AH Timeline Challenge: Spanish-Japanese War

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
A Spanish-Japanese War has been discussed on this site...a lot. As far as I know though, we don't have a timeline depicting one with much consideration, as it's usually a side-show in timelines with a different Europe and/or North America in the 19th century.

This is a challenge to create the most plausible timeline on the topic with a minimum of eight dates. The war itself must take place during the 1890s to 1920s. The rest of the world should stay relatively recognisable, but you can play around with relevant events like the Russo-Japanese, Sino-Japanese, and Spanish-American Wars obviously.
 
Well the Late 1800s (Around the late 1880s-90s) the Japanese could attempt to wrestle control of the Philippines from the Spanish. I'd imagine though, that Europe would be on their toes about Japan beating a European country.
 
Well the Late 1800s (Around the late 1880s-90s) the Japanese could attempt to wrestle control of the Philippines from the Spanish. I'd imagine though, that Europe would be on their toes about Japan beating a European country.
Have a Spainish-American war break out at the same time. The opinion might be then they only won because of the US.
 
Have a Spainish-American war break out at the same time. The opinion might be then they only won because of the US.

Well America would be just as hesitant to ally with Japan as any European power, unless circumstances leading up to the 1890s change between the two nations.

However, if a genuinely Expansionist President ala TR were to somehow enter office, it isn't hard to see an US-Japanese alliance; The Japanese taking the Philippines, and America sweeping up Spain's Caribbean possessions.
 
Well America would be just as hesitant to ally with Japan as any European power, unless circumstances leading up to the 1890s change between the two nations.

However, if a genuinely Expansionist President ala TR were to somehow enter office, it isn't hard to see an US-Japanese alliance; The Japanese taking the Philippines, and America sweeping up Spain's Caribbean possessions.

It would be interesting how a US-Japanese Alliance may progress as a third-party balance against both the Triple-Alliance and the Triple-Entente. Perhaps an Anti-European/'Imperialistic' League?
 
A Spain that somehow stays out of the Napoleonic Wars and thus can keep its empire unified could preserve its colonial empire, giving it money and incentive to colonise further. Just like the great powers forced China to open up its ports, so could the Spanish do something similar with the Japanese. European colonial empires are usually good at fabricating the necessary casus belli
 
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