Between whom was the Russian-Japanese war. Causes of the Russo-Japanese War

Russian- japanese war 1904-1905 - one of the main events of the reign of Nicholas II. This war, unfortunately, ended in the defeat of Russia. This article briefly outlines the causes, main events of the Russo-Japanese War and its outcome.

In 1904-1905. Russia waged an unnecessary war with Japan, which ended in defeat due to command errors and underestimation of the enemy. The main battle is the defense of Port Arthur. The war ended with the Peace of Portsmouth, according to which Russia lost the southern half of the island. Sakhalin. The war aggravated the revolutionary situation in the country.

Causes of the war

Nicholas II understood that the further advancement of Russia in Europe or Central Asia impossible. Crimean War limited further expansion in Europe, and after the conquest of the Central Asian khanates (Khiva, Bukhara, Kokand), Russia reached the borders of Persia and Afghanistan, which were in the sphere of influence british empire. Therefore, the king decided to focus on the Far East foreign policy. Relations between Russia and China were developing successfully: with the permission of China, the CER (Chinese Eastern Railway) was built, connecting the lands from Transbaikalia to Vladivostok.

In 1898, Russia and China signed an agreement under which the fortress of Port Arthur and the Liaodong Peninsula were transferred to Russia for 25 years on the basis of a gratuitous lease. On the Far East Russia met with a new enemy - Japan. This country carried out a rapid modernization (Meiji reforms) and was now in the mood for an aggressive foreign policy.

The main causes of the Russo-Japanese War are:

1. The struggle of Russia and Japan for dominance in the Far East.
2. The Japanese were outraged by the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway, as well as the growing economic influence of Russia in Manchuria.
3. Both powers sought to bring China and Korea into their sphere of influence.
4. Japanese foreign policy had a pronounced imperialist tone, the Japanese dreamed of establishing their dominance in the entire Pacific region (the so-called "Great Japan").
5. Russia was preparing for war not only because of foreign policy goals. There were internal problems in the country, from which the government wanted to distract the people by organizing a "small victorious war." This name was coined by the Minister of the Interior Plehve. It means that, having defeated a weak opponent, the people's trust in the king will increase and the contradictions in society will weaken.

Unfortunately, these expectations were not justified at all. Russia was not ready for war. Only Count S.Yu. Witte opposed the coming war, offering peaceful economic development of the Far East Russian Empire.

Chronology of the war. Course of events and their description

The war began with an unexpected Japanese attack on the Russian fleet on the night of January 26-27, 1904. On the same day, an unequal and heroic battle took place in the Korean Chemulpo Bay between the Varyag cruiser, commanded by V.F. Rudnev, and the gunboat "Korean" against the Japanese. The ships were blown up so as not to get to the enemy. However, the Japanese managed to gain naval superiority, which allowed them to further transfer troops to the continent.

From the very beginning of the war, the main problem for Russia was revealed - the inability to quickly transfer new forces to the front. The population of the Russian Empire was 3.5 times that of Japan, but it was concentrated in the European part of the country. The Trans-Siberian Railway, built shortly before the war, could not ensure the timely dispatch of fresh forces to the Far East. It was much easier for the Japanese to replenish the army, so they had superior numbers.

Already in February-April 1904. the Japanese landed on the continent and began to push the Russian troops.

31.03.1904 there was a terrible, fatal for Russia and further progress tragedy of war - Admiral Makarov, a talented, outstanding naval commander who commanded the Pacific squadron, died. On the flagship "Petropavlovsk" he was blown up by a mine. Together with Makarov and Petropavlovsk, V.V. died. Vereshchagin - the famous Russian battle painter, author famous painting"Apotheosis of War".

V May 1904. General A.N. Kuropatkin takes command of the army. This general made many fatal mistakes, and all his fighting characterized by indecision and constant hesitation. The outcome of the war would have been completely different if this mediocre commander had not been at the head of the army. Kuropatkin's mistakes led to the fact that the most important fortress in the region, Port Arthur, was cut off from the rest of the army.

V May 1904. begins the central episode of the Russo-Japanese war - the siege of Port Arthur. Russian troops heroically defended this fortress from the superior forces of the Japanese troops for 157 days.

Initially, the talented General R.I. led the defense. Kondratenko. He took competent actions, and inspired the soldiers with personal courage and valor. Unfortunately, he died at the beginning December 1904., and his place was taken by General A.M. Stessel, who shamefully surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese. Stessel more than once during the war was noted for such "exploits": before the surrender of Port Arthur, which could still fight the enemy, he surrendered the port of Dalniy without putting up any resistance. From Dalny, the Japanese supplied the rest of the army. Surprisingly, Stessel was not even convicted.

V August 1904. A battle took place near Liaoyang, in which the Russian troops led by Kuropatkin were defeated, and then retreated to Mukden. In October of the same year, an unsuccessful battle took place on the river. Shahe.

V February 1905. Russian troops were defeated near Mukden. It was a large, hard and very bloody battle: both troops suffered huge losses, our troops managed to retreat in good order, and the Japanese finally exhausted their offensive potential.

V May 1905 took place the last fight Russo-Japanese War: Tsushima battle. The second Pacific squadron, led by Admiral Rozhdestvensky, was defeated at Tsushima. The squadron has done long haul: she went out Baltic Sea traveled all over Europe and Africa.

Each defeat painfully affected the state of Russian society. If at the beginning of the war there was a general patriotic upsurge, then with each new defeat, confidence in the tsar was falling. Moreover, 09.01.1905 the First Russian Revolution began, and Nicholas II needed an immediate peace and an end to hostilities in order to suppress rebellions inside Russia.

08/23/1905. A peace treaty was signed in the city of Portsmouth (USA).

Portsmouth Peace

After the Tsushima disaster, it became obvious that peace had to be made. Russian Ambassador became Count S.Yu. Witte. Nicholas II insistently demanded that Witte adamantly defend the interests of Russia during the negotiations. The tsar wanted Russia not to make any territorial or material concessions under the peace treaty. But Count Witte realized that he would still have to give in. Moreover, not long before the end of the war, the Japanese occupied Sakhalin Island.

The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed on the following terms:

1. Russia recognized Korea in the Japanese sphere of influence.
2. The fortress of Port Arthur and the Liaodong Peninsula were ceded to the Japanese.
3. Japan occupied South Sakhalin. The Kuril Islands remained with Japan.
4. The Japanese were granted the right to conduct fisheries along the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Sea of ​​Japan and the Bering Sea.

It is worth saying that Witte managed to conclude a peace agreement on fairly mild terms. The Japanese did not receive a penny of indemnity, and the cession of half of Sakhalin was of little importance to Russia: at that time this island was not actively developed. A noteworthy fact: for this territorial concession, S.Yu. Witte was nicknamed "Count Polusakhalinsky".

Reasons for the defeat of Russia

The main reasons for the defeat were:

1. Underestimation of the enemy. The government was set on a "small victorious war" that would end in a quick and triumphant victory. However, this did not happen.
2. US and British support for Japan. These countries supported Japan financially and also supplied her with weapons.
3. Russia was not ready for war: there were not enough troops concentrated in the Far East, and the transfer of soldiers from the European part of the country was long and difficult.
4. The Japanese side had a certain superiority in military-technical equipment.
5. Command errors. Suffice it to recall Kuropatkin's indecision and hesitation, as well as Stessel, who betrayed Russia by surrendering Port Arthur to the Japanese, which could still defend itself.

These points determined the loss of the war.

The results of the war and its significance

The Russo-Japanese War has the following results:

1. The defeat of Russia in the war, first of all, "added fuel" to the fire of the revolution. The people saw in this defeat the inability of the autocracy to govern the country. It was not possible to arrange a “small victorious war”. Trust in Nicholas II has fallen significantly.
2. Russia's influence in the Far East region has weakened. This led to the fact that Nicholas II decided to shift the vector of Russian foreign policy to the European direction. After this defeat, tsarist Russia no longer accepted any operations to strengthen its political influence in the Far East. In Europe, Russia participated in the First World War.
3. The unsuccessful Russo-Japanese War led to instability within Russia itself. The influence of the most radical and revolutionary parties increased, giving a critical description of the autocratic power, accusing it of being unable to lead the country.

Event	Members	Meaning
Attack by the Japanese of the Russian fleet 26-27.01.1904. Battle at Chemulpo	V.F. Rudnev.	The Japanese achieved naval superiority despite the heroic resistance of the Russian fleet.
The death of the Russian fleet 03/31/1904	S. O. Makarov.	The death of a talented Russian naval commander and a strong squadron.
May-December 1904 - the defense of Port Arthur.	R.I. Kondratenko, A.M. Stessel.	Port Arthur was taken after a long and bloody struggle
August 1904 - Battle of Liaoyang.	A.N. Kuropatkin.	Defeat of Russian troops.
October 1904 - battle near the river. Shahe.	A.N. Kuropatkin.	The defeat of the Russian troops and their retreat to Mukden.
February 1905 - Battle of Mukden.	A.N. Kuropatkin.	Despite the defeat of our soldiers, the Japanese have exhausted their offensive potential.
May 1905 - Battle of Tsushima.	Z.P. Rozhdestvensky.	The last battle of the war: after this defeat, the Peace of Portsmouth was concluded.

How more people is able to respond to the historical and universal, the wider 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 discuss 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 leading world countries. Another important event of the war was that, as a result of it, the Entente was finally formed, and the world began to slowly but steadily slide towards the First World War.

Background of the war

In 1894-1895, Japan defeated China, as a result of which Japan had to cross the Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula along with Port Arthur and Farmosa Island (the current name is Taiwan). Germany, France and Russia intervened in the course of the negotiations, insisting that the Liaodong Peninsula remain in the use of China.

In 1896, the government of Nicholas II signed a treaty of friendship with China. As a result, China allows Russia to build a railroad to Vladivostok through Northern Manchuria (China Eastern Railway).

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 laid claim to these lands. But to serious consequences it didn't work at that time. In 1902 royal army included in Manchuria. Formally, Japan was ready to recognize this territory for Russia if the latter recognized Japan's dominance in Korea. But the Russian government made a mistake. They did not take Japan seriously, and did not even think of entering into negotiations with it.

Causes and nature of the war

The reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are as follows:

• Lease of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur by Russia.
• 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, up to the landing in Japan.
• Japan planned 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 the landing force. The plans included the capture of Manchuria, the Ussuri and Primorsky Territories.

The balance of power at the beginning of the war

Japan in the war could put up 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 100,000 men and 148 field guns. Also at the disposal of the Russian army were the border guards, who were 24 thousand people with 26 guns. The problem was that these forces, inferior in number to the Japanese, were widely scattered geographically: from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. During 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 ready for war, it is enough to cite the following figures. The fortress was supposed to have 542 guns, but in fact there were only 375, but even of these only 108 guns were usable. That is, the gun supply of Port Arthur at the time of the outbreak 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

Map of military operations

rice. 1 - Map of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Events of 1904

In January 1904, Japan breaks off diplomatic relations with Russia and on January 27, 1904 attacks 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. The distance of 8 thousand kilometers and the 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.

January 27, 1904 Japan attacked Russian ships located in Port Arthur. At the same time, in the Korean port of Chemulpo, an attack was made on the Varyag cruiser and the Korean escort boat. 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 on a Japanese mine on March 31, on board of which was the commander of the fleet, S. Makarov. In addition to the commander, his entire staff, 29 officers and 652 sailors perished.

In February 1904, Japan landed an army of 60,000 in Korea, which moved towards the Yalu River (the river separated 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 strength was 160 thousand people. One of major events war - 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 Russo-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. During further developments war in the Russian army there will be several opportunities to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, but each time Kuropatkin either gave absurd orders or hesitated to act, giving the enemy the right time.

After the battle at Liaoyang, the Russian army retreated to the Shahe River, where a new battle took place in September, which did not reveal a winner. After that, there was a lull, and the war moved into a positional phase. In December, General R.I. Kondratenko, who commanded the land defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The new commander of the troops A.M. Stessel, despite the categorical refusal of the soldiers and sailors, decided to surrender the fortress. On December 20, 1904, Stessel 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 Stessel was put on trial and sentenced to death penalty. The sentence was not carried out. Nicholas 2 pardoned the general.

History reference

Defense map of Port Arthur

rice. 2 - Map of the defense of Port Arthur

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 on the offensive on Mukden (Shenyang) on ​​February 5, 1905. From 6 to 25 February lasted biggest battle Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. 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 the victory in it. In fact, it was a draw. The Russian army lost 90 thousand soldiers, the Japanese - 70 thousand. Smaller losses on the part of Japan are a frequent argument in favor of her victory, but this battle did not give the Japanese army any advantage or gain. Moreover, the losses were so severe that Japan made no further attempts to organize major land battles until the end of the war.

Where more important fact that the population of Japan is much less population 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 in the Revolution of 1905

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 forces, for the entire Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, he did not use a single chance for a favorable offensive in order 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 seek to end the war? After all, if he had given the order to attack after Liaoyang, and with a high degree of probability, the Japanese army would have ceased to exist.

Of course, it is impossible to answer this question directly, but a number of historians put forward the following opinion (I cite it for the reason that it is well-reasoned and extremely similar to the truth). Kuropatkin was closely associated with Witte, who, let me remind you, by the time of the war was removed by Nicholas II from the post of prime minister. 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 reduce the war with Japan to a stage where 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 is 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 2 called on Witte by the end of the war.

Revolution Factor

There are many sources pointing to Japanese financing of 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 2 needed an army to fight the revolution and he decided to start peace negotiations with Japan.
• Immediately after the signing of the Peace of Portsmouth, the revolution in Russia began to wane.

Reasons for the defeat of Russia

Why was Russia defeated in the war with Japan? The reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War are as follows:

• The weakness of the grouping of Russian troops in the Far East.
• The unfinished Transsib, which did not allow in full move troops.
• Mistakes 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 Peace

To conclude peace between countries, Japan demanded that Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, act as an intermediary. Negotiations began and the Russian delegation was headed by Witte. Nicholas 2 returned him to his post and entrusted him with negotiating, knowing the talents of this man. And Witte really took a very tough position, not allowing Japan to get significant gains from the war.

The terms of the Peace of Portsmouth were as follows:

• Russia recognized Japan's right to dominate Korea.
• Russia ceded part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (the Japanese wanted to get the entire island, but Witte was against it).
• Russia transferred 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.

Consequences of the war

During the war, Russia and Japan lost about 300 thousand people each, but in view 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 big bias towards the use of mines.

An important fact that 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 draws upon itself. Before the war, Europe had an alliance between Russia and France. The latter did not want its expansion. But the events of the Russian war 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 occupied the following positions:

• England and USA. Traditionally, the interests of these countries were extremely similar. They supported Japan, but mostly financially. Approximately 40% of Japan's costs of the war were covered by Anglo-Saxon money.
• France declared neutrality. Although, in fact, she had an allied agreement with Russia, she did not fulfill her allied obligations.
• Germany from the first days of the war declared its neutrality.

The Russian-Japanese war was practically not analyzed by 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 time. 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 prevented this with all their might." That is why it is written in Soviet textbooks that, for example, the Liaoyang operation ended in the defeat of Russia. Although technically it was a draw.

The end of the war is also seen as the complete defeat of the Russian army on land and in the navy. If at sea the situation was indeed close to defeat, then on land Japan was on the brink of an abyss, since they no longer had the manpower to continue the war. I propose to look at this question even a little wider. How did the wars of that era end after the 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 the loser from the winner. But there is nothing like it in the Portsmouth world. Russia did not pay anything, lost only the southern part of Sakhalin (an insignificant territory) and refused 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 go back to the origins of the war, we will see that the Japanese government would never have started a war if Nicholas 2 had recognized Japan's dominance in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's positions in Manbchuria. Therefore, at the end of the war, Russia did what it should have done back in 1903, without bringing matters to a war. But this is a question for the personality of Nicholas 2, 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 Russian military action in the Far East, it had huge consequences for the political structure of these territories for many years to come.

After the war between Japan and China (1894-1895) ended, the Land 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 states of Europe, 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 obtained the rights to have troops in Manchuria and leased Port Arthur as a 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, with 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 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 track from the European part of the empire to Vladivostok was not completely finished, the military presence in the region was not large enough to fully be ready to repel Japanese aggression.
1651: Berestets battle

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 power of the Commonwealth over the region.

Having recovered from the previous defeat in 1649, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth violates the Zborovsky truce between the parties and resumes the military campaign against Cossack uprising and his ally in the face of the Crimean Khanate.

The Polish king Jan II Casimir gathered a large army, which consisted mainly of the royal army and commonwealth recruits, but it also included German and Moldavian 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 to fight, as well as local minor battles with the Cossacks.
On June 30, the first mass battle of the troops took place, which the Cossacks gradually lost. In addition to unsuccessful attacks, the situation was complicated by an 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 passed either in the rest of the troops, or in small operations of the parties 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 the command, were demoralized and dispersed. Under the pressure of the Polish group, many panicked and died in an attempt to retreat. Thus, the Polish army won and achieved a new peace on favorable terms.

What are the causes of the Russo-Japanese War?

What are the causes of the Russo-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 fought for dominance in Northeast China and Korea. The war was started by Japan. In 1904, the Japanese fleet attacked Port Arthur, the defense of which continued until early 1905.

  Reasons for the start 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 in 1905, under which Russia recognized Korea as a sphere of influence of Japan, ceded to Japan South Sakhalin and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalniy. 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 ​​Manchuria), just as Russia needed a victorious war to show the people what kind of government is good and delay the impending revolution
• This war arose from 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 East region.
• Since Japan was developing rapidly economically, it needed 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’re going through this right now, but in general, rummage around in the net, you’ll find a more meaningful answer there

• Causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 :
  one). 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. Russia's positions in Korea were strengthened) worried Japan, the USA 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 war with a seemingly weak and distant country - a “small victorious war” was needed, V. K. Plehve 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 the revolutionary mood.
  The main result of the war was that, despite the hopes that the “victorious war” would delay the revolution, according to S. Yu. Witte, it brought it “for decades”.
• Just don’t hit the head of the future emperor with a saber))), most likely a territorial issue

The main causes of 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;

- the desire to enrich Russia and Japan with the wealth of Korea and China.

- the desire of the tsarist government to distract the people from revolutionary uprisings.

By nature, this war was aggressive on both sides.

At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries.

Almost simultaneously with the advanced capitalist countries, Russia entered the imperialist stage of development of capitalism. Rapid bourgeois development began, Russia embarks on the path of industrial and market modernization, industrial production. More favorable conditions were created for the development of capitalist relations in industry and agriculture. Expansion of domestic trade and strengthening economic ties Russia with the world market contributes to the desire to capture foreign markets for the developing domestic economy. For Russia, one of the attractive markets in addition to the Balkans and the Middle East was the Far East.

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 to pieces by the largest capitalist powers, and the Russian Empire did not lag behind them, occupying Manchuria. The plans of the tsarist government included the creation of "Zeltorossiya" in Manchuria.

The increased interest shown by tsarist Russia in Korea is explained not only by the general predatory policy of the autocracy, but to some extent by the personal interests of the Romanovs, whom the adventurist circle of Bezobrazov interested in the opportunity to seize the enormous “wealth” of Korea and turn them into the personal property of the reigning dynasty in Russia. The Japanese-Chinese war of 1894-1895 was used very advantageously by tsarism. Under the guise of helping depleted China to pay indemnities, the tsarist government established the Russian-Chinese Bank, negotiating for itself concessions for the construction railways in Manchuria with the right to exploit them for 80 years.

In addition to purely banking, the Russian-Chinese Bank received a number of other functions, such as minting local coins, collecting 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 the exclusive zone of their own commercial interests. Being a country of strong statehood, a rapidly developing economy and territorially constrained on the islands, it began to show particular activity in the Far East, seeking to capture 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 the opposition of Russia, and that it could receive help in this struggle against the Russian rival 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 began to implement big program deployment of ground and naval forces, increase in as soon as possible their combat power.

The ruling elite of Japan 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 aggressive plans against 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 from Russia.

The diplomatic activity of Russia in relation to China led to the fact that an alliance treaty was concluded with China, according to which Russia received the right to build the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER), which further strengthened Russia's position in the area. In addition, Russia in 1898 leased from China for a period of 25 years the Kwantung Peninsula with Port Arthur, which becomes the main base of the Russian navy. Highlighted this suggestion

In St. Petersburg, fears were constantly growing regarding the growing military activity of Japan in the Far East. The tsarist government nevertheless hoped to neutralize the Japanese expansionist plans by rebuffing any attempts by Tokyo to deprive China and Korea of ​​their independence. Top in Russian government took considerations in favor of an uncompromising struggle for national interest Russia in the adjacent Chinese territory.

So, at the beginning of the XX century. Russia faced a new aggressive power in the Far East - Japan, which was also fully supported by the United States and Great Britain, but was not ready to give an adequate response to Japan's rapidly growing military and political ambitions. A Japanese-Russian military clash was inevitable, since the dynamism with which Russia developed its Far Eastern lands was in clear dissonance with the ambitions of the business and political elite of Imperial Japan.

War Minister Kuropatkin warned the tsar that the war would be extremely unpopular. But Minister of the Interior Plehve voiced the idea of ​​the majority of the nobility that Russia needed a small victorious war to distract the people from revolutionary uprisings. The fact is that many unresolved conflicts are long overdue in Russia. The most acute were the agrarian question, the position of the working class, national question, contradictions between the authorities 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 mainstream of patriotism in a probable war.

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)

Russo-Japanese war briefly.

Reasons for the start of the 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 under the department of Russia was one of the territories of China - Manchuria. This is one of the main reasons for the start of the war. In addition, Russia, by decision of the Triple Alliance, was given the Liaodong Peninsula, which once belonged to Japan. Thus, disagreements arose between Russia and Japan, and a struggle arose for dominance in the Far East.

The course of events of the Russo-Japanese War.

Using the effect of surprise, Japan attacked Russia in the place of Port Arthur.

Causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905

After the landing of Japanese landing troops on the Kwantung Peninsula, Port Atrut remained cut off from outside world, and therefore helpless. Within two months, he was forced to resort to capitulation. 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 destroyed. Events unfolded in the Yellow Sea. After another battle, Russia loses the Sakhalin Peninsula in an unequal battle. 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 supplies were running out. And the king at that time did not give it of great importance, since a revolution began on the territory of Russia at that time.

When both sides of the hostilities were morally and materially exhausted, they agreed to the signing of a peace treaty in the American Portsmouth in 1905.

Results of the Russo-Japanese War.

Russia has lost the southern part of its Sakhalin Peninsula. Manchuria was now a neutral territory, and all troops were withdrawn from there. Oddly enough, but the treaty was conducted on equal terms, and not as a winner with a loser.

Briefly about the Russo-Japanese War

Russian - yaponskaya voyna (1904 - 1905)

Russo-Japanese War beginning
Russo-Japanese War reasons
Russo-Japanese War stages
Russo-Japanese War results

The Russo-Japanese War, briefly summarized, was the result of a complex relationship between the two countries that arose due to the expansion of the Russian Empire in the Far East. The country was experiencing an economic upswing and there was an opportunity to increase its influence, primarily on Korea and China. This, in turn, caused strong dissatisfaction in Japan.

The reasons for the war are Russia's attempt to spread its influence in the Far East. The reason for the war was the lease of the Liaodong Peninsula by Russia from China and the occupation of Manchuria, which Japan itself had views of.

The demands of the Japanese government to leave Manchuria meant the loss of the Far East, which was impossible for Russia. In such a situation, both sides began preparations for war.
Describing the Russo-Japanese war briefly, it should be noted that in the highest circles of power there was a hope that Japan would not dare to take military action with Russia. Nicholas II had a different opinion.

By the beginning of 1903, Japan was completely ready for war and was just waiting for a convenient excuse to start it. The Russian authorities, on the other hand, acted indecisively, never fully realizing their plans to prepare a military campaign in the Far East. This led to a threatening situation - the military forces of Russia were in many ways inferior to the Japanese. The number of ground forces and military equipment was almost half that of Japan. For example, in terms of the number of destroyers, the Japanese fleet had a threefold superiority over the Russian.

However, the Russian government, as if not seeing these facts, continued to expand in relation to the Far East, and decided to use the war with Japan itself as an opportunity to distract the people from serious social problems.

The war began on January 27, 1904. The Japanese fleet suddenly attacked Russian ships near the city of Port Arthur. It was not possible to capture the city itself, but the most combat-ready Russian ships were put out of action. Japanese troops were able to land unhindered in Korea. The railway communication between Russia and Port Arthur was broken, and the siege of the city began. In December, the garrison, after suffering several heavy attacks by Japanese troops, was forced to surrender, while flooding the remnants of the Russian fleet so that it would not fall to Japan. The surrender of Port Arthur actually meant the loss of the Russian army.

On land, Russia was also losing the war. The Mukden battle, the largest at that time, the Russian troops could not win and retreated. The Battle of Tsushima destroyed the Baltic fleet.

But Japan was also so exhausted by the ongoing war that it decided to go to peace talks. She achieved her goals and did not want to waste her resources and strength further. The Russian government agreed to the conclusion of peace. In Portsmouth, in August 1905, Japan and Russia signed a peace treaty. It cost the Russian side dearly. According to him, Port Arthur, as well as southern part The Sakhalin Peninsula now belonged to Japan, and Korea finally fell under its influence.
In the Russian Empire, losing the war increased dissatisfaction with the authorities.

More wars, battles, battles, riots and uprisings in Russia:

• Caucasian war

Causes:
one). 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. Russia's positions in Korea were strengthened) worried Japan, the USA 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, V. K. Plehve 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 the revolutionary mood.
The main result of the war was that, despite the hopes that the "victorious war" would delay the revolution, in the opinion of S. Yu. Witte, it brought it "for decades."

Stroke: January 27, 1904 - A surprise attack by a Japanese squadron of Russian ships off Port Arthur. Heroic battle between Varangian and Korean. Attack repulsed. Russian losses: Varyag is flooded. Korean is blown up. Japan ensured superiority at sea.
January 28 - Re-bombardment of the city and Port Arthur. Attack repulsed.
February 24 - Arrival in Port Arthur of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice-Admiral SO Makarov. Active actions Makarov in preparation for the general battle with Japan at sea (offensive tactics).
March 31 - The death of Makarov. The inaction of the fleet, the rejection of offensive tactics.
April 1904 - Landing of the Japanese armies in Korea, forcing the river. Yaly and entry into Manchuria. The initiative in actions on land belongs to the Japanese.
May 1904 - The Japanese began to lay 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). Japanese attacks were repulsed. Kuropatkin's indecisiveness prevented him from building on his success. On August 24, Russian troops retreated to the river. Shahe.
October 5 - The battle on the Shahe River began. Fog and mountainous terrain interfered, as well as Kuropatkin's lack of initiative (he acted only with part of the forces he had).
December 2 - The death of General Kondratenko. R. I. Kondratenko led the defense of the fortress.
July 28 - December 20, 1904 - The besieged Port Arthur heroically defended itself. 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 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 battle was lost by the Russians.
May 14-15, 1905 - Naval battle at about. Tsushima in the Sea of ​​Japan.
Tactical mistakes of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. Our losses - 19 ships sunk, 5,000 killed, 5,000 captured. The defeat of the Russian fleet
August 5, 1905 – Peace of Portsmouth
By the summer of 1905, Japan began to clearly feel the lack of material and human resources and turned to the United States, Germany, and France for help. The US stands for peace. Peace was signed in Portsmouth, our delegation was headed by S. Yu. Witte.

Results: Loss of the Kulil Islands. Complete destruction, unpreparedness for war, lack of discipline in the armies.
An attempt to get out of the crisis with a lightning (victorious) war.

The economic rise of Russia, the construction of railways, the expansive policy of developing the provinces led to the strengthening of Russia's position in the Far East. The tsarist government had the opportunity to extend its influence to Korea and China. To this end, in 1898 the tsarist government leased the Liaodong Peninsula from China for a period of 25 years.

In 1900, Russia, together with other great powers, took part in suppressing the uprising in China and sent its troops into Manchuria under the pretext of protecting the CER. China was given a condition - the withdrawal of troops from the occupied territories in exchange for the concession of Manchuria. but international situation developed unfavorably, and Russia was forced to withdraw its troops without satisfaction of claims. Dissatisfied with the growth of Russian influence in the Far East, supported by Britain and the United States, Japan entered the struggle for a dominant role in South-East Asia. Both powers were preparing for a military conflict.

The balance of power in Pacific region was not in favor of tsarist Russia. It was significantly inferior in the number of ground forces (a group of 98,000 soldiers was concentrated in the Port Arthur area against a 150,000-strong Japanese army). Japan significantly outnumbered Russia in military equipment(the Japanese Navy had twice as many cruisers and three times the Russian fleet in terms of the number of destroyers). The theater of operations was located at a considerable distance from the center of Russia, which made it difficult to supply ammunition and food. The situation was aggravated by the low capacity of the railways. Despite this, the tsarist government continued its aggressive policy in the Far East. In a desire to distract the people from social problems, the government decided to raise the prestige of the autocracy with a "victorious war."

27 January 1904 without declaration of war Japanese troops attacked the Russian squadron, standing on the roadstead of Port Arthur.

As a result, several Russian warships were damaged. In the Korean port of Chemulpo, the Russian cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets were blocked. The crews were offered surrender. Rejecting this proposal, the Russian sailors took the ships to the outer roadstead and took the battle with the Japanese squadron.

Despite heroic resistance, they failed to break through to Port Arthur. The surviving sailors sank the ships without surrendering to the enemy.

The defense of Port Arthur developed tragically. On March 31, 1904, during the withdrawal of the squadron to the outer roadstead, the flagship cruiser Petropavlovsk was blown up by a mine, an outstanding military leader, the organizer of the defense of Port Arthur, Admiral S.O., died. Makarov. The command of the ground forces did not take proper action and allowed the encirclement of Port Arthur. Cut off from the rest of the army, the garrison of 50,000 from August to December 1904 repelled six massive attacks by Japanese troops.

Port Arthur fell at the end of December 1904 Loss of the main base Russian troops predetermined the outcome of the war. The Russian army suffered a major defeat near Mukden. In October 1904, the second Pacific squadron came to the aid of the besieged Port Arthur. Near about. Tsushima in the Sea of ​​Japan, she was met and defeated by the Japanese Navy.

In August 1905, Russia and Japan signed in Portsmund, according to which the southern part of the island was ceded to Japan. Sakhalin and Port Arthur. The Japanese were granted the right to free fishing in Russian territorial waters. Russia and Japan pledged to withdraw their troops from Manchuria. Korea was recognized as a sphere of Japanese interests.

The Russo-Japanese War placed a heavy economic burden on the shoulders of the people. The cost of the war amounted to 3 billion rubles from external loans. Russia lost 400 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. The defeat showed the weakness of tsarist Russia and increased discontent in society. existing system power, brought the beginning closer.