WI: USA doesn't annex the Philippines
- Thread starter Will Kürlich Kerl
- Start date
The Germans were indeed steaming straight for it while the Japanese sent the Americans letters stating while they didn't mind the Americans being there... Really, I can see invasions if an independent Filippino republic was attempted without being backed by American arms. That or the Spanish retain all or some of the islands.
I seem to recall the Germans tried to pull a stunt where one of their ships would steam in and out of Manila Bay without checking with Admiral Dewey first...until his flagship put a shell across her bow. When the Germans tried lodging a complaint, he reminded him that he was the master of Manila Bay, and he would be deciding who came and went.
In any case, Germany would have tried, and at one point contemplated a war to muscle in on formerly Spanish colonies in U.S. possession, but honestly? I see Japan being most likely to grab hold of them. That, or there is an independent Filipino state, backed up by U.S. military force.
In any case, Germany would have tried, and at one point contemplated a war to muscle in on formerly Spanish colonies in U.S. possession, but honestly? I see Japan being most likely to grab hold of them. That, or there is an independent Filipino state, backed up by U.S. military force.
That seems the best outcome, but would anyone consider it?
Was there any reason behind the annexation beyond 'uplift the savages'?
I assume securing US trade in Asia,and other economic reasons
Imperial Germany will try and grab it like the other have said but I could also see it being split among great powers such as Britain and Germany
Everything would depend on how you have developed the Treaty of Paris between Spain and the United States.
If finally stated in the treaty that Spain keeps the sovereignty over the Philippines, Spain cling to its last colonies as a person who is in the middle of the ocean clinging to a lifeline.
Thus, Spain would care very little about its giant public debt (which was the product of the long Cuban war and war against the United States) so it would refuse to sell the Philippines or other Pacific archipelago (the Caroline Islands, the Marianas Islands and the Palau islands), either to Germany, Japan or England (remember that Spain sold these archipelagos to Germany for two reasons: its runaway debt and the absence of a true lasting effective control by losing the Philippines).
Therefore, in this scenario Spain seek to keep the Philippines under a system of self-government (similar to that approved for Cuba and Puerto Rico in October 1897), to prevent a repetition of the Cuban disaster in the Philippines.
If finally stated in the treaty that Spain keeps the sovereignty over the Philippines, Spain cling to its last colonies as a person who is in the middle of the ocean clinging to a lifeline.
Thus, Spain would care very little about its giant public debt (which was the product of the long Cuban war and war against the United States) so it would refuse to sell the Philippines or other Pacific archipelago (the Caroline Islands, the Marianas Islands and the Palau islands), either to Germany, Japan or England (remember that Spain sold these archipelagos to Germany for two reasons: its runaway debt and the absence of a true lasting effective control by losing the Philippines).
Therefore, in this scenario Spain seek to keep the Philippines under a system of self-government (similar to that approved for Cuba and Puerto Rico in October 1897), to prevent a repetition of the Cuban disaster in the Philippines.
Ensure stronger trade links in Asia, secure coaling stations for the Navy for operations in the region, etc...
Rex Mundi
Banned
You give far too much moral credit to colonial regimes in assuming that "uplifting savages" ever served as a motivation.
Kaptin Kurk
Banned
Well, uplifting savages was definately a part of colonialism. But, I suppose in the end most of those types would have been classified as useful idiots by the state, if such terminology and mechanistic modes of thought weren't so patently out of time and place. In period parlance, they were mostly Christian Missionaries, or Liberals or Conservatives who were actually more able and willing to commit to the demands of their ideology than most of their counterparts.
katchen
Banned
uplifting "savages"
Except that when you start :"uplifting savages", you often end up "uplifting" them by hanging them by the neck.
If USA does not annex the Philippines, it would totally depend on how the relationship between the USA-Philippines would happen. Japan and Germany already have good relationships with local populace and local leaders during this time. So, colonization would be out of the question since it would be costly to colonize an already friendly populace wherein there is no need to colonize it but there would be interest to monopolize the local market and industry. Spanish retention of the Philippines would be ASB since the Filipinos already had complete control of the Philippines by 1899. So possible scenarios would be:
A) Philippines continues its function as an independent nation under the First Republic/Malolos Republic under the protection of the USA.
B) Philippines continues its function as an independent nation under the First Republic/Malolos Republic under the protection of the Germany.
C) Philippines continues its function as an independent nation under the First Republic/Malolos Republic under the protection of the Japan.
A) Philippines continues its function as an independent nation under the First Republic/Malolos Republic under the protection of the USA.
B) Philippines continues its function as an independent nation under the First Republic/Malolos Republic under the protection of the Germany.
C) Philippines continues its function as an independent nation under the First Republic/Malolos Republic under the protection of the Japan.
Hoist40
Banned
There were some who wanted to build a major naval base in the Philippines. They built heavy coastal fortifications at Manilia and Subic bay but thats all.
One of the lessons of the Russian/Japanese war was that isolated naval bases needed a large army along with fortifications to protect any such base and the US did not want to spend the money. So they just did some upgrades to the Spanish bases and gave up those plans. This is why the US was willing to give up the right to build naval bases in the western Pacific in the Washington Treaty, they weren’t going to do it anyways.