Why did Spain lose its power?

Answer 1

Spain's decline began with its defeat to Elizabeth's navy in the Anglo-Spanish War. The English Navy devastated the Spanish Armada and it was a humiliating defeat to Spain. In the next century, war plunged Spain into debt. Spain decided to heavily tax its colonies in the Americas to recoup. Yet the colonists revolted and by the beginning of the 1830s, Spain ad lost all its colonies in the Americas except for a few carribean islands. Next, Spain refused to industrialise, instead maintaining the old feudal system from the middle ages. So Spain was forced to import all the goods it didn't produce, while Britain went through heavy industrialisation. Remember the Caribbean island colonies? Cuba hated their Spanish rulers and revolted in the 1890s. The US was sympathetic to the Cubans and sent the battleship USS Maine into Havanna Harbor to protect US interests and to serve as a show of force. However the Maine was hit by a mine and sank, killing US sailors. An investigation showed it was an internal blast and the US press pointed the finger at Spain. The US declared war on Spain and in a few short months, Spain lost all her colonies in the Americas and the Phillipines to the US. It was a humiliating defeat to Spain and she lost most of her fleet. Down with her ships went her reputation. With no colonies, allies, economic crises and a devastated military, things could only get worse. You would think Spain would've spent the next few years rebuilding but then the fascists came along and began the Spanish civil war which prevented Spain from rebuilding and so it stayed out of WW2. Political distress with the fall of Francesco Franco and the return of the monarchy along with economic troubles plagued Spain during the Cold War and today Spain is only considered a "middle power". The only thing their good at nowadays is soccer.

Answer 2

They fell info debt .