WI: Maine Doesn't Explode in Havana Harbor?

If Germany gets it (colony or protectorate), Japan will probably snap them up in *WWI. This might make them feel less cheated out of Their Share of the Loot, which might in turn affect Japan's political history or even their actions in China. Never mind all the arguments about Pearl Harbor and the Southern Strategy.:rolleyes:

If Spain keeps it, or France or the Netherlands get it, Japan could very well get an opportunity to grab it.

An OTL WWI except with the Germans in the Phillippines is very interesting. I think it goes the way you say, with Japan taking over.
The US won't like this, but if Japan's meddling in China decreases as a result, the practical result is probably much less tension between the powers.

You might even get some kind of earlier US commitment to China, since in TTL the US will have its imperial ambitions frustrated and won't have had the eye-opening experience of the Filipino Insurrection. You may also have a greater US presence in Central America for the same reasons.
 
Hm. Maybe *WWI starts over the Philippines? Germany tries to push the Spanish out of Manila, France supports Spain, Britain doesn't want Germany getting such a good base in the Far East, so they intervene. Maybe AH and Russia stay neutral, or Russia takes the opportunity to try to seize the Straits while Britain isn't looking. AH intervenes, probably with a few Balkan allies, and WWI!

That kind of scenario could lead to some interesting effects on Russia, especially if it's before the Russo-Japanese War. Instead of having the Japanese expose the rot, it's going to be the Germans, with unfortunate results for the Russians. Maybe Japan could join in on the side of Germany, if the Russians look like they're faltering and Britain's fleet is tied up keeping the HSF locked in the North Sea.

Wow. More intense trench warfare. But i see Japan, Russia, and Germany pounding British and French assets in the Pacific.
 
In the United States, Teddy Roosevelt gets no further than navy secretary. Taft wins in 1912 but still gets involved in WW1 a bit ealier than Wilson. Spain hangs on to the Phillipines and Cuba and is involved in a long guerilla war. The Republican government grants independence to the Phillipnes and Cuba in 1936 and this is another reason for Franco to sieze power or possibly Spain abandons its colonies owing to the civil war. Rioosevelt (Franklin) orders the US navy to defend the colonies and invokes the Munro doctrine over Cuba.

There could be the possibility of Japan siezing the Phillipines and Roosvelt claims his action is to prevent this
 
In the United States, Teddy Roosevelt gets no further than navy secretary. Taft wins in 1912 but still gets involved in WW1 a bit ealier than Wilson. Spain hangs on to the Phillipines and Cuba and is involved in a long guerilla war. The Republican government grants independence to the Phillipnes and Cuba in 1936 and this is another reason for Franco to sieze power or possibly Spain abandons its colonies owing to the civil war. Rioosevelt (Franklin) orders the US navy to defend the colonies and invokes the Munro doctrine over Cuba.

Without a TR administration, is Taft still a possible US president?
 
Without a TR administration, is Taft still a possible US president?

Without U.S.-possession of the Philippine Islands to be governor-general of, and a Roosevelt Administration for Taft to be Secretary of War in, without a Roosevelt to persuade Taft to run for president since the fat man barely has any desire himself to do so, W. Howard Taft would never be president.
 
I am curious about what the reactions of the other great powers were to the Spanish-American War and if it did not happen how those relations would have not changed.
 
This may have some interesting applications for the Catholic Church in the Philippines. OTL the Americans pressured the Vatican to appoint first American, then Filipino clergymen to the priesthood and episcopacy, which improved popular attitudes towards the Church. With the Spanish-born bishops still in charge, there may be quite a bit of resentment towards the Church as an imperialist institution run by and for white Spaniards. Remember, this isn't the Church that launched two revolutions - this is the Church that prohibited natives from advancing beyond the rank of curate, and this is the era when native anticlericalism was at its highest. It may well have spilled over had it not been for the war.

So you're likely to get as a butterfly a more secular Philippines whenever it does become independent - certainly it wouldn't be as significant a political actor. Certainly no Christian Democratic party.
 
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