Uncle Sam's War of 1898 and the Origins of Globalization

“A masterful job of pulling together long-forgotten thread of mid-19th century history to explain why ‘Mr. Hearst’s war’ against Spain was, 80 years of history to the contrary, actually our first global war.” — John D. Stempel, Patterson School of Diplomacy, University of Kentucky

“A suggestive synthesis that links the emergence of a late nineteenth-century United States empire to the rise of an all-pervasive twentieth-century economic and cultural globalism.” — International History Review

“A wide-ranging and learned book.” — Historian

“During a time when Americans speak all too glibly about their ’empire, ‘ it is necessary to understand where they took the fork in the road to that ’empire, ‘ how their last ’empire’ turned out (that is, badly), and how we should think about American empires. Schoonover does all this masterfully, succinctly, and in a broad historical context that is as instructive as it is imaginative.” — Walter F. LaFeber, from the Foreword

“His concise history of the U.S.’s early imperial maneuvering is scarcely comforting and should play a role in ongoing debates about current actions.” — Publishers Weekly

“In this provocative synthesis, Schoonover offers a searing indictment of U.S. foreign policy and informal empire…. Will almost certainly generate debate among scholars; it also merits the attention of anyone with a serious interest in U.S. history.” — American Historical Review

“Schoonover’s brief, provocative interpretation of US foreign relations based on 40 years of research will challenge all who read it…. Essential.” — Choice

“Schoonover’s sobering and thought-provoking study shows why and how the American hunger for wealth, material, labor, markets, and attempts at empire building was sparked by the Spanish-American War of 1898 and continues unabated to this day.” — Military Heritage

“Schoonover’s study is a welcome addition to the scholarship on the role of Latin America in World War II. Hitler’s Man in Havana is also an exciting tale that should be of interest to fans of espionage novels.” — Michael R. Hall, The Latin Americanist

“Very forward-looking and thought-provoking…. Will surely provoke lively discussion among students and scholars.” — Latin Americanist

“Well-researched, especially considering the difficulty of using recently declassified information.” — J. W. Thacker, Bowling Green Daily News

Thomas D. Schoonover is professor emeritus of history at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the author of eight books, including Uncle Sam’s War of 1898 and the Origins of Globalization, The Banana Men, and Germany in Central America.