Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 870 To sign the Spanish-American War?
"In the history of the previous life, at the end of the 19th century, the GDP of the United States of America in North America surpassed that of the former colonial power, the British Empire, and ranked first in the world. The placeholder Wolong began to peek out.

On the road to foreign wars, the first opponent the Commonwealth of America encountered at that time was Spain.Spain is a declining old colonial empire that once occupied almost the entire South American continent.

Therefore, at the end of the 19th century, the United States wanted to expand its power southward, so the United States and Spain, which owned the colony of Cuba, met on a narrow road in the Caribbean.

With the USS Maine incident deliberately created by the United States, it found an excuse and took advantage of its stronger national power and closer geographical location. As a result, Spain, the old colony, was defeated, and the United States' dominance in Central and North America was thus established. "

The Netherlands is currently in the same situation as the United States in its previous life.

It's just that the Netherlands was economically earlier than the powerful United States, and its GDP surpassed the United Kingdom in 1875.And the direct opponent is the British Empire, the most powerful country.

The industrial development of the Netherlands at that time made the Netherlands, like the United States at that time, based on looking for dumping grounds for goods. It did not relax its attention to the Qing Dynasty on the other side of the Pacific. However, the United States was busy preparing for war with Spain, so it was competing for the Qing Dynasty. - On the road to the domestic market, it is still a step slower than other European countries.As for the Netherlands, because it was small before, the portion was not enough.

So the smart Americans immediately thought of the "Open Door Policy" in which the interests were equally shared, and successfully achieved the goal of sharing the spoils with the European powers without any blood.

The Netherlands adopted this policy of the United States and entered the Qing Dynasty.

At the same time, with the move of the Dutch capital to Melbourne on the Australian mainland in 1871, the Netherlands became a real power in the Far East.

The relationship between the Netherlands and the Qing Dynasty has become stronger than ever before, and the Qing Dynasty also sends a large number of international students to the Netherlands to study at universities in the Far East every year. At the same time, the Qing Dynasty also brings cheap labor to the Netherlands. Now The Dutch built roads and railways in the Far East with tens of thousands of Qing citizens.

It can be said that any market in the Qing Dynasty played a role in promoting the Dutch economy.

While expanding outward, the Dutch also started a progressive movement at home.

History will prove in the future that the progressive movement is the reaction of the industrial revolution in the social and cultural fields. It requires people to get rid of their ignorant and hazy political and cultural views and have a clear understanding and design of their own future.

Everything is changing, but these changes have a clear direction, which is the inevitable rise of the Netherlands.

William IV couldn't help but fell into deep thought.

Now when the United States and Spain compete for the hegemony of South America, it was the United States that first helped the South American countries become independent. Later, Spain was finally driven out of the South American continent, leaving only Cuba in the Caribbean. It can be said that the United States won and did what it said.

"When the Spanish-American War started, Spain was already in decline and was no longer what it used to be. It also seemed very isolated internationally. At that time, it was no longer the huge empire in the world it once was, but in the 19th century At the end of the century there were only colonial countries of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Among them, the Philippines and Cuba have now launched armed uprisings against Spanish colonial rule and liberated parts of the country. These battles have distracted Spain's attention.As the initiator, in order to gain power over Spain, the American government conscripted 20 troops across the country, built a fleet known as the third most powerful in the world, deployed it at strategic points around the world, and equipped the army with rapid War-field artillery, telegraphs and telephones and other advanced equipment.

Compared with the advanced equipment carefully prepared by the United States, most of Spain's troops in the colonies are old, weak and remnant troops, with only some old-style troops and no combat preparations at all.

That year, during the fight for the Spanish colony of the Philippines, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt appointed Commodore George Dewey as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron.Dewey had participated in the American Civil War in 1861. He was a well-known military leader who had experienced hundreds of battles. He had a unique insight and in-depth and detailed analysis of occupation. Before entering the Philippines, he read a lot Materials related to the Philippines, a detailed study of the Philippine maritime map.

Until the beginning of 1898, Dewey, who had officially assumed command, commanded the fleet to sail south from the Hawaiian Islands-Guam and approach Manila.

He actively prepared for war, purchased a coal ship and a supply ship, and required the ship's crew to drill every day and make all machines ready for combat.

On April 1898, 4, Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt sent a telegram asking Dewey to speed up his fleet to the Philippines and capture or destroy the Spanish fleet there.

After entering Manila Bay, the American fleet, which had a great advantage in terms of total tonnage, speed, artillery and combat readiness training, met the Spanish fleet and annihilated it in a short time.

At the same time, the rebels in the Philippines were also encouraged by the United States and actively participated in military operations, occupying many important islands and towns, and established their own ethnic governments.

In 1898, under the attack of the American Navy and the Army, as well as the Philippine uprising, the Spanish army in Manila made a symbolic resistance and then ceased fire and surrendered. Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines in Asia was officially ended.

After driving the Spanish colonists out of the Philippines, the cunning American Federation broke its promise to support Philippine independence and implemented military occupation of the Philippines.

The purpose of the Philippines' attack on Spanish colonial rule was to naturally lose their own national independence, instead of replacing themselves with a great power to inherit and rule them. Therefore, they were very angry and strongly opposed the American military occupation. However, they were too weak. Despite their struggle, Finally, after spending three years in the United States, he successfully suppressed the resistance of the Filipinos and imposed military rule on them for decades.

William IV said to himself: "Now Spain has formed an alliance with the Netherlands. Instead of entering the camp of Britain and Germany, it has joined the Nordic Alliance formed by the Netherlands.

The Confederate States of America is now supported by the United Kingdom. Historically, the thirteen southern states that were unified after the Civil War are still independent, and the United States has also been divided.

Given the ebb and flow of the situation, Spain may be on the verge of rising again.

This is not in the interest of the Netherlands, especially since Spain is trying to create Spain's second major source of power in the Philippines, which may be a threat to the Netherlands in the future.Competition for the Netherlands in the north, especially adjacent maritime areas such as the Maluku Islands and New Guinea, may arise later, and this is very negative for the Netherlands to exert influence in the north. "

William IV's eyes suddenly lit up, "Maybe it would be good to use Spain first, then suppress it later, or even stab him in the back."

(End of this chapter)