Chapter 414: Contention for South American dominance

Although the "Clayton-Bulver Treaty" signed by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1850 stipulated that the two countries must not seek any expansion of the situation in Central America, but after gaining local regional advantages, Americans' The intervention did not stop.
The southern expansionists did not accept the treaty signed with Britain, and continued to pursue the policy of "fate destiny" and unlimited expansion.
Nicaragua's liberals were defeated in the 1845 civil war. Relying on the active support of Americans, they organized an expeditionary force on American soil and were preparing to return to politics.
The adventurer William Walker was a mercenary known as the "Liberation Movement Party". He was hired by the Nicaraguan Uprising to "liberate" this Central American country.
Walker and the "Liberation Movement" invaded and ruled Nicaragua in 1855. Instead of giving power to the Nicaraguans who hired him, Walker established a personal dictatorship and was prepared
Conquer Central America from Managua.
In the face of protests from Central American countries and the United Kingdom, the United States claimed that it was not responsible for the incident and Walker acted irrespective of the law. However, the support of the influential economic community in the southern United States for the Liberation Party members is open and obvious, and it is also open and obvious that American leaders and the press view this support with sympathy.
The entire Central America united against Walker, known in history as the "Liberation Movement War" and expelled him from the isthmus in 1857. However, the leader of the Liberation Movement Party did not stop and invaded Central America for the second time in the same year. This time, he had to withdraw again.
In 1860, he invaded for the third time, but this time encountered the British navy to defend the territorial integrity of Central America, and Walker was captured by the British. The British handed him over to the Central Americans for execution.
During this period, the United States was stepping up its activities in preparation for the occupation of Cuba. Starting with Jefferson, the United States had a strategic plan to annex Cuba. John Quinciadance tried to keep Cuba under weak Spanish rule in order to become "a mature fruit" in the future in the hands of the United States.
U.S. geopolitical theorist and then captain of the United States Naval Academy, Mahan emphasized that the islands and sea areas near US rule are very important.
Before Mahan proposed the theory of sea power, President Polk purchased Cuba in 100,000 dollars in 1848. From 1849 to 1850, Naxi Solopez, supported by the southern United States, tried to liberate Cuba from the Spaniards and then merge with the United States. In 1853, Fillmore, the Liberal President, stepped down, the Democratic Party regained power in the United States, and Franklin Pierce became president. Pierce pledged "never leave the path of expansionism" when he took office, and his government wanted to buy Cuba. In 1854, the United States offered $ 130 million and threatened Spain with a recent maritime incident. Spain is determined not to sell its most precious colony.
Strong political pressure in the southern United States has demanded armed incursions into the island. Owners and businessmen of Dixie spread rumors that Britain plans to seize Cuba, liberate slaves, and build an "Africanized Republic", which will form the basis of an anti-slavery uprising in the United States.
As part of this pressure, after three U.S. plenipotentiaries to the European countries met in the Belgian city of Ostend, they issued a memorandum to President Pierce recommending the use of force to conquer Cuba.
And on Cuba's main island, the Havana club, which spoke politically for sugar-producing oligarchs, agreed to drive the Spaniards out and join the United States, working closely with slavery advocates in the southern United States.
However, Cuba ’s middle class is opposed to pro-Americans. Among them, politically motivated activists are divided into two factions. One is an autonomous faction, demanding greater political autonomy on the island of Cuba, and does not require complete independence from the Spanish sovereign; the other faction It is a patriot who advocates the establishment of a "Cuban Cuba" without any foreign rule.
In 1869, the Patriotic Movement gained sufficient strength and support and held a large-scale anti-Spanish armed uprising. At that time, Britain and France supported Spain ’s rule of the American colonies and used Cuba as the core line of defense to curb the expansion of the United States. As a result, the uprising failed and Americans did not wait for a suitable opportunity to occupy the Cuban colonies.
The key to seizing Cuba lies in the support of Britain and France for the Kingdom of Spain. Under the current coordination of Britain, France, and Spain, the United States government will temporarily expand its ambition to attack Cuba and counterattack it in order to counteract the destruction of the British International Conference on the Americas. The spearheads are aimed directly at the Caribbean Sea and northern South America.
On January 21, 1889, led by the United States, including the six Central American countries Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Mexico, representatives of the eight countries signed a trade agreement, announced the establishment of the American Customs Union, and signed the countries to open their homeland. In the economic field, the same tariff reductions and exemptions are given to other signatory countries.
The six Central American countries and Mexico are not American opponents at all in the industrial and economic fields. The apparently equal reciprocal trade agreement, in essence, provides American capital with reasonable and legal control over the seven countries ’economies and politics, providing an excellent excuse.
The six Central American countries cover an area of ​​about 500,000 square kilometers. The population is about 4 million, most of them are Indo-European,
In the economic field, in addition to the sucrose field with a long history of cultivation, which is controlled by Western countries,
Cotton, tobacco, cocoa, sisal, grain agricultural cash crop planting, animal husbandry and forestry, food processing, mining and smelting of mineral resources, and other industries related to the national economy, more than 70% are in the hands of US capital.
The formation of the American Customs Union means that the Americans have completed the final step of taking complete control of Central America.
After the official announcement of the agreements signed by the governments of the eight nations, the U.S. government has repeatedly made counter-attacks.
The first was to impose an armed blockade on the island of Torti, where the Caribbean Squadron is stationed, on the grounds of maintaining the security of maritime trade routes in the Caribbean and clearing the surrounding waters.
Secondly, on the issue of isthmus excavation in Central America, the U.S. government asked the British to abandon the right to interfere in the excavation of the canal, and secretly contacted the Panamanian independents in order to gain independence from the excavation of the canal by instigating Panama from the Republic of Colombia Take control.
Thirdly, on the issue of territorial dispute between British Guyana and Venezuela, the US government proactively approached the Venezuelan government and promised to support Venezuela's reasonable claims on territorial issues, providing a strong backing for Venezuela's response to the threat of the British Empire.
Territory dispute between British Guyana and Venezuela has a long history,
In 1814, the British gained Guyana's rule from the Netherlands and began sending colonial officials to manage it.
In 1831, Guyana officially became a British colony and named British Guiana.
After 1850, the British gradually pushed the border between Venezuela and British Guiana westward.
Advance, and then entered territory that historically belonged to Venezuela in the 1880s.
Venezuela's strength is weak, and military force is not an opponent of the British Empire at all. Therefore, British Guyana colonists have always ignored the protests of Venezuela.
Venezuela is rich in mineral resources and unused petroleum resources, and is close to the British bridgehead of South America in British Guiana. Americans have stepped in to bring its military and political influence into northern South America, which is of significance to the expansion of the previous economic field. totally different.
In the face of strong American counterattacks ~ EbookFREE.me ~ While the British government ordered foreign agencies to issue a fierce statement to the United States, it also ordered the army and navy stationed in British Guiana to be more alert and alert to the movements of Venezuela and the US Navy.
The local government's strategic focus is on the front lines of Paraguay and the Republic of Brazil. Han and the United States are separated by more than half of South America. Even if the hostile military operations of the U.S. fleet against the Caribbean Fleet stationed at Torti Island are known, the local government cannot take a strong Countermeasures.
The United Kingdom and the United States are the two major powers that dominate the affairs of the Americas. Under the current realistic conditions, the Han government does not have the strength to directly face the United States.
Therefore, in the face of the British and American competition for the dominance of northern South America, the local government can only follow the British. On the one hand, they scolded the Americans, and on the other hand ordered the Caribbean Squadron to order the fleet to After dealing with the transfer of Chinese people and the arrangement of onshore armed personnel, they ended the confrontation with the US Navy, immediately evacuated the Caribbean Sea, and returned to their homeland for repair.
After the local government conceded and withdrew from the Caribbean sub-fleet, the border between the United States and Britain confronted the central line from Central America and the Caribbean to Venezuela and Colombia in the north of South America. The two countries dominated South America. Competition has also entered the most intense white-hot stage.