Japan at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries developed rapidly. Her military power was growing slightly, her economic situation was stabilizing. By 1895, the campaign against China was triumphantly completed, as a result of which Japan was to receive the Liaodong Peninsula. However, under pressure from the three largest European powers, Germany, France and Russia, she was forced to abandon her claims to Chinese territories. Of course, each of the three powers pursued its own interests. For two years, Russian troops occupied the entire Liaodong Peninsula. And in 1898, China was forced to lease it to Russia for a period of 99 years. Thus, the first causes of the Russo-Japanese war appeared back in 1895, with the division of spheres of influence in China and Korea.
The loss of the Liaodong Peninsula by Japan greatly influenced the militaristic anti-Russian sentiment in the country. The government urged people to endure growing taxation for a higher purpose.
Russia's sphere of interests in China was not limited to establishing control over Port Arthur. The government of the empire, in exchange for
permission to build a railroad passing to Vladivostok through the territory of Manchuria, issued a loan to China to pay indemnity to Japan. As a result of such actions, almost all the fruits of the Sino-Japanese war were reaped by Russia. She received a large portion of Manchu territory, the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur actually came under Russian control. This was the second reason for the Russo-Japanese war.
In 1896, an agreement was signed on the division of spheres of influence on the
Korean peninsula. According to him, Russia received northern, and Japan - southern Korea. At the same time, the Russian government carried out a series of shell operations to appropriate a large plot of land on the banks of the Yala River. Using the agreement on the maintenance of troops on the territory of Korea, the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets entered the port of Chemulpo. Thus, the Russian government began to expand its influence already on the southern part of Korea. The more it increased the already sufficient reasons for the Russo-Japanese war.
In 1900, an uprising broke out in China. Rebels demanded the expulsion of all foreigners from the country. In response, Nicholas II sent troops in support of the Empress Tsy-Xi. Within a few months, an unorganized mass of peasants was defeated, and Russian troops established control over the entire territory of northern China. Despite the protest notes put forward by the Chinese side, the Russian troops did not leave the territory they occupied. Moreover, their actions showed that all of northern China essentially became a colony of the Russian Empire.
The appetites of Nicholas II and his cabinet were growing. The second stage of establishing control over the eastern part of the Eurasian continent began. The construction of military fortifications began in the controlled territories of North Korea , and a fleet was introduced into Chemulpo Bay. The situation with northern China threatened to repeat itself in South Korea. Japan did not wait for this and hit first.
So, what are the causes of the Russo-Japanese war? The main one is common interests in one territory. Both Russians and Japanese, without a twinge of conscience, plundered northern China and Korea. If we decompose the causes of the Russo-Japanese war into points, it will look something like this:
- coincidence of interests of both countries;
- incorrect assessment of the enemy;
- The Russian government acted too brazenly, ignoring the existing realities.
Together, the causes of the Russo-Japanese war led to the shameful failure of Russian weapons. Russia was completely expelled from the eastern territories, and also lost southern Sakhalin.