Spain controlled Cuba before the Spanish-American War. Spanish rule began in 1511, when Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar led the conquest and established Spanish settlements on the island.
Cuba remained one of Spain’s most valuable Caribbean possessions for centuries. Havana became a major port and fortified naval base, linking Spanish America with Europe. The island’s economy relied heavily on sugar, tobacco, coffee, and enslaved labor, although slavery was abolished there only in 1886.
Cuban independence movements repeatedly challenged Spanish authority. The Ten Years’ War began in 1868, and José Martí helped launch the final Cuban War of Independence in 1895. In 1898, the United States entered the conflict against Spain after tensions over Cuba, including the explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor. Spain relinquished control after its defeat, although the United States occupied Cuba temporarily before Cuban independence in 1902. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines also changed hands after the war, which is why the conflict marked a major turning point in Spain’s overseas empire.