The Spanish-American War had not yet begun, but its outcome was already decided. The waning Kingdom of Spain was no longer the world empire it had once been.
This old empire was rotten to the core, inside and out, while the newborn United States was about to step on its shoulders and join the ranks of the great powers!
Just as Japan defeated the Manchu Qing in 1895, and Bulgaria defeated the Ottoman Empire in 1897, 1898 would be the year the United States of America defeated the Kingdom of Spain.
At the end of the nineteenth century, in this age of old giving way to new, three old great powers had already been successively eliminated, replaced by three newborn nations.
Of course, Japan and Bulgaria could not yet be considered great powers. They could only be regarded as substitutes!
It was not until after the Russo-Japanese War, when the Japanese stepped upon the Russians' prestige, that they joined the ranks of the great powers. As for Bulgaria, Ferdinand had already glimpsed its future path, yet found it difficult to make up his mind!
Time flew by, and before long it was 1898. The Maine incident still erupted as scheduled; Ferdinand's butterfly effect had yet to reach the Americas.
Ten days after the Maine incident erupted, the United States delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Spain, and the Spanish-American War was on the verge of breaking out.
On April 6, the ambassadors to the United States from the six nations—United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Italy—submitted the Six-Power Note to the United States, calling on both countries to resolve their dispute over Cuba through negotiations.
Without question, this note failed. Though they had issued it jointly, the six great powers held vastly different positions, and their disagreements were