Briefly about the Japanese-Russian war. Russo-Japanese War

Historical events, about which we know offensively little. The death of the Varyag, Tsushima, the heroic defense of Port Arthur - that’s probably all that immediately comes to mind when we remember Russian-Japanese war which began on February 8, 1904. What didn’t little Japan and huge Russia share? What consequences did this lead to? Are echoes of past battles heard in today's relations between the two countries? Let's figure it out. With us is the Deputy Director of the Institute Russian historyDmitry Pavlov and naval historian, member of the military historical society Nikolay Manvelov.

Dmitry Borisovich, briefly outline the political situation that preceded the conflict so that we understand its causes.

Relations between Japan and Russia were quite warm throughout the 19th century. They deteriorated after the Sino-Japanese War. Russia initiated pressure on Japan in terms of revising the peace terms following the war. And it was very successful for Japan. These are the events of 1895. Since then, anti-Russian sentiments have begun to grow sharply in Japan. But there have always been concerns about the great northern neighbor in Japanese society. And in general, these events fell on fertile ground. A specific point of contention was the influence of Russia and Japan in Korea and Manchuria. The degree of influence of one or another empire became the final cause of this war.

Could it have been possible to avoid war by dividing China and Korea in a brotherly manner? Korea - entirely to Japan, Manchuria - to Russians. And this was one of Japan's proposals.

- This is not entirely true. Quite lengthy negotiations took place throughout half of 1903. They began in July and ended at the beginning of 1904. Their meaning is trade regarding the degree of influence of countries: Japan in Korea and Russia in Korea and China. And in Manchuria. There is a point of view - it is widespread among Japanese historians - that the parties overestimated each other's aggressiveness. It would be possible to reach an agreement peacefully. But there is a lot of speculation around this and a lot of mysteries that have not yet been solved.

Nikolai Vladimirovich, how did the forces of Japan and Russia compare in military and economic terms by 1904? Far East? If you want, you can limit yourself to fleets.

If we consider the Far Eastern naval theater, then in terms of the number of battleships Russia and Japan had equal strength. If we take the cruising destroyer forces, then the Japanese were ahead. In addition, the Japanese had a big advantage - they had construction facilities right on the theater of operations. After the Japanese surprise attack on Port Arthur, the Russians had to use the only dock that was in Port Arthur. The situation no longer allowed sending ships to Vladivostok. To do this, it was necessary to pass past the coast of Japan. That is why the Russians had to use so-called caissons - something like wooden linings on the hull, in order to be able to avoid bringing the damaged ship into the dock.

Russia already had the Trans-Siberian Railway, a powerful army and 9 thousand miles to the theater of operations, while Japan had a strong fleet and was just a stone's throw from Manchuria. Who was in a better position?

- If we are talking about the Trans-Siberian Railway, then everything was not so simple with it. The fact is that this highway was single-track and allowed only a few pairs of trains to run per day. As for the Japanese, yes, they were nearby, but the very first raiding operations of the Vladivostok cruiser detachment showed that Japan was extremely unprotected from cruising operations. There were cases when captains and owners of passages, who delivered everything necessary to Japan, refused to go to sea because of the danger of stealth cruisers.

This is historian Nikolai Manvelov. We are talking today about the Russian-Japanese War of 1904. Dmitry Pavlov, please, you obviously wanted to add something

Yes, I did. The conversation was about the fleet, but nothing was said about ground forces. The Trans-Siberian Railway came into operation at the height of Russian-Japanese negotiations in the summer of 1903. Then the average speed on the Trans-Siberian Railway was 27-28 km/h. One path, many routes. Plus, by that time, at the beginning of the war, there was no Circum-Baikal Railway. Therefore, during the first war winter, trains were dragged directly across the ice of Lake Baikal. And in the summer there was a ferry there.

What was the international situation? While preparing for the program, I was once again convinced that England was trying with all its might to set Japan against Russia. The United States was on the same side. Germany at that moment was our ally, France occupied some kind of intermediate position. What kind of arrangement was this?

France is Russia's closest ally, England has been in allied relations with Japan since January 1902. The Japan-British Treaty of 1902 provided for entry into the war only if a third party intervened in the war. This meant France. And France was “bogged down” in Indochina - then it had colonies there. The likelihood of France entering the war was extremely low. England’s position is approximately this: on the one hand, turn Japan into a shield against Russian expansion towards China, on the other hand, do everything to avoid being drawn into hostilities. Germany was engaged in setting Russia against Japan. This is the meaning of her policy. In general, this famous legend about the “yellow threat” is a propaganda cliche of German origin.

Dmitry Borisovich, how did the Russian public react to the war? Is it true that the Russian liberal intelligentsia sent congratulatory telegrams to the Japanese emperor after each Japanese victory?

I know nothing about congratulations from the liberal community. It is a fact that students from several gymnasiums, inspired by the spirit of the liberal movement, sent such telegrams several times. The trouble was that the Japanese successfully tried to finance the Russian revolutionary movement. This was done through Colonel Motojiro Akashi. Before the war, he was the military attaché of Japan in St. Petersburg, but from the beginning of hostilities, together with the Japanese diplomatic mission, he moved to Scandinavia, to Stockholm. From there, constantly moving around Europe, he was able to establish connections with Russians and revolutionaries and liberals. The well-known Paris Inter-Party Peace Conference of September 1904 was held with Japanese money. But the main achievement of this man, this worst enemy Russian Empire - that's how it can be called if we talk about secret operations - was that he received a million yen from the Japanese General Staff. Then the yen was very heavy - 98 kopecks. And the ruble of that time is about one and a half thousand modern rubles. It is easy to calculate how much money we are talking about. This money was used to purchase several ships, weapons and explosives. In the summer of 1905, when military operations on the Manchurian front actually ceased, this ship was sent to the St. Petersburg area to supply workers with these rifles to raise an armed uprising in Russia.

Nikolai Vladimirovich, a question for you: You are an expert on fleets and weapons of that era. What happened to our squadron in Tsushima? Main question that war and probably the most difficult. They call the most different reasons: from shoddy explosives and weak armor of our ships to the mediocrity of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. It was a complete disaster.

Few people now remember that the long stay of our squadron in the area of ​​Madagascar - in the area of ​​Nosy Be Bay - was associated with Rozhdestvensky’s hope that after the fall of Port Arthur the squadron would be deployed back. Rozhestvensky understood that he could not win the battle. I'm afraid he just had a desire to carry out orders. And the order was to break through to Vladivostok. So he broke through.

- Why did the Japanese win?

In my opinion, the Japanese were always a little more lucky in the Russo-Japanese War than the Russians. If we take the battles in the Yellow Sea - in July 1904, when the Russian squadron of Rear Admiral Vitgeft fought with the Japanese squadron of Togo. Then the Russian squadron almost managed to break through, only the flagship was beaten to the point of impossibility - it could hardly stay afloat. And at that moment, when the squadron almost broke through, its command was hit by a stray shell. He fell into a group of people standing on the upper bridge. Vitgeft died, several more people died - the squadron found itself without leadership. What is this? That little bit of luck. It is quite possible that the same Rozhdestvensky could have had better luck in this situation.

- Makarov might also be lucky.

The story with Makarov is very strange. He was on one of the patrol ships, he was informed that the Japanese were showing strange activity in the fairway. It looked like they were mining the passage in the very place where the squadron was supposed to go in the morning. Makarov was offered to delay the squadron’s exit, but Port Arthur has a very unpleasant feature: the tide there is quite short, and the depth did not allow the entire squadron to leave quickly. That is, if we had lost time trawling, we would have lost water, as they say. And Makarov ordered not to trawl the passage. How did it end? We know.

Yes, I ran into a bunch of mines. The Russo-Japanese War is called the dress rehearsal for the First World War. For the first time, hitherto unseen weapons were used, and for the first time, military-technical innovations of that era were used en masse. Can you tell us about this in detail?

This is the first use of submarines. Real submarines - not rowing ones, like in the days...

- Abraham Lincoln?

Yes. Plus a pole mine. It was necessary to approach, place a mine, have time to connect electric wires in the fuse and have time to run away. There was only one known case when the submarine "Som" launched an attack on Japanese destroyers. Considering that her speed was 6 knots, and the Japanese were sailing at about 30, the Japanese simply left. But it became clear that there was something to be afraid of. By the way, all the Port Arthur prodigies were in one way or another connected with the creative rethinking of naval weapons. For example, the Japanese could not even imagine that sea mines would be dropped on their heads from a mountain. They removed the galvanic impact fuses, attached a fuse cord, and then threw them down. The Russian fleet had a very unique type of weapon called a throwing mine. This is something like a non-self-propelled torpedo, which was fired from a vehicle and flew about 40 meters through the air, then walked through the water. By inertia. This entire structure was dismantled from the ship and dragged to land. Then this cigar, which contained up to 40 kg of dynamite, was simply shot down the hill. And she flew downward along an inclined trajectory.

- What is the “Japanese shimosa” that burned through Russian armor?

In Russia it was believed that the main weapon when fighting an armadillo was artillery, which would fire armor-piercing shells. Russian shells had a delayed fuse, which penetrates the unarmored side and explodes on impact with the armor. But the problem is that the battleships of that time did not have the entire side armored. There are known cases when, already during peace negotiations, Russian officers saw Japanese ships with clearly sealed holes. It turns out that the shell pierced the ship right through and did not explode. The Japanese's main idea was that high-explosive explosives should work - the explosion occurs from an impact. But the problem came to them later. Shimose proved to be an extremely unstable substance during storage. There were a lot of unexpected explosions both during and after the war. This substance required very delicate storage. By the way, this is exactly how the flagship Mikasa exploded; this happened already in 1906 or 1907.

Do I understand correctly that the submarines were not diesel-powered, but petrol-powered? Did they burn like matches?

They weren't gasoline, they were kerosene. Moreover, several cases are known - people either lit a cigarette, or there was a spark, and the boat exploded. The first submarine "Dolphin" was lost 2 or 3 times due to the explosion of kerosene vapors.

- Overalls for submariners, which the Empress allegedly invented?

Indeed, there were overalls made from squirrel fur. It was believed that it was cold and very high humidity. They stood in Vladivostok, and by order of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, overalls were made from squirrel fur. It was the only submarine with this kind of uniform. Where did these overalls go later and were others wearing them? submarines such overalls are unknown.

Dmitry Pavlov, how do you assess the leadership gift of our land commander-in-chief Kuropatkin? The fact is that a lot has been said about this: about his mediocrity, his indecisiveness and even outright cowardice.

Defeat has few friends, but victory has many. There are three known villains - three mediocrities that come to mind when talking about the Russo-Japanese War. These are Anatoly Mikhailovich Stessel, Alexey Nikolaevich Kuropatkin and Zinovy ​​Petrovich Rozhestvensky. This is all an absolute myth. None of them are villains, mediocrities or cowards. Kuropatkin is a serious, senior staff officer and military administrator. But not a commander. He wrote excellent analytical notes, was immersed in military reform, and was seriously concerned with personnel. But he was not a commander.

Was there mutual hatred, Dmitry Borisovich? The Japanese treated our prisoners unusually well. You can remember and compare how cruel they were to the Americans during World War II. They admired the samurai feat of the “Varyag” and looked after our graves. Where does this sentimentality, which is completely unusual for the Japanese, come from?

It is rather characteristic of them, if we talk about the Japanese of the 19th century. In general, the Russian-Japanese war in spirit, in this chivalry, which permeates most of the episodes of this war, is certainly not a war of the 20th century, but of the 19th century. By the way, prisoners of war were treated no less humanely in Russia. Among the Japanese prisoners of war, there were incomparably fewer of them - only 2,500 people. They were kept in the Novgorod province, they were kept there together with pro-Japanese Koreans. The only serious concern of the camp administration was to prevent the Japanese and Koreans from meeting. They immediately started fighting. The regime was as free as that of Russian prisoners of war in Matsuyama and other cities where prisoner of war camps were located. They were dying of boredom, they taught Japanese, taught English language, corresponded, walked around the city, had affairs with Japanese young ladies and sometimes complained of harassment. And the harassment was absolutely of an everyday kind.

At the beginning of our conversation, you said that the war is shrouded in secrets, myths and speculation. Please name the most common ones. Confirm or debunk them.

Who fired the first shot in this war?

- Japanese.

You see, this is also one of the stamps that we constantly replicate. Most of The English-speaking world, and the Japanese themselves, believe that the first shot was fired by the Russians. This was done by the gunboat “Korean” on the afternoon of February 8, 1904, about 20 minutes sailing from the then Chemulpo, now the Korean Incheon. This is the sea gate of Seoul. The second myth is that, in general, the parties could come to an agreement. If the last very friendly government telegram had arrived in Tokyo on time, then there would have been no military action. The telegram was delayed by the Japanese telegraph office, probably on purpose. It lasted two days, although the usual transmission time is no more than a day. I have already mentioned the third myth - the myth about obvious villains or mediocrities on the Russian side in the person of the command. I can repeat: Rozhdestvensky, Stessel and Kuropatkin. Why didn’t Russia put the squeeze on Japan after all? Indeed, by the summer of 1905 in the Far East, through intensive exploitation Trans-Siberian Railway, managed to concentrate a group of about one million people. The commander was changed, Linevich replaced Kuropatkin. There is also a lot of speculation around this. Few people here know that Japan was so dissatisfied with the terms of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty that in Tokyo - a rare case in Japanese history- There was a riot for two or three days. The famous Tokyo riot of early September 1905.

- Did they want money?

Not only money, they wanted all of Sakhalin. They wanted a serious indemnity, they wanted Russia's consent to Japan's exclusive influence on the Korean Peninsula. Russia could not guarantee this.

- Results and consequences of the Russo-Japanese War? Nikolai Vladimirovich.

If we take the fleet, then Russia completely loses its naval base in Port Arthur. Russia is experiencing a kind of shame associated with the heroic death of the Varyag. The Varyag was indeed sunk in shallow water and was set on fire. The Japanese will raise it a year later, after which it will join the Japanese fleet. In 1916, the ship will be sold to the Russian Empire. But the most interesting thing is different: when the Varyag enters service in 1907, the commander of the Varyag, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, will receive the Order of the Rising Sun from Japanese Emperor. This will coincide with Rudnev being removed from the fleet. And it is still unknown: did Nicholas II give him permission to wear this order?

- Did you receive the order after retirement or before?

- Dmitry Borisovich, what are your results of that war?

Russia is losing not only its Pacific fleet, it is leaving the Far East. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is changing, who will reorient Russian policy towards the western and southern directions. The priority becomes not establishment on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, but a breakthrough to the Black Sea. The struggle for the Black Sea straits. A completely different combination is emerging - the Entente - as part of which Russia enters the First World War. I would like to remind dear listeners that the First World War- this is a time of unprecedentedly warm and trusting Russian-Japanese relations.

With us were: Deputy Director of the Institute of Russian History Dmitry Pavlov and naval historian, member of the Military Historical Society Nikolai Manvelov. We talked about the 1904 war between Russia and Japan. We finish the program to the sounds of the famous waltz “On the Hills of Manchuria”. It was written by composer Ilya Shatrov during the Russo-Japanese War, commander of the Muzykantsky company of the 214th Infantry Regiment. He dedicated this melody to his comrades who died near Mukden.

The article briefly talks about the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. This war became one of the most shameful in Russian history. The expectation of a “small victorious war” turned into a disaster.

1. Introduction
2. Progress of the Russo-Japanese War
3. Results of the Russo-Japanese War

Causes of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

• The main prerequisite for the outbreak of the war was the growth of imperialist contradictions at the turn of the century. European powers sought to divide China. Russia, which did not have colonies in other parts of the world, was interested in maximizing the penetration of its capital into China and Korea. This desire ran counter to Japan's plans. The rapidly developing Japanese industry also required the seizure of new territories to allocate capital.
• The Russian government did not take into account the increased combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. In the event of a quick and decisive victory, it was planned to significantly reduce revolutionary sentiment in the country. The Japanese elite relied on chauvinistic sentiments in society. It was planned to create Greater Japan through territorial conquests.

Progress of the Russo-Japanese War

• At the end of January 1904, the Japanese, without declaring war, attacked Russian ships based in Port Arthur. And already in June, the successful actions of the Japanese led to the complete defeat of the Russian Pacific squadron. The Baltic Fleet (2nd Squadron) sent to help, after a six-month journey, was completely defeated by Japan in the Battle of Tsushima (May 1905). Sending the 3rd squadron was becoming pointless. Russia has lost its main trump card in its strategic plans. The defeat was a consequence of underestimating the Japanese fleet, which consisted of the latest warships. The reasons were insufficient training of Russian sailors, Russian warships that were outdated at that time, and defective ammunition.
• In military operations on land, Russia also showed a significant lag in many respects. The General Staff did not take into account the experience of recent wars. Military science adhered to outdated concepts and principles of the Napoleonic Wars era. It was assumed that the main forces would gather together followed by a massive strike. Japanese strategy, under the guidance of foreign advisers, relied on the development of maneuver operations.
• The Russian command under the leadership of General Kuropatkin acted passively and indecisively. The Russian army suffered its first defeat near Liaoyang. By June 1904, Port Arthur was surrounded. The defense lasted six months, which can be regarded as the only success of the Russians in the entire war. In December the port was handed over to the Japanese. The decisive battle on land was the so-called “Mukden Meat Grinder” (February 1905), as a result of which the Russian army was practically surrounded, but at the cost of heavy losses it managed to retreat. Russian losses amounted to about 120 thousand people. This failure, coupled with the Tsushima tragedy, showed the futility of further military action. The situation was complicated by the fact that the “victorious war” caused a revolution in Russia itself.
• It was the outbreak of the revolution and the unpopularity of the war in society that forced Russia to enter into peace negotiations. The Japanese economy was significantly damaged as a result of the war. Japan was inferior to Russia both in the number of armed forces and in material capabilities. Even a successful continuation of the war would have led Japan to an economic crisis. Therefore, Japan, having won a number of spectacular victories, was content with this and also sought to conclude a peace treaty.

Results of the Russo-Japanese War

• In August 1905, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty was concluded, containing humiliating conditions for Russia. Japan included South Sakhalin, Korea, and Port Arthur. The Japanese gained control of Manchuria. Russia's authority on the world stage was greatly undermined. Japan has demonstrated that its army is combat-ready and armed with the latest technology.
• In general, Russia was forced to abandon active actions in the Far East.

One of the largest military conflicts of the early 20th century is the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Its result was the first, in modern history, the victory of an Asian state over a European one, in a full-scale armed conflict. The Russian Empire entered the war expecting an easy victory, but the enemy turned out to be underestimated.

In the mid-19th century, Emperor Mutsuhio carried out a series of reforms, after which Japan became a powerful state with a modern army and navy. The country has emerged from self-isolation; her claims to dominance East Asia intensified. But another colonial power, the Russian Empire, also sought to gain a foothold in this region.

Causes of the war and the balance of power

The cause of the war was the clash in the Far East of the geopolitical interests of two empires - modernized Japan and Tsarist Russia.

Japan, having established itself in Korea and Manchuria, was forced to make concessions under pressure from the European powers. Russia was given the Liaodong Peninsula, captured by the island empire during the war with China. But both sides understood that a military conflict could not be avoided and were preparing for military action.

By the time hostilities began, the opponents had concentrated significant forces in the conflict zone. Japan could field 375-420 thousand people. and 16 heavy warships. Russia had 150 thousand people located in Eastern Siberia and 18 heavy ships (battleships, armored cruisers, etc.).

Progress of hostilities

The beginning of the war. Defeat of Russian naval forces in the Pacific Ocean

The Japanese attacked before war was declared, on January 27, 1904. The strikes were carried out in various directions, which allowed the fleet to neutralize the threat of opposition from Russian ships on sea lanes, and parts of the Japanese imperial army land in Korea. By February 21, they occupied the capital Pyongyang, and by the beginning of May they blocked the Port Arthur squadron. This allowed the Japanese 2nd Army to land in Manchuria. Thus, the first stage of hostilities ended in Japanese victory. The defeat of the Russian fleet allowed the Asian empire to invade the mainland with land units and ensure their supplies.

Campaign of 1904. Defense of Port Arthur

The Russian command hoped to take revenge on land. However, the very first battles showed the superiority of the Japanese in the land theater of operations. The 2nd Army defeated the Russians opposing it and was divided into two parts. One of them began to advance on the Kwantung Peninsula, the other on Manchuria. Near Liaoyang (Manchuria), the first major battle took place between the ground units of the opposing sides. The Japanese continuously attacked, and the Russian command, previously confident of victory over the Asians, lost control of the battle. The battle was lost.

Having put his army in order, General Kuropatkin went on the offensive and tried to unblock the Kwantung fortified area, which was cut off from his own. A major battle unfolded in the valley of the Shahe River: there were more Russians, but Japanese Marshal Oyama managed to hold back the onslaught. Port Arthur was doomed.

1905 campaign

This sea fortress had a strong garrison and was fortified on land. In conditions complete blockade, the garrison of the fortress repelled four assaults, inflicting significant losses on the enemy; During the defense, various technical innovations were tested. The Japanese kept between 150 and 200 thousand bayonets under the walls of the fortified area. However, after almost a year of siege, the fortress fell. Almost a third of Russian soldiers and officers captured were wounded.

For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur was a severe blow to the prestige of the empire.

The last chance to turn the tide of the war for the Russian army was the battle of Mukden in February 1905. However, the Japanese were no longer opposed formidable force great power, and units suppressed by continuous defeats, located far from native land. After 18 days, the left flank of the Russian army wavered, and the command gave the order to retreat. The forces of both sides were exhausted: a positional war began, the outcome of which could only be changed by the victory of Admiral Rozhdestvensky’s squadron. After long months on the road, she approached the island of Tsushima.

Tsushima. Final Japanese victory

By the time of the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese fleet had an advantage in ships, experience in defeating Russian admirals and high morale. Having lost only 3 ships, the Japanese completely defeated the enemy fleet, scattering its remnants. Russia's maritime borders were left unprotected; a few weeks later the first amphibious landings landed on Sakhalin and Kamchatka.

Peace treaty. Results of the war

In the summer of 1905, both sides were extremely exhausted. Japan had undeniable military superiority, but its supplies were running low. Russia, on the contrary, could use its advantage in resources, but for this it was necessary to rebuild the economy and political life for military needs. The outbreak of the 1905 revolution excluded this possibility. Under these conditions, both sides agreed to sign a peace treaty.

According to the Treaty of Portsmouth, Russia lost the southern part of Sakhalin, the Liaodong Peninsula, and the railway to Port Arthur. The Empire was forced to withdraw from Manchuria and Korea, which became de facto protectorates of Japan. The defeat accelerated the collapse of the autocracy and subsequent disintegration Russian Empire. Its enemy, Japan, on the contrary, has significantly strengthened its position, becoming one of the leading world powers.

The Land of the Rising Sun consistently increased its expansion, becoming one of the largest geopolitical players, and remained so until 1945.

Table: chronology of events

Strengths and weaknesses of opponents

Military-political reasons for Russia's defeat

The negative factors that determined the military defeat of the Russian army and navy were: distance from the theater of military operations, serious shortcomings in the supply of troops and ineffective military leadership.

The political leadership of the Russian Empire, with a general understanding of the inevitability of a collision, did not purposefully prepare for war in the Far East.

The defeat hastened the collapse of the autocracy and the subsequent disintegration of the Russian Empire. Its enemy, Japan, on the contrary, has significantly strengthened its position, becoming one of the leading world powers. The Land of the Rising Sun consistently increased its expansion, becoming the largest geopolitical player and remained so until 1945.

Other factors

• Economic and military-technical backwardness of Russia
• Imperfection of management structures
• Poor development of the Far Eastern region
• Embezzlement and bribery in the army
• Underestimation of the Japanese Armed Forces

Results of the Russo-Japanese War

In conclusion, it is worth noting the importance of defeat in the Russo-Japanese War for the continued existence of the autocratic system in Russia. The inept and ill-conceived actions of the government, which caused the death of thousands of soldiers who faithfully defended it, actually led to the beginning of the first revolution in the history of our country. The prisoners and wounded returning from Manchuria could not hide their indignation. Their evidence, combined with visible economic, military and political backwardness, led to a sharp surge of indignation, primarily in the lower and middle strata Russian society. In fact, the Russo-Japanese War exposed long-hidden contradictions between the people and the government, and this exposure happened so quickly and imperceptibly that it baffled not only the government, but also the participants in the revolution themselves. In many historical printed publications there is an indication that Japan managed to win the war due to betrayal on the part of the socialists and the nascent Bolshevik Party, but in fact such statements are far from the truth, since it was the failures Japanese war provoked a surge of revolutionary ideas. Thus, the Russo-Japanese War became a turning point in history, a period that forever changed its further course.

“It was not the Russian people,” Lenin wrote, “but the Russian autocracy that started this colonial war, which turned into a war between the new and old bourgeois world. It was not the Russian people, but the autocracy that came to a shameful defeat. The Russian people benefited from the defeat of the autocracy. The capitulation of Port Arthur is the prologue to the capitulation of tsarism.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was one of the influential world powers, owning significant territories in Eastern Europe And Central Asia, while Japan dominated the eastern part of the Asian continent.

Therefore, the Russo-Japanese War had a significant resonance, long before its end in 1905. There is every reason to believe that the Russo-Japanese War was a harbinger of the First World War, and then. Because the causes of the initial conflict between states influenced subsequent events. Some tend to call the Russo-Japanese War "World War Zero" since it occurred 10 years before the start of the war.

Causes of the Russo-Japanese War

In 1904, Russia, led by Emperor Nicholas II, was the largest world power with vast territories.

The port of Vladivostok did not have year-round navigation due to difficult climatic conditions. The state needed to have a port in Pacific Ocean, which would all year round received and dispatched merchant ships, and was also a fort on the eastern borders of Russia.

He placed his bets on the Korean Peninsula and Liaodong, now located in China. Russia had already entered into a lease agreement with Russia, but the emperor wanted complete sovereignty in this region. The Japanese leadership has not been happy with Russia's activity in this region since the Sino-Japanese War of 1895. Russia at that time supported the Qing Dynasty, i.e. was on one side in the conflict.

Initially, the Japanese side offered Russia a deal: Russia would gain full control over Manchuria (northeastern China), and Japan would control Korea. But Russia was not satisfied with this outcome of events; it put forward a demand to declare the territories of Korea above the 39th parallel a neutral zone. The negotiations were disrupted by the Japanese side, and it unilaterally launched military actions against Russia (an attack on the Russian fleet in Port Arthur on February 8, 1904).

Beginning of the Russo-Japanese War

Japan officially declared war with Russia only on the day of the attack on Russian Navy ships in Port Arthur. Before this, the Russian leadership had no information about the military intentions of the land of the rising sun.

The Cabinet of Ministers assured the Emperor that even after failed negotiations, Japan would not dare to attack Russia, but this was an unfortunate assumption. An interesting fact is that, according to the norms of International Law, a declaration of war before the outbreak of hostilities was optional at that time. This rule ceased to apply only 2 years after these events, which was enshrined at the Second Hague Peace Conference.

The purpose of the Japanese fleet's attack on Russian ships there was a blockade of the Russian fleet. By order of Admiral Togo Heihachiro, the torpedo boats of the Japanese fleet were to disable the three largest cruisers: Tsesarevich, Retvizan and Pallas. The main battle was expected a day later, in Port Arthur.

Russian fleet in the Far East was well protected in the harbor of Port Arthur, but the exits from it were mined. So on April 12, 1904, the battleships Petropavlovsk and Pobeda were blown up at the exit from the harbor. The first sank, the second returned to the harbor with great damage. And, although Russia, in response, damaged 2 Japanese battleships, Japan continued to control and carry out regular bombing of Port Arthur.

In late August, Russian troops, transferred from the center to help the sailors of Port Arthur, were thrown back by the Japanese and were unable to get into the harbor. Having settled in the newly conquered positions, the Japanese military continued to fire at ships in the bay.

At the beginning of 1905, the commander of the garrison, Major General Sessel, decided to leave the harbor, believing that the losses among the naval personnel were significant and meaningless. This decision came as a surprise to both the Japanese and the Russian command. The general was later convicted and sentenced to death penalty, but was pardoned.

The Russian fleet continued to suffer losses in the Yellow Sea, forcing the state's military leadership to mobilize the Baltic Fleet and send it to the combat area.

Military operations in Manchuria and Korea

Seeing the weakness of the Russians, the Japanese gradually moved to complete control of the Korean Peninsula. Landing in its southern part, they gradually advanced and captured Seoul and the rest of the peninsula.

The plans of the Japanese command included the seizure of Russian-controlled Manchuria. In the first military action on land, they successfully attacked Russian ships in May 1904, forcing them to withdraw to Port Arthur. Further, in February 1905, the Japanese continued to attack Russian troops in Mukden. These bloody battles also culminated in the victory of the Japanese. The Russians, suffering heavy losses, were forced to retreat to northern Mukden. The Japanese side also suffered significant losses of soldiers and equipment.

In May 1905, the Russian fleet arrived at its location, having sailed about 20 thousand miles - quite a serious military campaign for that time.

Making the transition at night, the Russian armada was nevertheless discovered by the Japanese. And Togo Heihachiro blocked their path near the Tsushima Strait at the end of May 1905. Russian losses were enormous: eight battleships and more than 5,000 men. Only three ships managed to break into the harbor and complete the task. All of the above events forced the Russian side to agree to a truce.

Treaty of Portsmouth

The Russo-Japanese War was brutal and could serve as a bad echo of subsequent events. Both sides lost about 150 thousand military personnel in hostilities, about 20 thousand Chinese civilians died.

A peace agreement was concluded in Portsmouth in 1905, mediated by Theodore Roosevelt (US President). Russia was represented by Sergei Witte, the minister of his imperial court, and Japan by Baron Komuro. For his peacekeeping activities during the negotiations, Roosevelt was awarded Nobel Prize peace.

Results of the Russo-Japanese War

As a result of the agreement, Russia transferred Port Arthur to Japan, retaining half of the island of Sakhalin (the entire island would go to Russia only after the end of World War II. supported the refusal of Nicholas II to pay compensation to the victorious side. Russian troops liberated the territory of Manchuria and recognized the control of the Japanese side over the Korean Peninsula.

The humiliating defeats of the Russian army in the Russo-Japanese War added Negative consequences to political unrest in Russia, which ultimately served as the impetus for the overthrow of the government in 1917.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Far East was actively developing new lands, which provoked a war with Japan. Let's figure out what the causes of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are.

Background and causes of the war

IN late XIX At the beginning of the 20th century, Japan experienced a period of powerful development. Contacts with England and the USA allowed her to boost her economy by new level, reform the army, build a new modern fleet. The Meiji Revolution established the Empire of the Rising Sun as a leading regional power.

At this time, Nicholas II came to power in Russia. His reign began with a stampede on the Khodynka field, which left a negative imprint on his authority among his subjects.

Rice. 1. Portrait of Nicholas II.

To raise authority, a “small victorious war” or new territorial expansions were needed to demonstrate the greatness of Russia. Crimean War outlined Russia's territorial claims in Europe. In Central Asia, Russia was stuck with India, and conflict with Britain had to be avoided. Nicholas II turned his attention to China, weakened by wars and European colonization. Long-term plans were also made for Korea.

In 1898, Russia leased the Liaodong Peninsula with the Port Arthur fortress from China, and construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) began. The development of the territories of Manchuria by Russian colonists was actively underway.

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Rice. 2. Construction of Port Arthur.

In Japan, realizing that Russia was laying claim to lands that were within their sphere of interest, the slogan “Gashin-shotan” was put forward, calling on the nation to endure the increase in taxes for the sake of a military clash with Russia.

Based on the above, it should be noted that the first and main cause of the war was the clash of the colonial ambitions of the two countries. Therefore, the war that arose was of a colonial-aggressive nature.

The reason for the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was the severance of diplomatic ties between the two states. Having failed to agree on the scope of colonial expansion among themselves, both empires began to prepare to resolve the issue by military means.

Progress of the war and results

The war began with active actions by the Japanese army and navy. First, Russian ships were attacked in Chemulpo and Port Arthur, and then troops were landed in Korea and on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Rice. 3. The death of the cruiser Varyag.

Russia conducted an active defense, waiting for the arrival of reserves from Europe. However, poor infrastructure and supplies prevented Russia from turning the tide of the war. However, the prolonged defense of Port Arthur and the victory of Russian troops at Liaoyang could have brought Russia victory in the war, since the Japanese had practically exhausted their economic and human reserves. But every time General Kuropatkin, instead of attacking and defeating the enemy army, gave orders to retreat. First, Port Arthur was lost, then the Battle of Mukden took place, and the Russian Second and Third Pacific squadrons were defeated. The defeat was obvious and the parties moved on to peace negotiations.

The consequence of defeat in the war was an even greater deterioration in the authority of the king among the people. This resulted in the First Russian Revolution, which lasted until 1907 and limited the power of the Tsar through the creation of the State Duma. 4.6. Total ratings received: 161.