One of the largest confrontations is the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Its reasons will be considered in the article. As a result of the conflict, guns of armadillos, long-range artillery, destroyers were used.
The essence of this war was which of the two warring empires will dominate the Far East. The Emperor of Russia, Nikolai II, considered it his first priority to strengthen the influence of his power in East Asia. At the same time, Japanese Emperor Meiji sought to gain complete control of Korea. War has become inevitable.
Conflict Background
It is clear that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 (the reasons are connected with the Far East) did not begin immediately. She had her own premises.
Russia advanced in Central Asia to the border with Afghanistan and Persia, which affected the interests of Great Britain. Unable to expand in this direction, the empire switched to the East. There was China, which, due to complete exhaustion in the opium wars and the Taiping uprising, was forced to transfer part of the territory to Russia. So she got control of Primorye (the territory of modern Vladivostok), the Kuril Islands, partly the island of Sakhalin. To connect the far borders, the Trans-Siberian Railway was created, which provided a link between Chelyabinsk and Vladivostok along the railway line. In addition to the railway, Russia planned to trade on the ice-free Yellow Sea through Port Arthur.
In Japan, at the same time, its transformation took place. Having come to power, Emperor Meiji stopped the policy of self-isolation and began the modernization of the state. All his reforms were so successful that a quarter of a century after they began, the empire was able to seriously think about military expansion to other states. Its first goals were China and Korea. Japan's victory over China allowed her to acquire in 1895 the rights to Korea, the island of Taiwan and other lands.
A conflict was brewing between two powerful empires for supremacy in East Asia. The result was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The causes of the conflict should be considered in more detail.
The main causes of war
It was extremely important for both powers to show their military achievements, so the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 unfolded. The reasons for this confrontation lie not only in claims to the territory of China, but also in domestic political situations that had developed in both empires by this time. A successful campaign in the war not only gives the winner economic benefits, but also raises its status on the world stage and silences opponents of the authorities existing in it. What did both states count on in this conflict? What were the main causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905? The table below provides answers to these questions.
Russia | Meiji State |
Economic |
Claim of the parties for supremacy in Korea, Manchuria, the Yellow Sea |
Domestic political |
Victory in the war was to strengthen the political position of the tsarist government and stop the revolution, which involved not only ordinary workers and peasants, but also the advanced layers of the intelligentsia, as well as part of the nobility. | The desire to test their advanced armed forces with a European opponent. |
Precisely because both powers sought an armed resolution of the conflict, all diplomatic negotiations did not bring results.
Land Force Ratio
The causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 were both economic and political. The 23rd artillery brigade was sent to the Eastern Front from Russia. As for the numerical advantage of the armies, the leadership belonged to Russia. However, in the East, the army was limited to 150 thousand people. Moreover, they were scattered over a vast territory.
- Vladivostok - 45,000 people
- Manchuria - 28,000 people
- Port Arthur - 22,000
- Protection of the CER - 35,000 people.
- Artillery, engineering troops - up to 8000 people.
The greatest problem of the Russian army was remoteness from the European part. Communication was carried out by telegraph, and delivery - by the line of the Chinese Eastern Railway. However, a limited amount of cargo could be delivered by rail. In addition, the leadership did not have accurate maps of the area, which negatively affected the course of the war.
Japan before the war had an army of 375 thousand people. They studied the area well, had fairly accurate maps. The army was modernized by English specialists, and the soldiers were loyal to their emperor to death.
The balance of forces on the water
In addition to land, battles took place on the water (Yellow Sea). The fleet of Japan was led by Admiral Heihachiro Togo. His task was to block the enemy squadron near Port Arthur. In another sea (Japanese), the squadron of the Land of the Rising Sun opposed the Vladivostok group of cruisers.
Understanding the causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Meiji Power prepared thoroughly for water battles. The most important ships of her United Fleet were produced in England, France, Germany and significantly superior to Russian ships.
The main events of the war
When in February 1904, Japanese forces began to be transferred to Korea, the Russian command did not attach any importance to this, although they understood the reasons for the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905.
Briefly about the main events.
- 02/09/1904. The historic battle of the cruiser "Varangian" against the Japanese squadron near Chemulpo.
- 02/27/1904. The Japanese fleet attacked the Russian military base of Port Arthur without declaring war. The Japanese first used torpedoes and disabled 90% of the Pacific Fleet.
- April 1904. The clash of armies on land, which showed Russia's unpreparedness for war (mismatch of form, lack of military cards, inability to fencing). Due to the presence of white tunic in Russian officers, Japanese soldiers easily figured out and killed them.
- May 1904. Japanese capture of the port of Dalniy.
- August 1904. Successful Russian defense of Port Arthur.
- January 1905. Surrender of Port Arthur by Stessel.
- May 1905. A naval battle near Tsushima destroyed the Russian squadron (only one ship returned to Vladivostok), while no Japanese ship was injured.
- July 1905. The invasion of Japanese troops on Sakhalin.
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were of an economic nature, led to the exhaustion of both powers. Japan began to look for ways to resolve the conflict. She resorted to the help of Great Britain and the USA.
The Battle of Chemulpo
The famous battle of February 9, 1904 off the coast of Korea (the city of Chemulpo) took place. Two Russian ships were commanded by Captain Vsevolod Rudnev. These were the Varyag cruiser and the Korean boat. The squadron of Japan under the command of Sotokichi Uriu consisted of 2 armadillos, 4 cruisers, 8 destroyers. They blocked Russian ships and forced to join the battle.
In the morning in clear weather, the "Varangian" with the "Korean" took off the anchor and tried to leave the bay. Music played for them in honor of leaving the port, but only five minutes later the alarm sounded on the deck. The battle flag rose.
The Japanese did not expect such actions and hoped to destroy Russian ships in the port. The enemy squadron in a hurry raised anchors, battle flags and began to prepare for battle. The battle began with a shot from Asama. Then there was a battle with the use of armor-piercing and high-explosive shells on both sides.
With unequal powers, the Varyag was badly damaged, and Rudnev decided to turn back to the anchorage. There, the Japanese could not continue shelling because of the danger of damaging ships of other states.
Having lowered the anchor, the team "Varyag" began to study the condition of the ship. Rudnev, meanwhile, went for permission to destroy the cruiser and transfer his team to neutral ships. Not all officers supported Rudnev’s decision, but two hours later the team was evacuated. "Varangian" decided to sink, opening its gateways. The bodies of the dead sailors were left on the cruiser.
It was decided to blow up the Korean boat, having evacuated the team before this. All things were left on the ship, and the secret documents were burned.
Sailors were received by French, English and Italian ships. After carrying out all the necessary procedures, they were delivered to Odessa and Sevastopol, from where they were disbanded by the fleet. By agreement, they could not continue to participate in the Russian-Japanese conflict, so they were not allowed into the Pacific Fleet.
War Results
Japan agreed to sign the peace treaty with the complete surrender of Russia, in which the revolution had already begun. According to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty (08.23.1905), Russia was obliged to fulfill the following points:
- Renounce claims to Manchuria.
- Refuse in favor of Japan from the Kuril Islands and half of the island of Sakhalin.
- Recognize Japan's right to Korea.
- Transfer the right to lease Port Arthur to Japan.
- To pay indemnity to Japan for the "content of prisoners."
In addition, the defeat in the war had negative consequences for Russia in economic terms. Stagnation began in some industries, as their lending by foreign banks decreased. Life in the country has risen significantly. Industrialists insisted on an early peace.
Even those countries that initially supported Japan (Great Britain and the United States) realized how dire the situation in Russia was. The war had to be stopped in order to direct all forces to the struggle against the revolution, which the world states equally feared.
Mass movements began among workers and military personnel. A striking example is the uprising on the battleship Potemkin.
The reasons and results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are clear. It remains to find out what were the losses in human terms. Russia lost 270 thousand, of which 50 thousand were killed. Japan lost the same number of soldiers, but more than 80 thousand were killed.
Value judgments
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were of an economic and political nature, showed serious problems within the Russian Empire. General Kuropatkin also wrote about this . The war uncovered problems in the army, its weapons, command, as well as misses in diplomacy.
Japan was not fully satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. The state has lost too much in the fight against the European adversary. She hoped to get more territory, but the US did not support her in this. Discontent was brewing inside the country, and Japan continued the path of militarization.
Interesting Facts
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were considered, brought a lot of military tricks:
- use of spotlights;
- the use of high-voltage wire fences;
- field kitchen;
- for the first time, wireless telegraph allowed to control ships from a distance;
- the transition to petroleum fuel that does not produce smoke and makes ships less visible;
- the emergence of mine-stealer ships, which began to be produced with the proliferation of mine weapons;
- flamethrowers.
One of the heroic battles of the war with Japan is the battle of the cruiser "Varangian" at Chemulpo (1904). Together with the ship "Korean" they confronted an entire squadron of enemies. The battle was obviously lost, but the sailors still made an attempt to break through. She was unsuccessful, and in order not to surrender, the crew, led by Rudnev, sank their ship. For courage and heroism, they were awarded the praise of Nicholas II. The Japanese were so struck by the character and stamina of Rudnev and his sailors that in 1907 they awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun. The captain of the sunken cruiser accepted the award, but never wore it.
There is a version according to which Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese for a reward. As far as this version is true, it is no longer possible to verify. Whatever the case, because of his act, the campaign was doomed to failure. For this, the general was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in the fortress, but he was pardoned a year after imprisonment. He was deprived of all ranks and awards, while leaving a pension.