It is unlikely that Cuba would have won independence at the end of the 19th century without U.S. intervention. The Cuban War of Independence (1895–98) was preceded by two other wars against Spain, the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). By the end of 1898, two third of Cuba's productive capacity was destroyed, 20% of its population had died, and the general population had been impoverished. General opinion is that guerilla warfare could not win the war and fighting would drag on into the new century without either side gaining a victory.