18981902

The period 1898–1902 spans the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th. It was a time of imperial expansion, rising nationalism, and rapid industrial change, with escalating rivalries among empires over territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

In 1898 the Spanish-American War ended with the Treaty of Paris, ceding the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States and signaling a shift in global power. The war expanded American influence beyond the continental United States and redefined involvement in Caribbean and Pacific regions.

The Philippine-American War followed, as Filipino forces resisted American sovereignty after 1898. The conflict continued into 1902, influencing debates over imperialism and governance in newly acquired territories and shaping U.S. colonial policy.

China experienced the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901). An eight-nation alliance intervened; the Boxer Protocol (1901) imposed penalties and expanded foreign influence, accelerating reforms in the late Qing era and affecting domestic politics and military modernization.

South Africa saw the Second Boer War (1899–1902). The British ultimately defeated the Boer states, ending with the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902 and laying groundwork for the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.

In politics, William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 and Theodore Roosevelt became U.S. president. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 established a crucial balance of power in East Asia and influenced subsequent diplomatic alignments.

Together, 1898–1902 helped shape the geopolitical landscape of the early 20th century, influencing imperial governance, international diplomacy, and the emergence of new power centers.

---