Philippine-American War

The Philippine-American War was an armed struggle fought between the United States of America and the First Philippine Republic from 1899 and 1901 on the Philippines Islands. Essentially, it was a a colonial war waged by American imperialism against the Philippine Republic, which had been deceived by Washington into a common military alliance against Spain, which had been the colonial ruler and administrator of the islands since the 16th century. The result of the Philippine-American War was a victory for the United States.

The main cause of this armed conflict was the Spanish-American War of 1898, during which the United States recruited Philippine fighters under the promise of recognizing the independence of the Philippines if Spain was defeated and expelled. Let us remember that the Philippines, like Cuba, was a Spanish colony and that the Filipino population had risen up in arms against Spain in 1896. However, Washington would not abide by the promise as the American forces would stay on on the Philippines as an occupation army and the newly declared 'First Philippine Republic' would be dissolved.

During the months of June and July 1898, the Philippine army forced the Spanish troops to capitulate almost throughout the entire archipelago. This capitulation secured the occupation of Manila for the American landing force. However, after the American landing, the United States began openly to prepare the seizure of the Philippines. The government of the USA did not recognize the independent republic that had been declared in the Philippines in 1898. On December 10, 1898, the American government signed the Paris Peace Treaty with Spain, by which the Philippines were transferred to the USA. On February 4, 1899, the American marines, with an overwhelming preponderance in numbers and especially in armament, initiated military operations against the Filipino republican army.

In order to divide and weaken the Philippine forces, the American command exploited ideological contradictions within the government of the Philippines in its own interests. Thus, on May 7, 1899, the bourgeois landlord leaders (Emilio Aguinaldo, P. Paterno; and others), encouraged by the Americans, eliminated from power the democratic head of the republican government, Apolinario Mabini, with Aguinaldo establishing himself as the de facto ruler of the Philippines on May 24. On July 5, 1899, they organized the murder of Antonio Luna, the commander in chief of the armed forces, who stood for uncompromising opposition to the aggressors. By early 1900, the regular republican army had dissolved into separate units and moved to partisan actions. This is how the independent Philippine Republic in effect had ceased to exist.

On their punitive expeditions, the American forces engaged in mass executions and torture of both prisoners of war and the peaceful population. News of these excesses produced indignation among the progressive public of the United States of America, which demanded that the troops be recalled from the Philippines. But the campaign of the “pacification” of the Philippines continued. On March 23, 1901, Aguinaldo was taken captive. He swore allegiance to the USA and summoned all Filipinos to surrender. The popular partisan movement continued for a number of years, up to 1913 in certain areas.

Above, Philippine Revolutionary fighters, known as Katipuneros.