Military Government of Cuba

The Military Government of Cuba was the provisional administration established by the United States in Cuba after the Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the island by the Treaty of Paris in December 1898, and the military government was installed on 1 January 1899, with Havana as its capital. The occupation, often called the first occupation of Cuba, was intended to be temporary under the Teller Amendment. American officials reorganised the island's finances, schools, health services and legal system during the occupation. The military governor supervised public works, sanitation, education and the formation of a Cuban constitution, while the Platt Amendment of 1901 defined the conditions for withdrawal. Cuban elections were held in 1900 and 1901, and Tomás Estrada Palma became the first president. The occupation ended on 20 May 1902, when the Republic of Cuba was established, though the United States retained a naval base at Guantánamo and the right to intervene.