Covers the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898, with a disputed reconcentration death toll), the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the establishment of the Republic of Cuba on 20 May 1902, and the Platt Amendment (including its 1934 abrogation). It does not cover the broader Spanish-American War, the period of US military government (1898-1902) in detail, or the drafting of the 1901 constitution.
Cuban insurgents resumed the fight against Spanish colonial rule in 1895. Spanish General Valeriano Weyler's "reconcentration" policy forced hundreds of thousands of civilians into camps, causing a disputed death toll variously estimated between roughly 95,000 and 300,000.[1] The Treaty of Paris, signed 10 December 1898, ended the Spanish-American War; under Article I, "Spain relinquishes all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba."[2] Rather than becoming immediately independent, Cuba was placed under United States military government. That government ended on 20 May 1902, when "Cuba gained formal independence ... as the Republic of Cuba," under President Tomás Estrada Palma.[3] The republic's 1901 constitution incorporated the Platt Amendment, which granted the United States a unilateral right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to negotiate a naval base at Guantánamo Bay; a new Treaty of Relations signed 29 May 1934 abrogated the right of intervention while preserving the Guantánamo Bay lease.[4]
Status verified as of
Cuba has been an independent, sovereign state since 1902.[3]
History
From Spain's relinquishment of sovereignty over Cuba in 1898 to the establishment of the Republic of Cuba in 1902.
178 words · 1 min read
· Conflict episode
Cuban insurgents fought Spanish colonial rule from 1895; General Valeriano Weyler's reconcentration policy forced hundreds of thousands of civilians into camps, causing a disputed death toll variously estimated between roughly 95,000 and 300,000.
Significance here: The armed struggle whose escalation, including the reconcentration policy, drew US intervention and ended Spanish rule.
· Agreement
Spain relinquished sovereignty over Cuba in the Treaty of Paris, signed 10 December 1898, ending the Spanish-American War; Cuba was placed under US military government rather than granted immediate independence.
Significance here: Ended Spanish sovereignty over Cuba, though independence followed only after a period of US military government.
· Declaration
US military government of Cuba ended on 20 May 1902, when the Republic of Cuba was established under President Tomás Estrada Palma.
Significance here: The formal end of US military government and establishment of Cuban independence.
· Agreement
The United States and Cuba signed a new Treaty of Relations on 29 May 1934, abrogating most of the Platt Amendment while preserving the legality of prior US occupation actions and the Guantánamo Bay lease.
Significance here: Removed the US right of intervention that had constrained Cuban sovereignty since 1901-02.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: Cuban insurgents resumed the fight against Spanish colonial rule in 1895. Spanish General Valeriano Weyler implemented a "reconcentration" policy, forcing hundreds of thousands of rural civilians into camps in towns and cities, where large numbers died of starvation and disease. Published death-toll estimates are disputed: an 1898 Spanish government census estimated up to 170,000 deaths, Cuban demographic estimates range from roughly 95,000 to 170,000, and a 1897 US congressional fact-finding mission reported roughly 300,000 deaths among 500,000 people held in the camps; no single figure is treated as authoritative.
Claim: The Treaty of Paris, signed 10 December 1898, provided in Article I: "Spain relinquishes all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba." Since Cuba was to be occupied by the United States upon its evacuation by Spain, the United States would "assume and discharge the obligations that may under international law result from the fact of its occupation, for the protection of life and property," for the duration of that occupation.
Claim: With the end of US military government jurisdiction, Cuba gained formal independence on 20 May 1902 as the Republic of Cuba, with the Cuban flag raised on the Governor General's Palace at noon that day. Tomás Estrada Palma, elected under a constitution drafted by a Cuban Constituent Assembly, became the republic's first President.
Claim: The Platt Amendment of 1901 conditioned the withdrawal of US troops from Cuba on provisions including a unilateral US right to intervene in Cuban affairs and negotiation of a US naval base at Guantánamo Bay; it was incorporated into the 1901 Cuban constitution and the 1903 Permanent Treaty. On 29 May 1934, the United States and Cuba signed a new Treaty of Relations abrogating the right of intervention, while preserving the legality of actions taken during the earlier US military occupation and the Guantánamo Bay lease.