Delving into the history of the matter, this is a post for me to share background information. A quick summary:

• Spain pleaded with the Concert of Europe, and even to the Pope, for help of any form. The Concert of Europe essentially all looked at each other and waited for one to take substantial lead, which did not happen.

• The United Kingdom did not want to get into a military conflict with the United States, which had begun to converge with the UK in political considerations. France, most especially, did not want to act against their ally Russia, which had been friendly with the United States as well.

• If it had been up to only monarchs with no economic issues being considered, it would likely have resulted in an intervention by the Concert, which would have resulted in a rapid loss by the United States. More likely, there would have been no war altogether since all involved knew that the UK navy would have prevented any meaningful progress by the US.

• Monarchs, especially Kaiser Wilhelm II but also Queen Victoria, were kept in check (with only limited success in Wilhelm's case) by advisers who were concerned over economic interests and the tendency for the US to resent intervention by European powers.

• Cuba was of considerable strategic importance internationally, to the extent that it was eventually treated almost like international community property. This importance was due to its position flanking maritime trade traffic from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic. There had previously been interest in the acquisition of Cuba by various European powers, and even Wilhelm II expressed a desire for compensation if it ended in the hands of another European power. All such efforts were blocked by the United States, which had a well-known desire for Cuba or at least a desire to prevent it from falling into the hands of a power stronger than Spain. Additionally, the US slave states had been (before the American Civil War of course) strongly against seeing Cuba gain independence on its own.

• Continental European powers were in the midst of an attempt at engaging in a continental bloc to exert shared interests against the UK, and all of Europe was much more concerned with China than with Spain.

• Spain's queen regent, Maria Christina of Austria, a Hapsburg, was quite popular among the nobility in Europe, about as popular as one could be in such a community, which was Spain's greatest possibility of gaining any aid at all.

• Spain had otherwise lost considerable standing and goodwill in the international community, due most recently to its mismanagement of colonies and the protracted conflict and atrocities committed during the Cuban War of Independence and prior rebellions in Cuba. While this is attributable to Yellow Journalism, it had an effect and even if covered reality inaccurately, it referenced some reality.

• Spain could have been considered to be in the sphere of influence of France at the time. However, France had a republic instead of a monarchy, and did not share many of the general attitudes of monarchs at the time. It was concerned over its investments in continental Spain but otherwise did not wish to intervene to protect the costly Spanish colonies.

• One addendum to this is that some Spanish could have even perceived a benefit to be had in losing its colonies, which had been very costly in terms of both money and Spanish lives.

• There was a keen awareness of the almost total lack of Spanish international trade when compared with that of the US, which made the Concert loathe to offend the US. Only France traded with Spain to even a noteworthy degree, due their shared border.

• UK cooperation was crucial for US operations in the Philippines, since the US needed to use UK infrastructure, such as coaling stations.

• In terms of game mechanics, Cuba could have been considered to be a crisis. However, there was no opposing backer and yet it went to war regardless. For this reason, it is likely best addressed in events rather than the crisis system.