Thread: Who gave the first independence to the Philippines and who help them gain that independence?

The bust of Jose Rizon was on the obverse of every peso that I ever held. I am a coin collector and those are coin talking words.

What country fought for to give the first independence to the Philippines and what group of people help them to achieve that goal of having their own independence.

The Philippines, after the Spanish-American War of the 19th century, was taken under American jurisdiction, and became a territory of America's swiftly growing empire. Initially revolting against Spain, the Filipinos soon realized the Americans were much the same, sometimes even using previous Spanish administrators to rule the islands.

Eventually, Emilio Aguinaldo, the Filipino general who had helped the Americans overthrow Spain, began a second rebellion against their new occupiers. They succeeded for a small amount of time, establishing the self-titled "First Republic" of the Philippines (Emilio being elected president). However, on March 23, 1901, the Americans captured Emilio Aguinaldo, and retook the islands. They would rule there for 34 more years, until the Filipinos gained minor self autonomy as a commonwealth nation.

During WWII, however, Japanese aggression in the region took its toll. The Japanese had wanted to reign over a Pacific empire, but America was the only power stopping it from achieving this feat. The Japanese invaded and installed a puppet government, virtually ruling the islands. After the war, they were accused of committing war crimes, and on July 4, 1946 the Philippines attained full independence, under some American guidance (in the midst of crippling economic and social ruin and decay).

The answer is the Filipinos, largely, themselves, with a little oppressive help from the United States, Japan, and Spain, of course. :]