America at war
Spanish – American War (1898)
– the Cubans rebelled against Spain in 1868 – demands: emancipation of the slaves + selfgovernment for the island
– another rebellion in 1895 (economic distress, political trouble), rebels destroyed property
– the Spanish Philippines were a potential stronghold of American power in the Far East
– 1898 – America´s intervention, Congress declared Cuba „free and independent“- Declaration of war
Philippines: entry to Manila – end of war in West Indies
Cuba: a two-day battle – Americans won
– Final treaty was signed in Paris: Cuba was insured freedom, USA were granted Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam
World War I (1914 – 1918)
– In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot and killed in Sarajevo
– After his death Europe was divided into two camps:
The Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary)
The Allied Powers (GB, France, Russia)
– Wilson in 1916 didn´t want to interfere in Europe
– Then he in 1916 made America enter the European conflict (a nessecary step to make the world „safe for democracy“)
– Peace: 1918
World War II (1939 – 1945)
– 1938 – The Munich Conference (Sudetenland to Hitler)
– 1st September 1939 Nazi troops and planes invaded Poland – Britain + France declared war on Germany
The Pacific: Embargo on steel-scrap to Japan – Japan joined the German-Italian coalition
December 7, 1941 – Japanese planes destroyed the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor
– Declaration of war on Japan, Germany + Italy declared war on USA
North Africa: Germans were moving toward Suez Canal
Europe: Invasion to Italy (1943)
the Invasion of Normandy by a huge force – D-Day (1944)
– Unconditional surrender of Germany: May 7, 1945
– Capitulation of Japan August 1945 – Nagasaki + Hiroshima
Korea War (1950 – 1953)
– North Korea (backed by the Soviet Union) invaded the South in 1950
– At the end no one won: Korea remained divided, the situation was the same as before the war
– Armistice: 1953
Vietnam (1965 – 1975)
– the worst and longest war in US history
– US soldier were sent to South Vietnam in 1965 to support anti-Comunist regime
– bombing of North Vietnam, on the ground direct contact of US troops with the Vietcong
– 1968 – Peace talks began in Paris
– 1973 – American troop withdrawal
– 1975 – Saigon fell
The Gulf War (1990 – 91)
– 1990 – Iraq invaded oil-rich Emirate of Kuwait
– 1991 – The Operation Desert Storm – Saddam Hussain was driven out from Iraq