Changes

*''Period: [[1904]]-[[1905]]''

*''Period: [[1904]]-[[1905]]''

*''Japanese'': 日露戦争 ''(Nichi-ro sensou)''

*''Japanese'': 日露戦争 ''(Nichi-ro sensou)''

The Russo-Japanese War of [[1904]]-[[1905|05]], which began with the Japanese naval attack on [[Port Arthur]], had its roots in the simultaneous determination of both [[Japan]] and [[Russia]] to develop 'spheres of influence' in the Far East, mainly at the expense of [[China]]. Japan fought a very successful war against the crumbling Chinese Empire in [[1894]]-[[1895|95]] and imposed a severe treaty. Japan demanded from China a heavy war indemnity, the island of [[Formosa]], and Port Arthur and its hinterland. The European powers, while having no objection to the indemnity, did feel that Japan should not gain Port Arthur, for they had their own ambitions in that part of the world. Russia persuaded Germany and France to join her in applying diplomatic pressure on the Japanese, with the result that Japan was obliged to relinquish Port Arthur. Two years later Saint Petersburg forced the Chinese into leasing Port Arthur to Russia, together with the Liaotung Peninsula on which it stood. For Russia this meant the acquisition of an ice-free naval base in the Far East to supplement Vladivostok. For Japan it was a case of adding insult to injury.

The Russo-Japanese War of [[1904]]-[[1905|05]] brought Japan even further onto the world stage, becoming the second non-Western power to defeat a Western power in war<ref>Ethiopia defeated Italy in 1896.</ref>, and expanding its colonial empire to now include [[Korea]], which became a Japanese protectorate as a result of this war.

[[The Boxer Rebellion]] of 1900 caused the European powers and Japan to send troops to China to suppress the rebels. When the fighting was over, Russian troops were occupying [[Manchuria]]. Russia promised to withdraw these forces by [[1903]], but failed to do so, wishing to hold Manchuria as a springboard for further expansion of her interest in the Far East. Meanwhile Japan was heavily engaged in [[Korea]], successfully increasing her influence in that country. Russia also had interest in Korea, and although at first Russians and Japanese managed to peacefully coexist, it was not long before tensions on both sides led to hostilities. Negotiations between the two nations began in [[1901]] but made little headway. Japan then strengthened her position by forming an alliance with Britain. The terms stated that if Japan went to war in the Far East, and a third power entered the fight against Japan, then Britain would come to the aide of the Japanese.

The war, which began with the Japanese naval attack on [[Port Arthur]] (on the [[Liaodong Peninsula]]), had its roots in the simultaneous determination of both [[Meiji government|Japan]] and [[Russia]] to develop 'spheres of influence' in the Far East, mainly at the expense of [[Qing Dynasty|China]]. Japan fought [[Sino-Japanese War|a very successful war]] against the Chinese Empire in [[1894]]-[[1895|95]] and imposed severe [[Treaty of Shimonoseki|treaty conditions]]. Japan demanded from China a heavy war indemnity, the island of [[Taiwan]], and the Liaodong Peninsula. France, Russia, and Germany, which had their own ambitions in that part of the world, engaged in a so-called [[Triple Intervention]], forcing the return of Liaodong to China, and back into play, so to speak. Two years later, Tsar Nicholas II forced the Chinese into leasing Port Arthur and the entire Liaodong Peninsula to Russia. For Russia this meant the acquisition of an ice-free naval base in the Far East to supplement [[Vladivostok]]. For Japan it was a case of adding insult to injury.

During her negotiations with Japan, Russia did not expect the Japanese to go to war. After all, Japan was a newly emergent country, whose naval officers might have been trained in Britain and her army officers in Germany, but several of those officers had begun their careers wearing armor and brandishing swords. The Russian army was the world's most powerful, or at least that is what the Russians believed. But the Japanese had other ideas. Japan knew that they could not win a long war fought over a vast expanse, but they could win a short localized war.

 

During her negotiations with Japan, Russia did not expect the Japanese to go to war. After all, Japan was a newly emergent country, whose naval officers might have been trained in Britain and her army officers in Germany, but several of those officers had begun their careers wearing armor and brandishing swords. The Russian army, by contrast, saw itself as among the world's most powerful. But as it turned out, while the Japanese may have been incapable of sustaining a lengthy, drawn-out war, they were able to achieve victory in a shorter, more locally contained conflict.

 

The war was fought both on land (chiefly in Manchuria) and at sea. The Japanese won early victories on land, pushing back the Russians during heavy fighting, and managed, over the course of two battles, to destroy nearly the entirety of the Russian naval fleet. This was accomplished in large part by attacking the Russian Navy in port at Port Arthur prior to the official declaration of war; England's chief contribution to the war, as Japan's ally, was to then deny Russia access to the Suez Canal, forcing those portions of the Russian Navy based in Europe to take the lengthy journey around Africa in order to join the conflict. This Baltic Fleet completed the majority of its 18,000 mile journey before the fighting was over, before meeting defeat at the hands of the Japanese navy in the Straits of [[Tsushima]]. Of the 35 ships in the Baltic Fleet, only four successfully reached Vladivostok.

 

The war ended in Japanese victory, but also in extensive costs for the Japanese in lives, equipment, and supplies, as well as financially; the Russians managed to reject suggestions they pay any indemnity, leaving the Japanese government with considerable expenses. The [[Treaty of Portsmouth]] which ended the war was brokered by US President Theodore Roosevelt (for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize) and was signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the Treaty, Russia agreed to cede southern [[Sakhalin Island]] and all of its direct interests in Manchuria (i.e. namely railways and leaseholds on the Liaodong Peninsula), and to formally recognize Japan's control of Korea. Japanese demands for the cession of all of Sakhalin, and for monetary reparations were rejected.

 

Japan soon afterwards headquartered an army group in Port Arthur which came to be called the Guandong (or Kwantung) Army, as well as the South Manchurian Railway Company, both of which would play key roles in initiating the outbreak of hostilities in the 1930s which then expanded into the full-on Fifteen-Years War (also known as the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese/continental portion of the Pacific War).

 

===1904===

===1904===

2/8-5/2 Battle of Port Arthur

2/8-5/2 Battle of Port Arthur

==References==

==References==

*Asakawa, K. ''The Russo-Japanese Conflict'' Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1904

*Asakawa, K. ''The Russo-Japanese Conflict'' Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1904

[[Category:Battles|Russo]]

[[Category:Battles|Russo]]

[[Category:Events and Incidents|Russo]]

[[Category:Events and Incidents|Russo]]

[[Category:Meiji Period|Russo]]

[[Category:Meiji Period|Russo]]