The nature of the war: imperialistic, unfair on both sides. Forces of the parties: Russia - 1 million 135 thousand people (total), actually 100 thousand people, Japan - 143 thousand people + navy+ reserve (about 200 thousand). Quantitative and qualitative superiority of Japan at sea (80:63).
Plans of the parties:
Japan- an offensive strategy, the goal of which is dominance at sea, the capture of Korea, possession of Port Arthur, and the defeat of the Russian group.
Russia- there wasn't general plan war, ensuring interaction between the army and navy. Defensive strategy.
Dates. Events. Notes
January 27, 1904 - A sudden attack by a Japanese squadron on Russian ships near Port Arthur. The heroic battle of the Varangian and the Korean. The attack was repulsed. Russian losses: Varyag is sunk. The Korean is blown up. Japan secured superiority at sea.
January 28 - Repeated bombing of the city and Port Arthur. The attack was repulsed.
February 24 - Arrival in Port Arthur of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral S.O. Makarova. Makarov’s active actions in preparation for a general battle with Japan at sea (offensive tactics).
March 31 - Death of Makarov. Inaction of the fleet, refusal of offensive tactics.
April 1904 - Landing of Japanese armies in Korea, crossing the river. Yaly and entry into Manchuria. The initiative in actions on land belongs to the Japanese.
May 1904 - The Japanese began the siege of Port Arthur. Port Arthur found itself cut off from the Russian army. An attempt to unblock it in June 1904 was unsuccessful.
August 13-21 - Battle of Liaoyang. The forces are approximately equal (160 thousand each). The attacks of Japanese troops were repulsed. Kuropatkin's indecisiveness prevented him from developing his success. On August 24, Russian troops retreated to the Shakhe River.
October 5 - The battle on the Shahe River begins. Fog and mountainous terrain, as well as Kuropatkin’s lack of initiative (he acted only with part of the forces he had), were hindered.
December 2 - Death of General Kondratenko. R.I. Kondratenko led the defense of the fortress.
July 28 - December 20, 1904 - Besieged Port Arthur heroically defended himself. On 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 on both sides. Passivity of Kuropatkin. Losses: Russians -90 thousand, Japanese - 70 thousand. The battle was lost by the Russians.
May 14-15, 1905 - Naval battle near the island. Tsushima in the Sea of Japan.
Tactical mistakes of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. Our losses - 19 ships were sunk, 5 thousand died, 5 thousand were captured. Defeat of the Russian fleet
5 August 1905 - Peace of Portsmouth
By the summer of 1905, Japan began to clearly feel a shortage of material and human resources and turned to the USA, Germany, and France for help. The USA stands for peace. Peace was signed in Portsmouth, our delegation was headed by S.Yu. Witte.
Peace terms: Korea is a sphere of interest for Japan, both sides are withdrawing their troops from Manchuria, Russia cedes Liaodong and Port Arthur, half of Sakhalin and railways to Japan. This treaty became invalid after Japan's surrender in 1914.
Causes of defeat: technical, economic and military superiority of Japan, military-political and diplomatic isolation of Russia, operational-tactical and strategic unpreparedness of the Russian army to conduct combat operations in difficult conditions, mediocrity and betrayal of the tsarist generals, unpopularity of the war among all segments of the population.
Abstract on the history of Russia
The nature of the war: imperialistic, unfair on both sides. Forces of the parties: Russia - 1 million 135 thousand people (total), actually 100 thousand people, Japan - 143 thousand people + navy + reserve (about 200 thousand). Quantitative and qualitative superiority of Japan at sea (80:63).
Plans of the parties:
Japan- an offensive strategy, the goal of which is dominance at sea, the capture of Korea, possession of Port Arthur, and the defeat of the Russian group.
Russia- there was no general war plan that would ensure interaction between the army and navy. Defensive strategy.
Dates. Events. Notes
January 27, 1904 - A sudden attack by a Japanese squadron on Russian ships near Port Arthur. The heroic battle of the Varangian and the Korean. The attack was repulsed. Russian losses: Varyag is sunk. The Korean is blown up. Japan secured superiority at sea.
January 28 - Repeated bombing of the city and Port Arthur. The attack was repulsed.
February 24 - Arrival in Port Arthur of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral S.O. Makarova. Makarov’s active actions in preparation for a general battle with Japan at sea (offensive tactics).
March 31 - Death of Makarov. Inaction of the fleet, refusal of offensive tactics.
April 1904 - Landing of Japanese armies in Korea, crossing the river. Yaly and entry into Manchuria. The initiative in actions on land belongs to the Japanese.
May 1904 - The Japanese began the siege of Port Arthur. Port Arthur found itself cut off from the Russian army. An attempt to unblock it in June 1904 was unsuccessful.
August 13-21 - Battle of Liaoyang. The forces are approximately equal (160 thousand each). The attacks of Japanese troops were repulsed. Kuropatkin's indecisiveness prevented him from developing his success. On August 24, Russian troops retreated to the Shakhe River.
October 5 - The battle on the Shahe River begins. Fog and mountainous terrain, as well as Kuropatkin’s lack of initiative (he acted only with part of the forces he had), were hindered.
December 2 - Death of General Kondratenko. R.I. Kondratenko led the defense of the fortress.
July 28 - December 20, 1904 - Besieged Port Arthur heroically defended himself. On 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 on both sides. Passivity of Kuropatkin. Losses: Russians -90 thousand, Japanese - 70 thousand. The battle was lost by the Russians.
May 14-15, 1905 - Naval battle near the island. Tsushima in the Sea of Japan.
Tactical mistakes of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. Our losses - 19 ships were sunk, 5 thousand died, 5 thousand were captured. Defeat of the Russian fleet
5 August 1905 - Peace of Portsmouth
By the summer of 1905, Japan began to clearly feel a shortage of material and human resources and turned to the USA, Germany, and France for help. The USA stands for peace. Peace was signed in Portsmouth, our delegation was headed by S.Yu. Witte.
Peace terms: Korea is a sphere of interest for Japan, both sides are withdrawing their troops from Manchuria, Russia cedes Liaodong and Port Arthur, half of Sakhalin and railways to Japan. This treaty became invalid after Japan's surrender in 1914.
Causes of defeat: technical, economic and military superiority of Japan, military-political and diplomatic isolation of Russia, operational-tactical and strategic unpreparedness of the Russian army to conduct combat operations in difficult conditions, mediocrity and betrayal of the tsarist generals, unpopularity of the war among all segments of the population.
IN late XIX century - the beginning of the 20th century, relations between Japan and Russia, aggravated due to the ownership of China and Korea, led to a major military conflict between the countries. After a long break, this was the first to use the latest weapons.
Reasons
Ended in 1856, it limited Russia's ability to move and expand south, so Nicholas I. turned his attention to Far East, which negatively affected relations with the Japanese power, which itself laid claim to Korea and Northern China.
The tense situation no longer had a peaceful solution. Despite the fact that in 1903, Japan made an attempt to avoid a conflict by proposing an agreement under which it would have all rights to Korea. Russia agreed, but set conditions under which it demanded sole influence on the Kwantung Peninsula, as well as the right to protect railway in Manchuria. The Japanese government was not happy with this, and it continued active preparations for war.
The Meiji Restoration, which ended in Japan in 1868, led to the fact that the new government began to pursue a policy of expansion and decided to improve the country's capabilities. Thanks to the reforms carried out, by 1890 the economy was modernized: modern industries appeared, electrical equipment and machine tools were produced, and coal was exported. The changes affected not only industry, but also the military sector, which was significantly strengthened thanks to Western exercises.
Japan decides to increase its influence on neighboring countries. Based on the geographic proximity of Korean territory, she decides to take control of the country and prevent European influence. Having put pressure on Korea in 1876, an agreement on trade relations with Japan was signed, providing free access to ports.
These actions led to the conflict, the Sino-Japanese War (1894−95), which ended in Japanese victory and eventual impact on Korea.
According to the Treaty of Shimonoseki, signed as a result of the war, China:
- transferred to Japan territories that included the Liaodong Peninsula and Manchuria;
- renounced rights to Korea.
For European countries: Germany, France and Russia this was unacceptable. As a result of the Triple Intervention, Japan, unable to resist the pressure, was obliged to abandon the Liaodong Peninsula.
Russia immediately took advantage of the return of Liaodong and in March 1898 signed a convention with China and received:
- lease rights for 25 years to the Liaodong Peninsula;
- fortresses of Port Arthur and Dalniy;
- obtaining permission to build a railway passing through Chinese territory.
This negatively affected relations with Japan, which laid claim to these territories.
26.03 (08.04) 1902 Nicholas I. I. signs an agreement with China, according to which Russia needs to withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Manchuria within one year and six months. Nicholas I. did not keep his promises, but demanded from China restrictions on trade with foreign countries. In response, England, the USA and Japan protested over the violation of the deadlines and advised not to accept the Russian conditions.
In mid-summer 1903, traffic on the Trans-Siberian Railway began. The route passed along the Chinese Eastern Railway, through Manchuria. Nicholas I. begins to redeploy his troops to the Far East, arguing this by testing the capacity of the built railway connection.
At the end of the agreement between China and Russia, Nicholas I. did not withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Manchuria.
In the winter of 1904, at a meeting of the Privy Council and the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan, a decision was made to begin military operations against Russia, and soon an order was given to land Japanese armed forces in Korea and attack Russian ships in Port Arthur.
The moment of declaring war was chosen with maximum calculation, since by that time it had assembled a strong and modernly equipped army, weapons and navy. While the Russians armed forces were very scattered.
Main events
Battle of Chemulpo
Significant for the chronicle of the war was the battle in 1904 at Chemulpo of the cruisers “Varyag” and “Koreets”, under the command of V. Rudnev. In the morning, leaving the port to the accompaniment of music, they tried to leave the bay, but less than ten minutes had passed before the alarm sounded and the battle flag rose above the deck. Together they resisted the Japanese squadron that attacked them, entering into an unequal battle. The Varyag was severely damaged and was forced to turn back to port. Rudnev decided to destroy the ship; a few hours later the sailors were evacuated and the ship was sunk. The ship "Korean" was blown up, and the crew was previously evacuated.
Siege of Port Arthur
To block Russian ships inside the harbor, Japan tries to sink several old ships at the entrance. These actions were thwarted by "Retvizvan", who patrolled the water area near the fort.
In the early spring of 1904, Admiral Makarov and shipbuilder N.E. Kuteynikov arrived. At the same time, a large number of spare parts and equipment for ship repairs arrive.
At the end of March, the Japanese flotilla again tried to block the entrance to the fortress by blowing up four transport ships filled with stones, but sank them too far away.
On March 31, the Russian battleship Petropavlovsk sank after hitting three mines. The ship disappeared in three minutes, killing 635 people, among them were Admiral Makarov and the artist Vereshchagin.
3rd attempt to block the harbor entrance, was successful, Japan, having sank eight transport ships, locked the Russian squadrons for several days and immediately landed in Manchuria.
The cruisers “Russia”, “Gromoboy”, “Rurik” were the only ones that retained freedom of movement. They sank several ships with military personnel and weapons, including the Hi-tatsi Maru, which was transporting weapons for the siege of Port Arthur, due to which the capture lasted for several months.
18.04 (01.05) 1st Japanese Army consisting of 45 thousand people. approached the river Yalu and entered into battle with an 18,000-strong Russian detachment led by M.I. Zasulich. The battle ended in defeat for the Russians and marked the beginning of the Japanese invasion of Manchurian territories.
04/22 (05/05) a Japanese army of 38.5 thousand people landed 100 km from the fortress.
27.04 (10.05) Japanese troops broke the railway connection between Manchuria and Port Arthur.
On May 2 (15), 2 Japanese ships were scuttled, thanks to the Amur minelayer, they fell into placed mines. In just five May days (12-17.05), Japan lost 7 ships, and two went to the Japanese port for repairs.
Having successfully landed, the Japanese began to move towards Port Arthur to block it. The Russian command decided to meet the Japanese troops in fortified areas near Jinzhou.
May 13 (26) happened major battle. Russian squad(3.8 thousand people) and with 77 guns and 10 machine guns, they repulsed the enemy attack for more than 10 hours. And only the approaching Japanese gunboats, suppressing the left flag, broke through the defense. The Japanese lost 4,300 people, the Russians 1,500 people.
Thanks to the won battle at Jinzhou, the Japanese overcame a natural barrier on the way to the fortress.
At the end of May, Japan captured the port of Dalniy without a fight, practically intact, which significantly helped them in the future.
On June 1-2 (14-15), in the battle of Wafangou, the 2nd Japanese Army defeated Russian troops under the command of General Stackelberg, who was sent to lift the Port Arthur blockade.
July 13 (26) The Japanese 3rd Army broke through the defenses Russian troops“at the passes” formed after the defeat at Jinzhou.
On July 30, the distant approaches to the fortress are occupied, and the defense begins. It's bright historical moment. The defense lasted until January 2, 1905. In the fortress and adjacent areas, the Russian army did not have a single authority. General Stessel commanded the troops, General Smironov commanded the fortress, Admiral Vitgeft commanded the fleet. It was difficult for them to come to a common opinion. But among the leadership there was a talented commander - General Kondratenko. Thanks to his oratorical and managerial qualities, his superiors found a compromise.
Kondratenko earned the fame of the hero of the Port Arthur events; he died at the end of the siege of the fortress.
The number of troops located in the fortress is about 53 thousand people, as well as 646 guns and 62 machine guns. The siege lasted for 5 months. The Japanese army lost 92 thousand people, Russia - 28 thousand people.
Liaoyang and Shahe
During the summer of 1904, a Japanese army of 120 thousand people approached Liaoyang from the east and south. The Russian army at this time was replenished by soldiers arriving along the Trans-Siberian Railway and slowly retreated.
In August 11 (24) a general battle took place at Liaoyang. The Japanese, moving in a semicircle from the south and east, attacked Russian positions. In prolonged battles, the Japanese army led by Marshal I. Oyama suffered 23,000 losses, Russian troops led by Commander Kuropatkin also suffered losses - 16 (or 19, according to some sources) thousand killed and wounded.
The Russians successfully repelled attacks in the south of Laoyang for 3 days, but Kuropatkin, assuming that the Japanese could block the railway north of Liaoyang, ordered his troops to retreat to Mukden. The Russian army retreated without leaving a single gun.
In the fall, an armed clash occurs on the Shahe River. It began with an attack by Russian troops, and a week later the Japanese launched a counterattack. Russia's losses amounted to about 40 thousand people, the Japanese side - 30 thousand people. The completed operation on the river. Shahe set a time of calm at the front.
On May 14-15 (27-28), the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Tsushima defeated the Russian squadron, which was redeployed from the Baltic, commanded by Vice Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky.
The last major battle takes place on July 7 - Japanese invasion of Sakhalin. The 14 thousand strong Japanese army was resisted by 6 thousand Russians - these were mostly convicts and exiles who joined the army to acquire benefits and therefore did not have strong combat skills. By the end of July, Russian resistance was suppressed, more than 3 thousand people were captured.
Consequences
Negative influence The war also affected the internal situation in Russia:
- the economy is disrupted;
- stagnation in industrial areas;
- price increase.
Industry leaders pushed for a peace treaty. A similar opinion was shared by Great Britain and the United States, which initially supported Japan.
Military actions had to be stopped and forces directed toward extinguishing revolutionary trends, which were dangerous not only for Russia, but also for the world community.
On August 22 (9), 1905, negotiations began in Portsmouth with the mediation of the United States. The representative from the Russian Empire was S. Yu. Witte. At a meeting with Nicholas I. I. he received clear instructions: not to agree to the indemnity, which Russia never paid, and not to give up the land. Due to Japan's territorial and monetary demands, such instructions were not easy for Witte, who was already pessimistic and considered losses inevitable.
As a result of the negotiations, on September 5 (August 23), 1905, a peace treaty was signed. According to the document:
- The Japanese side received the Liaodong Peninsula, a section of the Chinese Eastern Railway (from Port Arthur to Changchun), as well as Southern Sakhalin.
- Russia recognized Korea as a zone of Japanese influence and concluded a fishing convention.
- Both sides of the conflict had to withdraw their troops from the territory of Manchuria.
The peace treaty did not fully address Japan's claims and was much closer to Russian conditions, as a result of which it was not accepted by the Japanese people - waves of discontent swept across the country.
The countries of Europe were satisfied with the agreement, as they hoped to take Russia as an ally against Germany. The United States believed that their goals had been achieved; they had significantly weakened the Russian and Japanese powers.
Results
War between Russia and Japan 1904−1905. had economic and political reasons. She showed internal problems Russian administration and diplomatic mistakes made by Russia. Russia's losses amounted to 270 thousand people, of which 50,000 were killed. Japan's losses were similar, but there were more killed - 80,000 people.
For Japan, the war turned out to be much more intense than for Russia. It had to mobilize 1.8% of its population, while Russia had to mobilize only 0.5%. Military actions quadrupled the external debt of Japan, Russia - by 1/3. The ended war influenced the development of military art in general, showing the importance of weapons equipment.
The policy of Imperial Russia in the Far East and East Asia at the beginning of the 20th century was aimed at establishing dominance in this region. At that time, the only serious opponent in the implementation of the so-called “Great Asian Program” of Nicholas II was the Empire of Japan, which last decades Before that, it seriously strengthened its military potential and began active expansion into Korea and China. A military clash between the two empires was only a matter of time.
Prerequisites for the war
Russians ruling circles for some inexplicable reason, they considered Japan to be a rather weak adversary, having little idea of the state of the armed forces of this state. In the winter of 1903, at a meeting on Far Eastern affairs, most of Nicholas II’s advisers were inclined to the need for war with the Japanese Empire. Only Sergei Yuryevich Witte spoke out against military expansion and worsening relations with the Japanese. Perhaps his position was influenced by his trip to the Far East in 1902. Witte argued that Russia was not ready for war in the Far East, which in fact was true, at least taking into account the state of communications, which could not ensure the timely and rapid delivery of reinforcements, ammunition and equipment. Witte's proposal was to abandon military action and focus on the broad economic development of the Far East, but his opinion was not heeded.
Meanwhile, Japan was not going to wait for the concentration and deployment of Russian armies in China and Korea. Powers imperial fleet and the armies hoped to be the first to strike the Russians. England and the United States, who were not interested in strengthening Russia in the Far Eastern territories, provided active support to the Japanese. The British and Americans supplied Japan with raw materials, weapons, ready-made warships, and issued preferential loans for military purposes. Ultimately, this became one of the determining factors that pushed the Japanese imperial government to attack Russian troops located in China, which became the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, which lasted from January 27, 1904 to August 23, 1905.
Progress of hostilities in 1904
On the night of January 27, 1904, destroyers of the Japanese Imperial Navy secretly approached the outer perimeter of the sea defense of Port Arthur, occupied by Russian military forces, and fired at the Russian ships stationed in the outer roadstead, damaging two battleships. And at dawn, 14 ships of the Japanese fleet immediately attacked 2 Russian ships (the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets"), occupying positions in the area of the neutral port of Icheon (Chemulpo). During a surprise attack, Russian ships received heavy damage and the sailors, not wanting to surrender to the enemy, blew up their ships themselves.
The Japanese command believed main task throughout the upcoming campaign, the seizure of the waters around the Korean Peninsula, which ensured the achievement of the main goals set for the ground army - the occupation of Manchuria, as well as the Primorsky and Ussuri territories, that is, the seizure of not only Chinese, but also Russian territories was expected. The main forces of the Russian fleet were concentrated in Port Arthur, some of them were located in Vladivostok. Most of the flotilla behaved extremely passively, limiting themselves to the defense of the coastline. 
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Manchurian Army Alexei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin and Commander of the Japanese Army Oyama Iwao
Three times the Japanese fleet tried to block the enemy in Port Arthur and at the end of April 1904 they succeeded in doing so, as a result of which the Russian ships were locked in for some time, and the Japanese landed the ground forces of their 2nd Army numbering almost 40 thousand people on the Liaodong Peninsula and moved to Port Arthur, with difficulty overcoming the defense of just one Russian regiment, well fortified on the isthmus connecting the Kwantung and Liaodong Peninsulas. After breaking through the Russian positions on the isthmus, the Japanese took the port of Dalny, seizing a bridgehead and launching a blockade of the Port Arthur garrison from land and sea.
After capturing the bridgeheads on the Kwantung Peninsula, the Japanese troops split up - the formation of the 3rd Army began, the main task of which was to storm Port Arthur, while the 2nd Army went north. At the beginning of June she applied swipe by the 30 thousand-strong group of Russian troops of General Stackelberg, who advanced to break the blockade of Port Arthur and forced him to retreat. At this time, the 3rd Japanese Army finally pushed back the advanced defending units of Port Arthur inside the fortress, completely blocking it from land. At the end of May, the Russian fleet managed to intercept Japanese transports, the purpose of which was to deliver 280-mm mortars for the siege of Port Arthur. This greatly helped the defenders, prolonging the siege for several months, but in general the fleet behaved passively, making no attempt to recapture the initiative from the enemy.
While the siege of Port Arthur was going on, the 1st Japanese Army, which consisted of approximately 45 thousand people, landed in Korea back in February, was able to push back the Russian troops, defeating them near the city of Tyuryunchen on the Korean-Chinese border. The main forces of the Russian troops retreated to Liaoyang. Japanese troops continued the offensive with the forces of three armies (1st, 2nd and 4th) with a total number of approximately 130 thousand people and in early August attacked Russian troops under the command of General Kuropatkin near Liaoyang.
The battle was very difficult and there were serious losses on both sides - 23 thousand soldiers from Japan, up to 19 thousand from Russia. The Russian commander-in-chief, despite the uncertain outcome of the battle, gave the order for a further retreat to the city of Mukden even further north. Later, the Russians gave another battle to the Japanese troops, attacking their positions on the Shahe River in the fall. However, the assault on the Japanese positions did not bring decisive success; losses on both sides were again heavy.
At the end of December 1904, the fortress city of Port Arthur fell, having fettered the forces of the Japanese 3rd Army for almost a year. All Japanese units from the Kwantung Peninsula were hastily transferred north to the city of Mukden.
Progress of hostilities in 1905
With the approach of reinforcements from the 3rd Army from Port Arthur to Mukden, the initiative finally passed into the hands of the Japanese command. On a wide front, with a length of about 100 km, the largest battle before the First World War took place, in which everything again turned out not in favor of the Russian army. After a long battle, one of the Japanese armies was able to bypass Mukden from the north, practically cutting off Manchuria from European Russia. If this could be completely done, then the entire Russian army in China would be lost. Kuropatkin correctly assessed the situation, ordering an urgent retreat along the entire front, not giving the enemy the opportunity to surround himself.
The Japanese continued to press along the front, forcing the Russian units to roll back further to the north, but soon stopped the pursuit. Despite the successful operation to take large city Mukden, they suffered huge losses, which the Japanese historian Shumpei Okamoto estimates at 72 thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, the main forces of the Russian army could not be defeated; it retreated in perfect order, without panic and maintaining its combat effectiveness. At the same time, reinforcements continued to arrive.
Meanwhile, at sea, the 2nd Pacific squadron of the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Rozhestvensky, which came to the aid of Port Arthur back in October 1904, arrived in the combat area. In April 1905, her ships appeared in the Tsushima Strait, where they were met by fire from the Japanese fleet, which had been completely repaired by the time of their arrival. The entire squadron was almost completely destroyed, only a few ships broke through to Vladivostok. The defeat at sea for Russia was final. 
Russian infantry marches along Liaoyang (above) and Japanese soldiers near Chemulpo
In mid-July 1905, Japan, which despite its resounding victories was already on the verge of economic exhaustion, carried out its last major operation, knocking out Russian troops from Sakhalin Island. Meanwhile, the main Russian army under the command of Kuropatkin, located near the village of Sypingai, reached a strength of about half a million soldiers, it received large quantities machine guns and howitzer batteries. The Japanese command, seeing the serious strengthening of the enemy and feeling their own weakening (the country's human resources were practically exhausted by that time), did not dare to continue the offensive, on the contrary, expecting that large Russian forces would launch a counteroffensive.
The Japanese twice proposed peace negotiations, feeling that the enemy would be able to wage war for a long time and was not going to give up. However, a revolution was breaking out in Russia, one of the reasons for which was the defeats that the army and navy suffered in the Far East. Therefore, in the end, Nicholas II was forced to negotiate with Japan through the mediation of the United States. The Americans, as well as many European powers, were now concerned about the excessive strengthening of Japan against the backdrop of the weakening of Russia. The peace treaty turned out to be not so difficult for Russia - thanks to the talent of S.Yu. Witte, who headed the Russian delegation, the conditions were softened.
Results of the war
Russian- Japanese war was certainly unsuccessful for Russia. The defeat of the 2nd Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima hit the national pride of the people especially hard. However, territorial losses were not very significant - main problem there was the loss of the ice-free base Port Arthur. Both Russians and Japanese forces As a result of the agreements, Manchuria was evacuated, and Korea became Japan's sphere of influence. The Japanese also received the southern part of Sakhalin Island
The defeat of Russian troops in the war was primarily due to the difficulty of transporting troops, ammunition and equipment to the Far East. Other, no less important reasons were a significant underestimation of the enemy’s military potential and poor organization of troop control on the part of the command. As a result, the enemy was able to push the Russian army deep into the continent, inflicting a number of defeats on it and capturing vast territories. Defeat in the war also led to the fact that the imperial power turned more close attention on the state of the armed forces and was able to strengthen them by the beginning of the First World War, which, however, did not save the outdated empire from defeats, revolutions and collapse.
1904-1905, the reasons for which are known to every schoolchild, had a great influence on the development of Russia in the future. Despite the fact that now it is very easy to “sort out” the prerequisites, causes and consequences, in 1904 it was difficult to imagine such an outcome.
Start
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the causes of which will be discussed below, began in January. The enemy fleet, without warning or obvious reasons, attacked the ships of Russian sailors. This happened for no apparent reason, but the consequences were great: the powerful ships of the Russian squadron became unnecessary broken garbage. Of course, Russia could not ignore such an event and on February 10 war was declared.
Causes of the war
Despite the unpleasant episode with the ships, which caused a significant blow, the official and main reason the war was different. It was all about Russia's expansion to the east. This is the underlying reason for the outbreak of war, but it began under a different pretext. The reason for the fury was the annexation of the Liaodong Peninsula, which previously belonged to Japan.
Reaction
How did the Russian people react to such an unexpected start to the war? This clearly outraged them, because how could Japan dare to take on such a challenge? But the reaction of other countries was different. The USA and England determined their position and sided with Japan. Press reports, which were numerous in all countries, clearly indicated negative reaction on the actions of the Russians. France declared a neutral position, as it needed Russian support, but soon it entered into an agreement with England, which worsened relations with Russia. In turn, Germany also declared neutrality, but Russia’s actions were approved in the press.
Events
At the beginning of the war, the Japanese occupied a very active position. The course of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 could change dramatically from one extreme to the other. The Japanese were unable to conquer Port Arthur, but made many attempts. An army of 45 thousand soldiers was used for the assault. The army met strong resistance from Russian soldiers and lost almost half of its employees. It was not possible to hold the fortress. The cause of the defeat was the death of General Kondratenko in December 1904. If the general had not died, the fortress could have been held for another 2 months. Despite this, Reis and Stoessel signed the act, and the Russian fleet was destroyed. More than 30 thousand Russian soldiers were captured.
Only two battles of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 were truly significant. The Mukden land battle took place in February 1905. It was rightfully considered the largest in history. It ended disastrously for both sides.
The second most important battle is Tsushima. It happened at the end of May 1905. Unfortunately, for the Russian army it was a defeat. The Japanese fleet was 6 times larger than the Russian fleet. This could not but affect the course of the battle, so the Russian Baltic squadron was completely destroyed.
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the causes of which we analyzed above, benefited Japan. Despite this, the country had to pay dearly for its leadership, because its economy was depleted to the point of impossibility. This is what prompted Japan to be the first to propose the terms of a peace treaty. In August, peace negotiations began in the city of Portsmouth. The Russian delegation was headed by Witte. The conference became a big diplomatic breakthrough for the domestic side. Despite the fact that everything was moving towards peace, violent protests took place in Tokyo. The people did not want to make peace with the enemy. However, peace was still concluded. At the same time, Russia suffered significant losses during the war.
Just look at the fact that the Pacific Fleet was completely destroyed, and thousands of people sacrificed their lives for the sake of their Motherland. And yet, Russian expansion in the East was stopped. Of course, the people could not help but discuss this topic, because it was clearly clear that the tsarist policy no longer had such power and might. Perhaps this is what caused revolutionary sentiments to spread in the country, which ultimately led to the well-known events of 1905-1907.
Defeat
The results of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are already known to us. And yet, why did Russia fail and could not defend its policy? Researchers and historians believe that there are four reasons for this outcome. Firstly, Russian Empire was very isolated from the world stage diplomatically. That is why only a few supported her policy. If Russia had support in the world, it would be easier to fight. Secondly, Russian soldiers were not ready for war, especially in difficult conditions. The effect of surprise, which played into the hands of the Japanese, cannot be underestimated. The third reason is very banal and sad. It consists of multiple betrayals of the Motherland, betrayal, as well as the complete mediocrity and helplessness of many generals.
The results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 were also losing because Japan was much more developed in the economic and military spheres. This is what helped Japan gain a clear advantage. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the causes of which we examined, was a negative event for Russia, which exposed all its weaknesses.