The more a person is able to respond to the historical and universal, the broader his nature, the richer his life and the more capable such a person is for progress and development.
F. M. Dostoevsky
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which we will briefly talk about today, is one of the most important pages in the history of the Russian Empire. In the war, Russia was defeated, demonstrating a military lag behind the world's leading countries. Another important event of the war - as a result of it, the Entente was finally formed, and the world began, slowly but steadily, to slide towards the First World War.
Preconditions for the war
In 1894-1895, Japan defeated China, as a result of which Japan had to cross the Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula together with Port Arthur and the island of Farmoza (the current name of Taiwan). Germany, France and Russia intervened in the negotiations and insisted that the Liaodong Peninsula remain in China's use.
In 1896, the government of Nicholas II signed a friendship treaty with China. As a result, China allows Russia to build a railroad to Vladivostok via Northern Manchuria (China Eastern Railroad).
In 1898, Russia, within the framework of a friendship agreement with China, leases the Liaodong Peninsula from the latter for 25 years. This move drew sharp criticism from Japan, which also claimed these lands. But this did not lead to serious consequences at that time. In 1902, the tsarist army entered Manchuria. Formally, Japan was ready to recognize this territory for Russia, if the latter recognized Japanese domination in Korea. But the Russian government made a mistake. They did not take Japan seriously, and did not even think to enter into negotiations with it.
Causes and nature of the war
The reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are as follows:
- Lease by Russia of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur.
- Economic expansion of Russia in Manchuria.
- Distribution of spheres of influence in China and Korea.
The nature of hostilities can be defined as follows
- Russia planned to conduct defense and pull up reserves. The transfer of troops was planned to be completed in August 1904, after which it was planned to go on the offensive, right up to the landing of troops in Japan.
- Japan planned to conduct offensive war... The first strike was planned at sea with the destruction of the Russian fleet, so that nothing would interfere with the transfer of troops. The plans were the capture of Manchuria, Ussuriysk and Primorskii Territories.
The balance of forces at the beginning of the war
Japan in the war could deploy about 175 thousand people (another 100 thousand in reserve) and 1140 field guns. The Russian army consisted of 1 million people and 3.5 million in reserve (reserve). But in the Far East, Russia had 100 thousand people and 148 field guns. Also at the disposal of the Russian army were border guards, of whom there were 24 thousand people with 26 guns. The problem was that these forces, inferior in numbers to the Japanese, were very scattered geographically: from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. In 1904-1905, Russia carried out 9 mobilizations, calling for military service about 1 million people.
The Russian fleet consisted of 69 warships. 55 of these ships were in Port Arthur, which was very poorly fortified. To demonstrate that Port Arthur was not completed and was ready for war, it is enough to give the following figures. The fortress was supposed to have 542 guns, but in fact there were only 375, but of them only 108 guns were usable. That is, the gun supply of Port Arthur at the beginning of the war was 20%!
It is obvious that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905 began with a clear superiority of Japan on land and at sea.
The course of hostilities
War Map
fig. 1 - Map of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905
Events of 1904
In January 1904, Japan severed diplomatic relations with Russia and on January 27, 1904, attacked warships near Port Arthur. This was the beginning of the war.
Russia began to transfer the army to the Far East, but this happened very slowly. A distance of 8 thousand kilometers and an unfinished section of the Siberian railway - all this prevented the transfer of the army. The capacity of the road was 3 echelons per day, which is extremely small.
On January 27, 1904, Japan attacked Russian ships at Port Arthur. At the same time, an attack was launched on the cruiser Varyag and the escort boat Koreets in the Korean port of Chemulpo. After an unequal battle, the "Korean" was blown up, and the "Varyag" was flooded by the Russian sailors themselves, so that the enemy would not get it. After that, the strategic initiative at sea passed to Japan. The situation at sea worsened after the battleship "Petropavlovsk" was blown up by a Japanese mine on March 31, with the fleet commander S. Makarov on board. In addition to the commander, his entire headquarters, 29 officers and 652 sailors were killed.
In February 1904, Japan landed an army of 60,000 in Korea, which moved to the Yalu River (the river divided Korea and Manchuria). There were no significant battles at that time, and in mid-April the Japanese army crossed the border of Manchuria.
Fall of Port Arthur
In May, the second Japanese army (50 thousand people) landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and headed for Port Arthur, creating a bridgehead for the offensive. By this time, the Russian army had partially managed to complete the transfer of troops and its number was 160 thousand people. One of the most important events of the war was the Battle of Liaoyang in August 1904. This battle still raises many questions among historians. The fact is that in this battle (and it was practically a general one) the Japanese army was defeated. And so much so that the command of the Japanese army declared the impossibility of continuing the conduct of hostilities. The Russian-Japanese war could have ended there, if the Russian army went on the offensive. But the commander, Kuropatkin, gives an absolutely absurd order to retreat. In the course of the subsequent events of the war, the Russian army will have several opportunities to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, but each time Kuropatkin either gave absurd orders or hesitated to take action, giving the enemy the right time.
After the battle of Liaoyang, the Russian army retreated to the Shahe River, where in September a new battle took place, which did not reveal a winner. After that, there was a lull, and the war passed into a positional phase. In December, General R.I. Kondratenko, who commanded the ground defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The new commander of the troops A.M. Stoessel, despite the categorical refusal of the soldiers and sailors, decided to surrender the fortress. On December 20, 1904, Stoessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese. On this, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 passed into a passive phase, continuing active operations already in 1905.
Later, under public pressure, General Stoessel was brought to trial and sentenced to death. The sentence was not carried out. Nicholas 2 pardoned the general.
Historical reference
Port Arthur Defense Map
fig. 2 - Port Arthur Defense Map
Events of 1905
The Russian command demanded active actions from Kuropatkin. It was decided to start the offensive in February. But the Japanese preempted him by going over to the offensive on Mukden (Shenyang) on \u200b\u200bFebruary 5, 1905. The largest battle of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 lasted from 6 to 25 February. From the Russian side, 280 thousand people took part in it, from the Japanese side - 270 thousand people. There are many interpretations of the Mukden battle in terms of who won it. In fact, there was a draw. The Russian army lost 90 thousand soldiers, the Japanese - 70 thousand. Lesser losses on the part of Japan is a frequent argument in favor of its victory, but this battle did not give the Japanese army any advantage or gain. Moreover, the losses were so painful that Japan made no further attempts to organize major land battles until the end of the war.
Much more important is the fact that the population of Japan is much smaller than the population of Russia, and after Mukden, the island country has exhausted its human resources. Russia could and should have gone on the offensive in order to win, but 2 factors played against this:
- Kuropatkin factor
- Factor of the 1905 Revolution
On May 14-15, 1905, the Tsushima naval battle took place, in which the Russian squadrons were defeated. The losses of the Russian army amounted to 19 ships and 10 thousand killed and captured.
Kuropatkin factor
Kuropatkin, commanding ground forcesDuring the entire Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, he did not use a single chance for a favorable offensive to inflict great damage on the enemy. There were several such chances, and we talked about them above. Why did the Russian general and commander refuse active actions and did not strive to end the war? After all, had he given the order to attack after Liaoyang, the Japanese army would have ceased to exist with a high degree of probability.
It is, of course, impossible to answer this question directly, but a number of historians put forward the following opinion (I quote it for the reason that it is reasoned and very similar to the truth). Kuropatkin was closely associated with Witte, who, let me remind you, by the time of the war was removed from the post of prime minister by Nicholas II. Kuropatkin's plan was to create conditions under which the tsar would return Witte. The latter was considered an excellent negotiator, so it was necessary to bring the war with Japan to such a stage when the parties would sit down at the negotiating table. For this, the war could not be ended with the help of the army (the defeat of Japan was a direct surrender without any negotiations). Therefore, the commander did everything to bring the war to a draw. He successfully coped with this task, and indeed Nicholas II called on Witte by the end of the war.
Revolution factor
There are many sources indicating Japanese funding for the 1905 revolution. The real facts of the transfer of money, of course. No. But there are 2 facts that I find extremely curious:
- The peak of the revolution and movement fell on the Battle of Tsushima. Nicholas II needed an army to fight the revolution and he decided to start negotiations for peace with Japan.
- Immediately after the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, the revolution in Russia began to decline.
Reasons for Russia's defeat
Why was Russia defeated in the war with Japan? The reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War are as follows:
- Weakness of the grouping of Russian troops in the Far East.
- The unfinished Trans-Siberian, which did not allow the transfer of troops in full.
- Errors of the army command. I already wrote above about the Kuropatkin factor.
- Japan's superiority in military equipment.
The last point is extremely important. He is often forgotten, but undeservedly. In terms of technical equipment, primarily in the navy, Japan was far ahead of Russia. 
Portsmouth world
To conclude peace between the countries, Japan demanded that Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, act as a mediator. Negotiations began and the Russian delegation was headed by Witte. Nicholas 2 returned him to his post and entrusted the negotiation, knowing the talents of this person. And Witte really took a very tough stance, preventing Japan from gaining significant gains from the war.
The terms of the Portsmouth Peace were as follows:
- Russia recognized Japan's right to rule in Korea.
- Russia ceded part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (the Japanese wanted to get the whole island, but Witte was against it).
- Russia handed over the Kwantung Peninsula to Japan along with Port Arthur.
- No one paid indemnities to anyone, but Russia had to pay a reward to the enemy for the maintenance of Russian prisoners of war.
Aftermath of the war
During the war, Russia and Japan lost about 300 thousand people each, but due to the size of the population for Japan, these were almost catastrophic losses. The losses were associated with the fact that this was the first major war in the course of which automatic weapons were used. At sea, there was a large slope towards the use of mines.
An important fact, which many bypass, it was after the Russo-Japanese war that the Entente (Russia, France and England) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) were finally formed. The fact of the formation of the Entente is noteworthy. Before the war, there was an alliance in Europe between Russia and France. The latter did not want to expand it. But the events of the war of Russia against Japan showed that the Russian army had many problems (it really was), so France signed agreements with England.
Positions of world powers during the war
During the Russo-Japanese War, the world powers held the following positions:
- England and the USA. Traditionally, the interests of these countries were extremely similar. They supported Japan, but mostly financially. About 40% of Japan's war costs were covered by Anglo-Saxon money.
- France declared neutrality. Although in fact it had an allied agreement with Russia, it did not fulfill its allied obligations.
- Germany from the first days of the war declared its neutrality.
The Russo-Japanese War was practically not analyzed by the tsarist historians, since they simply did not have enough time. After the end of the war, the Russian Empire existed for almost 12 years, which included the revolution, economic problems and world war... Therefore, the main study took place already in Soviet times. But it is important to understand that for Soviet historians it was a war against the backdrop of a revolution. That is, "the tsarist regime strove for aggression, and the people did their best to prevent this." That is why Soviet textbooks say that, for example, the Liaoyang operation ended with the defeat of Russia. Although formally it was a draw.
The end of the war is also seen as a complete defeat of the Russian army on land and in the navy. If at sea the situation was really close to defeat, then on land Japan stood on the edge of an abyss, since they no longer had the manpower resources to continue the war. I suggest looking at this question even more broadly. How did the wars of that era end after an unconditional defeat (and this is what Soviet historians often talked about) of one of the parties? Large indemnities, large territorial concessions, partial economic and political dependence of the loser on the winner. But there is nothing like this in the Portsmouth world. Russia did not pay anything, lost only the southern part of Sakhalin (an insignificant territory) and abandoned the land leased from China. The argument is often made that Japan won the struggle for dominance in Korea. But Russia has never seriously fought for this territory. She was only interested in Manchuria. And if we return to the origins of the war, we will see that the Japanese government would never have started a war if Nicholas II had recognized Japan's domination in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's position in Manchuria. Therefore, at the end of the war, Russia did what it should have done back in 1903, without bringing matters to war. But this is a question for the personality of Nicholas II, who today is extremely fashionable to call a martyr and hero of Russia, but it was his actions that provoked the war.
The more a person is able to respond to the historical and universal, the broader his nature, the richer his life and the more capable such a person is for progress and development.
F. M. Dostoevsky
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which we will briefly talk about today, is one of the most important pages in the history of the Russian Empire. In the war, Russia was defeated, demonstrating a military lag behind the world's leading countries. Another important event of the war - as a result of it, the Entente was finally formed, and the world began, slowly but steadily, to slide towards the First World War.
Preconditions for the war
In 1894-1895, Japan defeated China, as a result of which Japan had to cross the Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula together with Port Arthur and the island of Farmoza (the current name of Taiwan). Germany, France and Russia intervened in the negotiations and insisted that the Liaodong Peninsula remain in China's use.
In 1896, the government of Nicholas II signed a friendship treaty with China. As a result, China allows Russia to build a railroad to Vladivostok via Northern Manchuria (China Eastern Railroad).
In 1898, Russia, within the framework of a friendship agreement with China, leases the Liaodong Peninsula from the latter for 25 years. This move drew sharp criticism from Japan, which also claimed these lands. But this did not lead to serious consequences at that time. In 1902, the tsarist army enters Manchuria. Formally, Japan was ready to recognize this territory for Russia, if the latter recognized Japanese domination in Korea. But the Russian government made a mistake. They did not take Japan seriously, and did not even think to enter into negotiations with it.
Causes and nature of the war
The reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are as follows:
- Lease by Russia of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur.
- Economic expansion of Russia in Manchuria.
- Distribution of spheres of influence in China and Korea.
The nature of hostilities can be defined as follows
- Russia planned to conduct defense and pull up reserves. The transfer of troops was planned to be completed in August 1904, after which it was planned to go on the offensive, right up to the landing of troops in Japan.
- Japan was planning to wage an offensive war. The first strike was planned at sea with the destruction of the Russian fleet, so that nothing would interfere with the transfer of troops. The plans were the capture of Manchuria, Ussuriysk and Primorskii Territories.
The balance of forces at the beginning of the war
Japan in the war could deploy about 175 thousand people (another 100 thousand in reserve) and 1140 field guns. The Russian army consisted of 1 million people and 3.5 million in reserve (reserve). But in the Far East, Russia had 100 thousand people and 148 field guns. Also at the disposal of the Russian army were border guards, of whom there were 24 thousand people with 26 guns. The problem was that these forces, inferior in numbers to the Japanese, were very scattered geographically: from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. In 1904-1905, Russia carried out 9 mobilizations, calling for military service about 1 million people.
The Russian fleet consisted of 69 warships. 55 of these ships were in Port Arthur, which was very poorly fortified. To demonstrate that Port Arthur was not completed and was ready for war, it is enough to give the following figures. The fortress was supposed to have 542 guns, but in fact there were only 375, but of them only 108 guns were usable. That is, the gun supply of Port Arthur at the beginning of the war was 20%!
It is obvious that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905 began with a clear superiority of Japan on land and at sea.
The course of hostilities
War Map
fig. 1 - Map of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905
Events of 1904
In January 1904, Japan severed diplomatic relations with Russia and on January 27, 1904, attacked warships near Port Arthur. This was the beginning of the war.
Russia began to transfer the army to the Far East, but this happened very slowly. A distance of 8 thousand kilometers and an unfinished section of the Siberian railway - all this prevented the transfer of the army. The capacity of the road was 3 echelons per day, which is extremely small.
On January 27, 1904, Japan attacked Russian ships at Port Arthur. At the same time, an attack was launched on the cruiser Varyag and the escort boat Koreets in the Korean port of Chemulpo. After an unequal battle, the "Korean" was blown up, and the "Varyag" was flooded by the Russian sailors themselves, so that the enemy would not get it. After that, the strategic initiative at sea passed to Japan. The situation at sea worsened after the battleship "Petropavlovsk" was blown up by a Japanese mine on March 31, with the fleet commander S. Makarov on board. In addition to the commander, his entire headquarters, 29 officers and 652 sailors were killed.
In February 1904, Japan landed an army of 60,000 in Korea, which moved to the Yalu River (the river divided Korea and Manchuria). There were no significant battles at that time, and in mid-April the Japanese army crossed the border of Manchuria.
Fall of Port Arthur
In May, the second Japanese army (50 thousand people) landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and headed for Port Arthur, creating a bridgehead for the offensive. By this time, the Russian army had partially managed to complete the transfer of troops and its number was 160 thousand people. One of the most important events of the war was the Battle of Liaoyang in August 1904. This battle still raises many questions among historians. The fact is that in this battle (and it was practically a general one) the Japanese army was defeated. And so much so that the command of the Japanese army declared the impossibility of continuing the conduct of hostilities. The Russian-Japanese war could have ended there, if the Russian army went on the offensive. But the commander, Koropatkin, gives an absolutely absurd order to retreat. In the course of the subsequent events of the war, the Russian army will have several opportunities to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, but each time Kuropatkin either gave absurd orders or hesitated to take action, giving the enemy the right time.
After the battle of Liaoyang, the Russian army retreated to the Shahe River, where in September a new battle took place, which did not reveal a winner. After that, there was a lull, and the war passed into a positional phase. In December, General R.I. Kondratenko, who commanded the ground defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The new commander of the troops A.M. Stoessel, despite the categorical refusal of the soldiers and sailors, decided to surrender the fortress. On December 20, 1904, Stoessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese. On this, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 passed into a passive phase, continuing active operations already in 1905.
Later, under public pressure, General Stoessel was brought to trial and sentenced to death. The sentence was not carried out. Nicholas 2 pardoned the general.
Historical reference
Port Arthur Defense Map
fig. 2 - Port Arthur Defense Map
Events of 1905
The Russian command demanded active actions from Kuropatkin. It was decided to start the offensive in February. But the Japanese preempted him by going over to the offensive on Mukden (Shenyang) on \u200b\u200bFebruary 5, 1905. The largest battle of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 lasted from 6 to 25 February. From the Russian side, 280 thousand people took part in it, from the Japanese side - 270 thousand people. There are many interpretations of the Mukden battle in terms of who won it. In fact, there was a draw. The Russian army lost 90 thousand soldiers, the Japanese - 70 thousand. Lesser losses on the part of Japan is a frequent argument in favor of its victory, but this battle did not give the Japanese army any advantage or gain. Moreover, the losses were so painful that Japan made no further attempts to organize major land battles until the end of the war.
Much more important is the fact that the population of Japan is much smaller than the population of Russia, and after Mukden, the island country has exhausted its human resources. Russia could and should have gone on the offensive in order to win, but 2 factors played against this:
- Kuropatkin factor
- Factor of the 1905 Revolution
On May 14-15, 1905, the Tsushima naval battle took place, in which the Russian squadrons were defeated. The losses of the Russian army amounted to 19 ships and 10 thousand killed and captured.
Kuropatkin factor
Kuropatkin, commanding the ground forces, during the entire Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 did not use a single chance for a favorable offensive to inflict great damage on the enemy. There were several such chances, and we talked about them above. Why did the Russian general and commander refuse active actions and did not strive to end the war? After all, had he given the order to attack after Liaoyang, the Japanese army would have ceased to exist with a high degree of probability.
It is, of course, impossible to answer this question directly, but a number of historians put forward the following opinion (I quote it for the reason that it is reasoned and very similar to the truth). Kuropatkin was closely associated with Witte, who, let me remind you, by the time of the war was removed from the post of prime minister by Nicholas II. Kuropatkin's plan was to create conditions under which the tsar would return Witte. The latter was considered an excellent negotiator, so it was necessary to bring the war with Japan to such a stage when the parties would sit down at the negotiating table. For this, the war could not be ended with the help of the army (the defeat of Japan was a direct surrender without any negotiations). Therefore, the commander did everything to bring the war to a draw. He successfully coped with this task, and indeed Nicholas II called on Witte by the end of the war.
Revolution factor
There are many sources indicating Japanese funding for the 1905 revolution. The real facts of the transfer of money, of course. No. But there are 2 facts that I find extremely curious:
- The peak of the revolution and movement fell on the Battle of Tsushima. Nicholas II needed an army to fight the revolution and he decided to start negotiations for peace with Japan.
- Immediately after the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, the revolution in Russia began to decline.
Reasons for Russia's defeat
Why was Russia defeated in the war with Japan? The reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War are as follows:
- Weakness of the grouping of Russian troops in the Far East.
- The unfinished Trans-Siberian, which did not allow the transfer of troops in full.
- Errors of the army command. I already wrote above about the Kuropatkin factor.
- Japan's superiority in military equipment.
The last point is extremely important. He is often forgotten, but undeservedly. In terms of technical equipment, primarily in the navy, Japan was far ahead of Russia. 
Portsmouth world
To conclude peace between the countries, Japan demanded that Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, act as a mediator. Negotiations began and the Russian delegation was headed by Witte. Nicholas 2 returned him to his post and entrusted the negotiation, knowing the talents of this person. And Witte really took a very tough stance, preventing Japan from gaining significant gains from the war.
The terms of the Portsmouth Peace were as follows:
- Russia recognized Japan's right to rule in Korea.
- Russia ceded part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (the Japanese wanted to get the whole island, but Witte was against it).
- Russia handed over the Kwantung Peninsula to Japan along with Port Arthur.
- No one paid indemnities to anyone, but Russia had to pay a reward to the enemy for the maintenance of Russian prisoners of war.
Aftermath of the war
During the war, Russia and Japan lost about 300 thousand people each, but in view of the size of the population for Japan, these were almost catastrophic losses. The losses were due to the fact that this was the first major war in which automatic weapons were used. At sea, there was a large slope towards the use of mines.
An important fact, which many bypass, it was after the Russo-Japanese war that the Entente (Russia, France and England) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) were finally formed. The fact of the formation of the Entente is noteworthy. Before the war, there was an alliance in Europe between Russia and France. The latter did not want to expand it. But the events of the war of Russia against Japan showed that the Russian army had many problems (it really was), so France signed agreements with England.
Positions of world powers during the war
During the Russo-Japanese War, the world powers held the following positions:
- England and the USA. Traditionally, the interests of these countries were extremely similar. They supported Japan, but mostly financially. About 40% of Japan's war costs were covered by Anglo-Saxon money.
- France declared neutrality. Although in fact it had an allied agreement with Russia, it did not fulfill its allied obligations.
- Germany from the first days of the war declared its neutrality.
The Russo-Japanese War was practically not analyzed by the tsarist historians, since they simply did not have enough time. After the end of the war, the Russian Empire existed for almost 12 years, which included the revolution, economic problems and the world war. Therefore, the main study took place already in Soviet times. But it is important to understand that for Soviet historians it was a war against the backdrop of a revolution. That is, "the tsarist regime strove for aggression, and the people did their best to prevent this." That is why Soviet textbooks say that, for example, the Liaoyang operation ended with the defeat of Russia. Although formally it was a draw.
The end of the war is also seen as a complete defeat of the Russian army on land and in the navy. If at sea the situation was really close to defeat, then on land Japan stood on the edge of an abyss, since they no longer had the manpower resources to continue the war. I suggest looking at this question even more broadly. How did the wars of that era end after an unconditional defeat (and this is what Soviet historians often talked about) of one of the parties? Large indemnities, large territorial concessions, partial economic and political dependence of the loser on the winner. But there is nothing like this in the Portsmouth world. Russia did not pay anything, lost only the southern part of Sakhalin (an insignificant territory) and abandoned the land leased from China. The argument is often made that Japan won the fight for dominance in Korea. But Russia has never seriously fought for this territory. She was only interested in Manchuria. And if we return to the origins of the war, we will see that the Japanese government would never have started a war if Nicholas II had recognized Japan's domination in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's position in Manbchuria. Therefore, at the end of the war, Russia did what it should have done back in 1903, without bringing matters to war. But this is a question for the personality of Nicholas II, who today is extremely fashionable to call a martyr and hero of Russia, but it was his actions that provoked the war.
Causes of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
Causes of the Russian-Japanese confrontation 1904-1905
21.04.2017 14:01
Historians call this war the first major military actions of Russia in the Far East; it had enormous consequences for the political structure of these territories for many years to come.
After the war between Japan and China (1894-1895) ended, the country of the rising sun planned to take away from the Chinese not only Taiwan, but also the strategically advantageous Liaodong Peninsula. This situation alarmed the European states, which have many economic interests in Asia, the joint demarche of Russia, Germany and France forced Japan to abandon its claims to Liaodong.
After the so-called Chinese War of 1900, Russia received the rights to have troops in Manchuria and rented Port Arthur, as military base for 25 years. This situation caused a wave of discontent in Tokyo, the Japanese demanded compensation in Korea, where Russia also had great influence. Nicholas II refused to comply with all the requirements of the Japanese side, after which Tokyo began to prepare for war, having enlisted the support of England. 
The emperor did not listen to his advisers, who asked him to sign an agreement with the Japanese, according to which Russia remained in Manchuria, but ceased to influence Korea. But Nicholas II trusted in the authority of General Alekseev, who was sure that if the Japanese were shown weakness, new demands would certainly follow. However, Russia was not ready for the war of 1904: the Great Siberian railway route from the European part of the empire to Vladivostok was not completely finished, the military presence in the region was not large enough to be fully prepared to repel Japanese aggression. 
1651: Battle of Berestets
30.06.2018 21:05
In the middle of the 16th century, one of the key battles took place during the Cossack uprising against the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth over the region.
Having recovered from a previous defeat in 1649, the Rzeczpospolita violates the Zboriv armistice treaty between the parties and resumes a military campaign against the Cossack uprising and its ally, the Crimean Khanate.
The Polish king Jan II Casimir gathered a large army, consisting mainly of the royal army and recruits-pospolitov, but it also included German and Moldovan mercenary soldiers. The total number of troops exceeded 80 thousand fighters, but the army of the Cossacks and the khanate was larger, exceeding 110 thousand fighters.
The battle began on June 27 and lasted for two weeks. The first days were marked by Tatar provocations of the Poles into battle, as well as local minor battles with the Cossacks. 
On June 30, the first massive battle of troops took place, which the Cossacks were gradually losing. In addition to unsuccessful attacks, the situation was complicated by the unforeseen flight, the reasons for which have not been established to this day, of the Tatars from the battlefield, who at the same time managed to take Hetman Khmelnitsky with them. The first few days of July after this battle alternately proceeded either in the rest of the troops, or in small operations of the sides against each other and shelling, or in attempts to negotiate.
The last battle was fought on 10 July. The Cossacks, exhausted and having lost part of their command, were demoralized and scattered. Under the pressure of the Polish group, many panicked and died trying to retreat. Thus, the Polish army won a victory and achieved a new peace on favorable terms.
Please name the reasons for the Russian-Japanese war
Please name the reasons for the Russian-Japanese war
- Differences in languages! did not understand each other))))
- the cause of any war is the problem of the so-called "extra mouths"
- Spheres of influence in the east (China, Korea)
- REDUCTION Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 was fought for domination in Northeast China and Korea. The war was started by Japan. In 1904 japanese navy attacked Port Arthur, the defense of which continued until early 1905.
Reasons for the beginning and defeat of the Russo-Japanese War: briefly
Russia suffered defeats on the Yalu River, near Liaoyang, on the Shahe River. In 1905, the Japanese defeated the Russian army in a general battle at Mukden, and the Russian fleet at Tsushima. The war ended with the Peace of Portsmouth of 1905, under which Russia recognized Korea as Japan's sphere of influence, ceded to Japan South Sakhalin and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalny. The defeat of the Russian army in the war hastened the beginning of the revolution of 1905-1907.
- Russia and Japan could not divide the spheres of influence in China (the area of \u200b\u200bManchuria), also Russia needed a victorious war to show the people what a good government and postpone the impending revolution
- This war arose out of the ambitions of Japan, which simply needed sources of raw materials and the expansion of its empire, provoked the weakness of Russia in the Far Eastern region.
- since Japan was rapidly developing economically, it needed a large territory, which they do not have, hence the aggressive policy towards neighboring countries. in addition, Japan was cheated after the First World War.
pS: history? we go through it, but generally rummage in the net, there you will find a more meaningful answer
- Causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 :
1). The rapid strengthening of Russia in the Far East (in 1898 the Chinese Eastern Railway was built in Manchuria, in 1903 - through the Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok, Russia built naval bases on the Liaodun Peninsula. The positions of Russia in Korea were strengthened) worried Japan, the United States and England. They began to push Japan to start a war against Russia in order to limit its influence in the region;
2). The tsarist government strove for a war with a seemingly weak and distant country - a "small victorious war" was needed, VK Pleve and others believed;
3). It was necessary to strengthen Russia's position in the international arena;
4). The desire of the Russian government to distract the people from revolutionary sentiments.
The main result of the war was that, contrary to the hopes that the "victorious war" would postpone the revolution, in the opinion of S. Yu. Witte, it brought it closer "by tens of years." - Just not a blow with a saber on the head of the future emperor))), most likely a territorial issue
The main reasons for the Russo-Japanese War were:
- clash of Russian and Japanese interests in the Far East;
- an attempt to capture foreign markets for a developing domestic economy;
- Russian imperial expansion to the East;
- striving to enrich Russia and Japan with the riches of Korea and China.
- the desire of the tsarist government to distract the people from revolutionary actions.
By its nature, this war was aggressive on both sides.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Russia almost simultaneously with the advanced capitalist countries entered the imperialist stage of the development of capitalism. Rapid bourgeois development began, Russia was embarking on the path of industrial and market modernization, and industrial production was growing sharply. More favorable conditions were created for the development of capitalist relations in industry and agriculture. The expansion of domestic trade and the strengthening of economic ties between Russia and the world market contributes to the desire to capture foreign markets for the developing domestic economy. Besides the Balkans and the Middle East, the Far East was one of the most attractive markets for Russia.
The Russian Empire is actively involved in the struggle for the final division of the world between the leading world powers. After its final decline, China was soon literally pulled apart by the largest capitalist powers, and the Russian Empire did not lag behind them, occupying Manchuria. The plans of the tsarist government were to create in Manchuria "Yellow Russia".
The heightened interest shown by tsarist Russia in Korea is explained not only by the general aggressive policy of the autocracy, but to some extent by the personal interests of the Romanovs, whom Bezobrazov's adventurous circle was interested in the opportunity to seize the enormous "riches" of Korea and turn them into the personal property of the reigning dynasty in Russia. The tsarist government used the Japanese-Chinese war of 1894-1895 very profitably. Under the guise of helping an exhausted China in paying an indemnity, the tsarist government established the Russo-Chinese Bank, for which it negotiated a concession for the construction of railways in Manchuria with the right to operate them for 80 years.
In addition to purely banking, the Russian-Chinese Bank received a number of other functions, such as minting local coins, receiving taxes, etc.
Japan reacted very negatively to Russian penetration into the Chinese and Korean economies. The largest Japanese concerns considered the markets of China and Korea to be the exclusive zone of their own commercial interests. Being a country of strong statehood, a thriving economy and territorially constrained on the islands, it began to show particular activity in the Far East, seeking to seize Korea and Manchuria as markets and sources of raw materials. In addition, in secret and far-reaching plans, Japan considered these territories as a springboard for further aggression against China and the Russian Far East.
The Japanese government finally came to the conclusion that in the implementation of its expansionist goals in China, Japan would inevitably have to face opposition from Russia, and assistance in this struggle against the Russian rival could be obtained primarily from the United States and Great Britain. Over the next few years, the Japanese government accelerated the creation of a solid military-industrial base, focusing on the development of military production and the extraction of strategic raw materials, and embarked on a major program of deploying land and naval forces, increasing their combat power in the shortest possible time.
The Japanese ruling elite was extremely dissatisfied with the results of the war won against China. Under pressure from Russia, Japan was forced to temporarily abandon the results of its victories. The implementation of Japan's predatory plans in relation to Korea and China depended not so much on the degree of resistance of these countries, but on the intensity of opposition from competitors, and above all Russia.
Russia's diplomatic activity towards China led to the conclusion of an alliance agreement with China, according to which Russia received the right to build the Sino-Eastern Railway (CER), which further strengthened Russia's position in the region. In addition, Russia in 1898 leased the Kwantung Peninsula with Port Arthur from China for a period of 25 years, which becomes the main base of the Russian navy... Highlighted this proposal
In St. Petersburg, concerns about the increasing military activity of Japan in the Far East were constantly growing. The tsarist government still hoped to neutralize Japanese expansionist plans by rigidly rebuffing any attempts by Tokyo to deprive China and Korea of \u200b\u200bindependence. The Russian government was dominated by considerations in favor of an uncompromising struggle for Russia's national interests in the adjacent Chinese territory.
So, at the beginning of the XX century. Russia collided in the Far East with a new aggressive power - Japan, which was fully supported by the United States and Great Britain, but was not ready to give an adequate answer to the rapidly growing politico-military ambitions of Japan. A Japanese-Russian military clash was inevitable, since the dynamism with which Russia was developing its Far Eastern lands was in obvious dissonance with the ambitions of the business and political elite of imperial Japan.
Minister of War Kuropatkin warned the tsar that the war would be extremely unpopular. But the Minister of the Interior Plehve voiced the idea of \u200b\u200bthe majority of the nobility that Russia needs a small victorious war in order to distract the people from revolutionary uprisings. The fact is that many unresolved conflicts have long matured in Russia. The most acute were the agrarian question, the position of the working class, the national question, the contradictions between the government and the emerging civil society. The unwillingness and inability of the autocracy to resolve these conflicts inevitably pushed Russia towards revolution. The authorities understood that the situation was close to critical and hoped to translate popular discontent into the channel of patriotism in a possible war.
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
The Russo-Japanese War briefly.
The reasons for the outbreak of war with Japan.
In the period of 1904, Russia was actively developing the lands of the Far East, developing trade and industry. The Land of the Rising Sun blocked access to these lands, at that time it occupied China and Korea. But the fact is that one of the territories of China, Manchuria, was under the authority of Russia. This is one of the main reasons for the outbreak of war. In addition, Russia, by decision of the Triple Alliance, was given the Liaodong Peninsula, which once belonged to Japan. Thus, Russia and Japan had disagreements, and a struggle arose for dominance in the Far East.
The course of events of the Russo-Japanese War.
Taking advantage of the surprise effect, Japan attacked Russia at the site of Port Arthur.
Causes of the Russian-Japanese War of 1905
After disembarking airborne troops Japan on the Kwantung Peninsula, Port Atrut remained cut off from outside world, and accordingly helpless. Within two months he was forced to resort to surrender. Further, the Russian army loses the Battle of Liaoyang and the Battle of Mukden. Before the start of the First World War, these battles were considered the largest in the history of the Russian state.
After the Battle of Tsushima, almost the entire Soviet flotilla was defeated. Events unfolded on the Yellow Sea. After another battle, Russia in unequal battle loses the Sakhalin peninsula. General Kuropatkin, the leader of the Soviet army, for some reason used passive tactics of struggle. In his opinion, it was necessary to wait until the enemy's forces and reserves were running out. And the tsar at that time did not attach much importance to this, since a revolution began on the territory of Russia at that time.
When both sides of the hostilities were morally and financially exhausted, they agreed to the signing of a peace treaty in the American Portsmouth in 1905.
Results of the Russo-Japanese War.
Russia lost the southern part of its Sakhalin peninsula. Manchuria has now become a neutral territory, and all troops were withdrawn from there. Oddly enough, but the agreement was conducted on an equal footing, and not as a winner with a loser.
In February 1945, a conference was held in Yalta, which was attended by representatives of the countries that were part of Great Britain and the United States managed to get the Soviet Union to agree to take a direct part in the war with Japan. In exchange, they promised him to return the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin, lost during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.
Termination of a peace treaty
At the time when the decision was made in Yalta, the so-called Neutrality Pact was in force between Japan and the Soviet Union, which was signed back in 1941 and was supposed to be valid for 5 years. But already in April 1945, the USSR announced that it was breaking the treaty unilaterally. The Russo-Japanese War (1945), the reasons for which were that the Land of the Rising Sun in last years acted on the side of Germany, and also fought against the allies of the USSR, became almost inevitable.
Such a sudden announcement literally threw the Japanese leadership into complete confusion. And this is understandable, because her position was very critical - the forces of the allies inflicted significant damage on her in Pacific, and industrial centers and cities were subjected to almost continuous bombing. The government of this country was well aware that it was almost impossible to achieve victory in such conditions. But nevertheless, it still hoped that it would somehow be able to wear it down and achieve more favorable conditions for the surrender of its troops.
The United States, in turn, did not expect that victory would be easy for them. An example of this is the battles that unfolded over the island of Okinawa. From the Japanese side, about 77 thousand people fought here, and from the United States about 470 thousand soldiers. In the end, the island was taken by the Americans, but their losses were simply amazing - almost 50 thousand killed. According to the words, if the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 had not begun, which will be briefly described in this article, the losses would have been much more serious and could have amounted to 1 million soldiers killed and wounded.
Announcement of the outbreak of hostilities
On August 8 in Moscow, the Japanese Ambassador to the USSR was presented with a document at exactly 17 o'clock. It said that the Russo-Japanese War (1945) actually begins the very next day. But since there is a significant time difference between the Far East and Moscow, it turned out that there was only 1 hour left before the start of the offensive of the Soviet Army.
In the USSR, a plan was developed, consisting of three military operations: Kuril, Manchurian and Yuzhno-Sakhalin. They were all very important. But still the most large-scale and significant was the Manchurian operation.
Forces of the parties
On the territory of Manchuria, the Kwantung Army, commanded by General Otozo Yamada, opposed. It consisted of about 1 million people, more than 1,000 tanks, about 6,000 guns and 1,600 aircraft.
At the time when the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 began, the forces of the USSR had a significant numerical superiority in manpower: there were only one and a half times more soldiers. As for the equipment, the number of mortars and artillery was 10 times higher than that of the enemy. Our army had 5 and 3 times more tanks and aircraft, respectively, than the corresponding weapons from the Japanese. It should be noted that the superiority of the USSR over Japan in military equipment was not only in its numbers. The equipment at the disposal of Russia was modern and more powerful than that of its enemy.
Enemy fortified areas
All participants in the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 understood perfectly well that sooner or later, but it had to begin. That is why the Japanese created a significant number of well-fortified areas in advance. For example, we can take at least the Hailar region, where the left flank of the Trans-Baikal Front of the Soviet Army was located. The barrier structures on this site have been built for more than 10 years. By the time the Russo-Japanese War began (1945, August), there were already 116 pillboxes, which were interconnected by underground tunnels made of concrete, a well-developed system of trenches and a significant number.This area was covered by Japanese soldiers, whose numbers exceeded divisional.
In order to suppress the resistance of the Hailar fortified area, the Soviet Army had to spend several days. Under war conditions, this is a short time, but during the same time the rest of the Trans-Baikal Front advanced about 150 km. Given the scale of the Russo-Japanese War (1945), the obstacle in the form of this fortified area turned out to be quite serious. Even when his garrison surrendered, the Japanese warriors continued to fight with fanatical bravery.
In the reports of Soviet military leaders, you can very often see references to the soldiers of the Kwantung Army. The documents said that the Japanese military specifically chained themselves to machine gun frames so as not to have the slightest opportunity to retreat.
Bypass maneuver
The Russo-Japanese War of 1945 and the actions of the Soviet Army were very successful from the very beginning. I would like to note one outstanding operation, which consisted in a 350-kilometer throw of the 6th tank army through the Khingan Range and the Gobi Desert. If you glance at the mountains, they seem to be an insurmountable obstacle to the passage of technology. The passes that the Soviet tanks had to pass were located at an altitude of about 2 thousand meters above sea level, and the slopes sometimes reached a steepness of 50⁰. That is why cars often had to go in a zigzag pattern.
In addition, the advancement of technology was further complicated by frequent torrential rains, accompanied by flooding of rivers and impassable mud. But, despite this, the tanks nevertheless moved forward, and on August 11 they overcame the mountains and entered the Central Manchurian Plain, in the rear of the Kwantung Army. After such a large-scale transition, the Soviet troops began to experience an acute shortage of fuel, so they had to arrange additional delivery by air. With the help of transport aircraft, it was possible to transport about 900 tons of tank fuel. As a result of this operation, more than 200 thousand Japanese soldiers were captured, as well as a huge amount of equipment, weapons and ammunition.
Defenders of Heights Sharp
The Japanese War of 1945 continued. In the sector of the 1st Far Eastern Front, Soviet troops encountered unprecedentedly fierce enemy resistance. The Japanese were well entrenched at the heights of Camel and Ostraya, which were among the fortifications of the Khotou fortified area. I must say that the approaches to these heights were cut by many small rivulets and were very swampy. In addition, wire fences and dug out scarps were located on their slopes. The Japanese soldiers cut down the firing points in advance right in the rock granite, and the concrete caps protecting the bunkers reached a thickness of one and a half meters.
During the fighting, the Soviet command suggested that the defenders of Ostra surrender. As envoy to the Japanese was sent a man from among local residents, but they treated him extremely cruelly - the commander of the fortified area cut off his head. However, there was nothing surprising in this act. From the moment the Russo-Japanese War began (1945), the enemy basically did not agree to any negotiations. When the Soviet troops finally entered the fortification, they found only dead soldiers. It is worth noting that the defenders of the height were not only men, but also women who were armed with daggers and grenades.
Features of military operations
The Russo-Japanese War of 1945 had its own specific features. For example, in the battles for the city of Mudanjiang, the enemy used kamikaze saboteurs against units of the Soviet Army. These suicide bombers tied themselves with grenades and threw themselves under tanks or at soldiers. There was also a case when in one sector of the front about two hundred "living mines" lay on the ground next to each other. But such suicidal actions did not last long. Soon, Soviet soldiers became more vigilant and managed to destroy the saboteur in advance before he came close and exploded next to equipment or people.
Surrender
The 1945 Russo-Japanese War ended on August 15, when the country's Emperor Hirohito addressed his people by radio. He stated that the country had decided to accept the terms of the Potsdam Conference and capitulate. At the same time, the emperor urged his nation to be patient and unite all forces to build a new future for the country.
Three days after Hirohito's address, the call of the command of the Kwantung Army to their soldiers sounded on the radio. It said that further resistance was pointless and there was already a decision to surrender. Since many Japanese units had no connection with the main headquarters, their notification continued for several more days. But there were also cases when fanatical servicemen did not want to obey the order and lay down their arms. Therefore, their war continued until they died.
Effects
I must say that the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 had a truly huge, not only military, but also political significance... managed to completely defeat the strongest Kwantung army and end World War II. By the way, its official end is considered September 2, when the act of surrender of Japan was finally signed in Tokyo Bay, right on board the US-owned battleship Missouri.
As a result Soviet Union regained the territories that had been lost back in 1905 - a group of islands and part of the South Kuriles. Also, according to the peace treaty signed in San Francisco, Japan renounced any claims to Sakhalin.
Synopsis on the history of Russia
The nature of the war: imperialistic, unfair on both sides. The forces of the parties: Russia - 1 million 135 thousand people (in total), actually 100 thousand people, Japan - 143 thousand people + navy + reserve (about 200 thousand). Quantitative and qualitative superiority of Japan at sea (80:63).
Parties plans:
Japan - an offensive strategy, the goal of which is dominance at sea, the capture of Korea, the possession of Port Arthur, the defeat of the Russian group.
Russia - there was no general war plan that would ensure interaction between the army and the navy. Defensive strategy.
Dates. Developments. Notes
January 27, 1904 - A surprise attack by a Japanese squadron of Russian ships at Port Arthur. Heroic battle between Varyag and Koreyets. The attack was repulsed. Russian losses: Varyag flooded. The Korean is blown up. Japan secured superiority at sea.
January 28 - Repeated bombardment of the city and Port Arthur. The attack was repulsed.
February 24 - Arrival in Port Arthur of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov. Makarov's active steps to prepare for the general battle with Japan at sea (offensive tactics).
March 31 - Death of Makarov. Inaction of the fleet, rejection of offensive tactics.
April 1904 - The landing of the Japanese armies in Korea, the crossing of the river. Yaly and entry into Manchuria. The initiative in action on land belongs to the Japanese.
May 1904 - The Japanese laid siege to Port Arthur. Port Arthur was cut off from the Russian army. An attempt to release it in June 1904 was unsuccessful.
August 13-21 - Battle of Liaoyang. The forces are approximately equal (160 thousand each). The attacks of the Japanese troops were repulsed. Kuropatkin's indecision prevented the development of success. On August 24, Russian troops withdrew to the Shakhe River.
October 5 - The battle on the Shahe River begins. Fog and mountainous terrain interfered, as well as Kuropatkin's lack of initiative (he acted only with part of his forces).
December 2 - Death of General Kondratenko. R.I. Kondratenko led the defense of the fortress.
July 28 - December 20, 1904 - The besieged Port Arthur defended itself heroically. December 20 Stesil gives the order to surrender the fortress. The defenders withstood 6 assaults on the fortress. The fall of Port Arthur was a turning point in the course of the Russo-Japanese War.
February 1905 - Battle of Mukden. 550 thousand people participated from both sides. Kuropatkin's passivity. Losses: Russians - 90 thousand, Japanese - 70 thousand. The Russians lost the battle.
May 14-15, 1905 - Sea battle at about. Tsushima in the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan.
Tactical mistakes of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. Our losses - 19 ships were sunk, 5 thousand were killed, 5 thousand were taken prisoner. Defeat of the Russian fleet
5 August 1905 - Peace of Portsmouth
By the summer of 1905 - Japan began to clearly feel a lack of material and human resources and turned to the USA, Germany, and France for help. USA stands for peace. Peace was signed in Portsmouth, our delegation was headed by S.Yu. Witte.
Peace conditions: Korea is Japan's sphere of interests, both sides are withdrawing their troops from Manchuria, Russia cedes to Japan Liaodong and Port Arthur, half of Sakhalin and railways. This treaty lost its validity after Japan's surrender in 1914.
Reasons for defeat: the technical, economic and military superiority of Japan, the military-political and diplomatic isolation of Russia, the operational-tactical and strategic unpreparedness of the Russian army to conduct hostilities in difficult conditions, the mediocrity and betrayal of the tsarist generals, the unpopularity of war among all segments of the population.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a cruel clash took place between the Russian and Japanese empires. In what year our country was expecting a war with Japan. It began in the winter of 1904 and lasted more than 12 months until 1905, became a real blow to the whole world... It was distinguished not only by the subject of dispute between the two powers, but also by the latest weapons that were used in battles.
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Prerequisites
The main events unfolded in the Far East, in one of the most contested regions in the world. At the same time, the Russian and Japanese empires claimed it, each had its own political strategies in this area, ambitions and plans. Specifically, they talked about establishing control over the Chinese region of Manchuria, as well as over Korea and the Yellow Sea.
Note! At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia and Japan were not only the strongest countries in the world, but also actively developing. Oddly enough, this was the first precondition for the Russo-Japanese war.
The Russian Empire was actively expanding its borders, touching in the southeast of Persia and Afghanistan.
The interests of Great Britain were affected, so the Russian map continued to increase in the Far East direction.
On the way, the first was China, which became impoverished from numerous wars, was forced give Russia part of their territoriesto gain support and funds. So, new lands came into the possession of our empire: Primorye, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
The reasons also lay in Japanese politics. New emperor Meiji considered self-isolation a relic of the past and actively began to develop his country, promoting it in the international arena. After numerous successful reforms, the Empire of Japan reached a new, modernized level. The next step was the expansion of other states.
Even before the outbreak of the 1904 war Meiji conquered China, which gave him the right to dispose of Korean lands. Later, the island of Taiwan and other nearby territories were conquered. Here the prerequisites for the future confrontation were hidden, since the interests of the two empires met, which contradicted each other. So, on January 27 (February 9), 1904, the war between Russia and Japan was officially started.
Causes
The Russo-Japanese War became one of the most striking examples "Cockfight". There were no racist, religious or ideological disputes between the two warring countries. The essence of the conflict did not lie in increasing its own territory for significant reasons. It's just that each state had a goal: to prove to itself and to others that it is powerful, strong and invincible.
Consider first reasons for the emergence of the Russo-Japanese War within the framework Russian Empire:
- The tsar wanted to assert himself through victory and to show his entire people that his army and military might are the strongest in the world.
- It was possible once and for all to suppress the outbreak of the revolution, in which the peasants, workers and even the city intelligentsia were drawn.
How this war could be useful to Japan, let us briefly consider. The Japanese had only one goal: to demonstrate their new weapon, which was improved. I should have experienced the newest military equipmentand where it can be done if not in battle.
Note! The participants in the armed confrontation, in case of victory, would mend their internal political differences. The economy of the victorious country would have significantly improved and new lands would have been obtained in its possession - Manchuria, Korea and the whole Yellow Sea.
Military action on land
On eastern front at the beginning of 1904, the 23rd artillery brigade was sent from Russia.
The troops were distributed between strategically important objects - Vladivostok, Manchuria and Port Arthur. There was also a special corral of engineering troops, and a very impressive number of people guarded the CER (railway).
The fact is that all the provisions and ammunition were delivered to the soldiers from the European part of the country by train, so they required additional protection.
By the way, this became one of the reasons for Russia's defeat... The distance from the industrial centers of our country to the Far East is unrealistically great. It took a lot of time to deliver everything you needed, and it was not possible to transport much.
As for the Japanese troops, they lost in number to the Russian ones. Moreover, having left their native and very small islands, they were literally scattered across vast territory... But the ill-fated 1904-1905 military power saved them... The newest weapons and armored vehicles, destroyers, improved artillery did their job. It is worth noting the very tactics of warfare and combat, which the Japanese learned from the British. In short, they took it not by quantity, but by quality and cunning.
Naval battles
The Russo-Japanese War became real fiasco for russian fleet
.
At that time, shipbuilding in the Far Eastern region was not too developed, and it was extremely difficult to deliver the "gifts" of the Black Sea to such a distance.
In the land of the rising sun, the fleet was always powerful, Meiji was well prepared, he knew the enemy's weaknesses very well, therefore he managed not only to hold back the enemy's onslaught, but also to completely defeat our fleet.
He won the battle thanks to the same military tactics that he learned from the British.
Main events
For a long time, the troops of the Russian Empire did not improve their potential, did not conduct tactical exercises. Their entry to the Far Eastern front in 1904 made it clear that they were simply not ready to fight and fight. This can be clearly seen in the chronology of the main events of the Russian-Japanese war. Let's consider them in order.
- February 9, 1904 - battle of Chemulpo... The Russian cruiser "Varyag" and the steamer "Koreets", commanded by Vsevolod Rudnev, were surrounded by a Japanese squadron. In an unequal battle, both ships were killed, and the remaining crew members were evacuated to Sevastopol and Odessa. In the future, they were forbidden to take up service in the Pacific Fleet;
- On February 27 of the same year, with the help of the latest torpedoes, the Japanese disabled more than 90% of the Russian fleet, attacking it in Port Arthur;
- spring 1904 - the defeat of the Russian Empire in numerous battles on land. In addition to the difficulties in transporting ammunition and provisions, our soldiers simply did not have a normal map. The Russo-Japanese War had clear-cut schemes and certain strategic targets. But without proper navigation, the task was impossible;
- 1904, August - russians were able to defend Port Arthur;
- 1905, January - Admiral Stoessel handed over Port Arthur to the Japanese;
- may of the same year - another unequal sea \u200b\u200bbattle... After the battle at Tsushima, one Russian ship returned to the port, but the entire Japanese squadron remained unharmed;
- july 1905 - Japanese troops invaded Sakhalin.
The answer to the question of who won the war is probably obvious. But in fact, the numerous battles on land and water have caused the exhaustion of both countries. Japan, although considered the winner, was forced to enlist the support of countries like Great Britain. The results were disappointing: the economy was completely undermined and domestic politics both countries. Countries signed a peace treaty, and the whole world began to help them.
The outcome of the hostilities
At the time of the end of hostilities in the Russian Empire, preparations for the revolution were in full swing. The enemy knew this, so he set a condition: Japan agreed to sign a peace treaty only on condition of complete surrender. In this case, the the following items:
- half of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were to pass into the possession of the land of the rising sun;
- renunciation of claims to Manchuria;
- Japan should have had the right to lease Port Arthur;
- the Japanese get all rights to Korea;
- Russia had to pay indemnity to its enemy for the maintenance of prisoners.
And they weren't the only ones negative consequences Russian-Japanese war for our people. The economy began a prolonged stagnation, as factories and factories became impoverished.
Unemployment began in the country, prices for food and other goods rose. Russia began to refuse loans many foreign banks, during which business activity was suspended.
But there were also positive aspects. By signing the Portsmouth Peace Agreement, Russia received support from the European powers - England and France.
This was the seed of the birth of a new alliance called "Entente". It is worth noting that Europe was also frightened by the impending revolution, so it tried to provide all possible support to our country, so that these events would not go beyond its borders, but only subside. But, as we know, it was not possible to restrain the people, and the revolution became a vivid protest of the population against the current government.
But in Japan, despite numerous losses, things got better... The Land of the Rising Sun has proved to the whole world that it can defeat the Europeans. The victory brought this state to the international level.
Why did it all work out this way?
Let's list the reasons for Russia's defeat in this armed confrontation.
- Considerable remoteness from industrial centers. Railway could not cope with the transportation of everything necessary to the front.
- Lack of russian army and a fleet of proper training and skill. The Japanese possessed more advanced technology possession of weapons and combat.
- Our enemy has developed a fundamentally new military equipment, which was difficult to cope with.
- Betrayal by the tsarist generals. For example, the surrender of Port Arthur, which was previously taken.
- The war was not popular among ordinary peopleand also many of the soldiers who were sent to the front were not interested in victory. But the Japanese warriors were ready to die for the sake of the emperor.
Analysis of the Russo-Japanese War by historians