Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 reasons. Russo-Japanese War

Many serious works and no less frivolous fiction have been written about the Russian-Japanese battles. However, even today, more than a century later, researchers argue: what was the main reason for the shameful and fatal defeat of Russia? Is the huge, disorganized empire completely unprepared for decisive military action, or is it the mediocrity of its commanders? Or maybe the mistakes of politicians?

Zheltorossiya: an unfulfilled project

In 1896, the actual state councilor Alexander Bezobrazov provided the emperor with a report in which he proposed colonizing China, Korea and Mongolia. The “Yellow Russia” project caused lively debate in court circles... And a nervous resonance in Japan, which, in need of resources, laid claim to dominance in the Pacific region. Britain played the role of catalyst in the conflict, as it did not want Russia to turn into a gigantic colonial power. Diplomats recalled that at all Russian-Japanese negotiations that took place on the eve of the war, the British were present as advisers and consultants to the Japanese side.

Nevertheless, Russia was gaining a foothold on the east coast: the viceroyalty of the Far East was established, Russian troops occupied part of Manchuria, the resettlement to Harbin and the strengthening of Port Arthur, which was called the gateway to Beijing, began... Moreover, preparations for the inclusion of Korea into the Russian Federation officially began empires. The latter became the proverbial straw that overflowed the cup of the Japanese.

One minute before the attack

Actually, war was expected in Russia. Both the “Bezobrazov clique” (as those who financially supported Mr. Bezobrazov’s projects were called) and Nicholas II soberly believed that military competition for the region, alas, was inevitable. Was it possible to bypass it? Yes, but at too high a price - at the cost of the Russian crown abandoning not only its colonial ambitions, but the Far Eastern territories as a whole.
The Russian government foresaw the war and even prepared for it: roads were built, ports were strengthened. Diplomats did not sit idly by: relations with Austria, Germany and France improved, which should have provided Russia with, if not support, then at least non-interference from Europe.

However, Russian politicians still hoped: Japan would not take risks. And even then, when the guns roared, confusion reigned in the country: really, what kind of Japan is compared to the huge, mighty Russia? Yes, we will defeat the adversary in a matter of days!

However, was Russia really that powerful? The Japanese, for example, had three times as many destroyers. And the battleships built in England and France were superior to Russian ships in a number of the most important indicators. Japanese naval artillery also had an undoubted advantage. As for the ground forces, the number of Russian troops beyond Lake Baikal amounted to 150 thousand troops, including border guards and security of various facilities, while the Japanese army, after the announced mobilization, exceeded 440 thousand bayonets.

Intelligence informed the king about the superiority of the enemy. She asserts: Japan is fully prepared for a skirmish and is waiting for an opportunity. But it seems that the Russian emperor forgot Suvorov’s behest that delay is like death. The Russian elite hesitated and hesitated...

The feat of ships and the fall of Port Arthur

War broke out without declaration. On the night of January 27, 1904, an armada of Japanese warships attacked a Russian flotilla stationed in a roadstead near Port Arthur. The Mikado warriors struck the second blow near Seoul: there, in Chemulpo Bay, the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets, guarding the Russian mission in Korea, took on an unequal battle. Since ships from Britain, the United States, Italy and France were nearby, the duel, one might say, took place before the eyes of the world. Having sunk several enemy ships,

“Varyag” and “Koreyets” preferred the seabed to Japanese captivity:

We did not lower ourselves before the enemy
Glorious St. Andrew's flag,
No, we blew up "Korean"
We sunk the Varyag...

By the way, a year later the Japanese were not too lazy to raise the legendary cruiser from the bottom to make it a training craft. Remembering the defenders of the Varyag, they left the ship its honorable name, adding on board: “Here we will teach you how to love your Fatherland.”

The heirs of the bushi failed to take Port Arthur. The fortress withstood four assaults, but remained unshakable. During the siege, the Japanese lost 50 thousand soldiers, however, Russia’s losses were extremely noticeable: 20 thousand killed soldiers. Would Port Arthur survive? Perhaps, but in December, unexpectedly for many, General Stessel decided to surrender the citadel along with the garrison.

Mukden meat grinder and Tsushima defeat

The battle near Mukden broke the record for military crowds: over half a million people on both sides. The battle lasted 19 days almost without a break. As a result, General Kuropatkin’s army was completely defeated: 60 thousand Russian soldiers died a heroic death. Historians are unanimous: the disaster was caused by the narrow-mindedness and negligence of the commanders (the headquarters gave conflicting orders), their underestimation of the enemy’s forces and blatant sloppiness, which had a detrimental effect on the supply of material and technical means to the army.

The “control” blow for Russia was the Battle of Tsushima. On May 14, 1905, 120 brand new battleships and cruisers flying Japanese flags surrounded the Russian squadron arriving from the Baltic. Only three ships - including the Aurora, which played a special role years later - managed to escape the deadly ring. 20 Russian battleships were sunk. Seven more were boarded. More than 11 thousand sailors became prisoners.

In the deep Tsushima Strait,
Far from my native land,
At the bottom, in the deep ocean
There are forgotten ships
Russian admirals sleep there
And the sailors are dozing around,
They are sprouting corals
Between the fingers of outstretched hands...

The Russian army was crushed, the Japanese army was so exhausted that the proud descendants of the samurai agreed to negotiate. Peace was concluded in August, in Portsmouth, America - according to the agreement, Russia ceded Port Arthur and part of Sakhalin to the Japanese, and also abandoned attempts to colonize Korea and China. However, the unsuccessful military campaign put an end not only to Russia’s expansion to the East, but, as it turned out later, to the monarchy in general. The “small victorious war” that the Russian elite so hoped for overthrew the throne forever.

Noble Enemies

Newspapers of that time are replete with photographs from Japanese captivity. In them, high-cheeked and narrow-eyed doctors, nurses, military personnel and even members of the Japanese imperial family willingly pose with Russian officers and privates. It’s hard to imagine something like this later, during the war with the Germans...

The attitude of the Japanese towards prisoners of war became the standard on the basis of which many international conventions were created years later. “All wars are based on political differences between states,” said the Japanese military department, “therefore, hatred of the people should not be inflamed.”

In 28 camps opened in Japan, 71,947 Russian sailors, soldiers, and officers were kept. Of course, they were treated differently, especially since becoming a prisoner of war for a Japanese means tarnishing his honor, but on the whole the humane policy of the War Ministry was observed. The Japanese spent 30 sen on the maintenance of a Russian captive soldier (twice as much for an officer), while only 16 sen were spent on their own Japanese warrior. The prisoners' meals consisted of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea, and, as eyewitnesses noted, the menu was varied, and the officers had the opportunity to hire a personal chef.

Heroes and traitors

More than 100 thousand privates and officers were put into graves by the war. And the memory of many is still alive.
Let's say, the commander of the Varyag, Vsevolod Rudnev. Having received an ultimatum from Admiral Uriu, the captain of the cruiser decided to make a breakthrough, which he informed the crew about. During the battle, the crippled and bullet-ridden Varyag managed to fire 1,105 shells at the enemy. And only after that the captain, having transferred the remnants of the crew to foreign ships, gave the order to open the kingstons. The courage of the “Varyag” impressed the Japanese so much that later Vsevolod Rudnev received from them the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun. True, he never wore this award.

Vasily Zverev, the mechanic of the destroyer “Silny”, did something completely unprecedented: he closed the hole with himself, allowing the ship, broken by the enemy, to return to port and save the crew. All foreign newspapers, without exception, reported about this unthinkable act.

Of course, among the many heroes there were also ordinary ones. The Japanese, who value duty above all else, were amazed by the resilience of intelligence officer Vasily Ryabov. During interrogation, the captured Russian spy did not answer a single question and was sentenced to death. However, even under gunpoint, Vasily Ryabov behaved, according to the Japanese, as befits a samurai - with honor.

As for the criminals, public opinion declared Adjutant General Baron Stessel to be such. After the war, the investigation accused him of ignoring orders from above, not taking measures to provide Port Arthur with food, lying in reports about his personal, heroic participation in battles, misleading the sovereign, handing out awards to senior officers who did not deserve them... And finally surrendered Port Arthur on conditions humiliating for the Motherland. Moreover, the cowardly baron did not share the hardships of captivity with the garrison. However, Stoessel did not suffer any special punishment: after serving a year and a half in home confinement, he was pardoned by royal decree.

The indecision of military bureaucrats, their unwillingness to take risks, their inability to act in the field and their reluctance to see obvious things is what pushed Russia into the abyss of defeat and into the abyss of cataclysms that occurred after the war.

The Russo-Japanese War arose out of ambitions to expand Manchuria and Korea. The parties were preparing for war, realizing that sooner or later they would move on to battles to resolve the “Far Eastern issue” between the countries.

Causes of the war

The main reason for the war was the clash of colonial interests between Japan, which dominated the region, and Russia, which aspired to the role of a world power.

After the Meiji Revolution in the Empire of the Rising Sun, Westernization proceeded at an accelerated pace, and at the same time Japan grew increasingly territorially and politically in its region. Having won the war with China in 1894-1895, Japan received part of Manchuria and Taiwan, and also tried to turn economically backward Korea into its colony.

In Russia, in 1894, Nicholas II ascended the throne, whose authority among the people after Khodynka was not at its best. He needed a “small victorious war” to win the love of the people again. There were no states in Europe where he could easily win, and Japan, with its ambitions, was ideal for this role.

The Liaodong Peninsula was leased from China, a naval base was built in Port Arthur, and a railway line was built to the city. Attempts through negotiations to delimit spheres of influence with Japan did not yield results. It was clear that things were heading towards war.

TOP 5 articleswho are reading along with this

Plans and objectives of the parties

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia had a powerful ground army, but its main forces were stationed west of the Urals. Directly in the proposed theater of operations there was a small Pacific Fleet and about 100,000 soldiers.

The Japanese fleet was built with the help of the British, and personnel training was also carried out with the mentoring of European specialists. The Japanese army consisted of about 375,000 soldiers.

Russian troops developed a plan for a defensive war before the immediate transfer of additional military units from the European part of Russia. After creating numerical superiority, the army had to go on the offensive. Admiral E.I. Alekseev was appointed commander-in-chief. Subordinate to him were the commander of the Manchurian Army, General A. N. Kuropatkin, and Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov, who accepted the position in February 1904.

The Japanese headquarters hoped to use the advantage in manpower to eliminate the Russian naval base in Port Arthur and transfer military operations to Russian territory.

The course of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

Hostilities began on January 27, 1904. The Japanese squadron attacked the Russian Pacific Fleet, which was stationed without special security in the Port Arthur roadstead.

On the same day, the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets were attacked in the port of Chemulpo. The ships refused to surrender and took the fight against 14 Japanese ships. The enemy showed honor to the heroes who accomplished the feat and refused to give up their ship to the joy of their enemies.

Rice. 1. The death of the cruiser Varyag.

The attack on Russian ships stirred up the broad masses of the people, in which “shap-throwing” sentiments had already been formed. Processions were held in many cities, and even the opposition ceased its activities during the war.

In February-March 1904, General Kuroki's army landed in Korea. The Russian army met her in Manchuria with the task of detaining the enemy without accepting a general battle. However, on April 18, in the battle of Tyurechen, the eastern part of the army was defeated and there was a threat of encirclement of the Russian army by the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Japanese, having an advantage at sea, transferred military forces to the mainland and besieged Port Arthur.

Rice. 2. Poster The enemy is terrible, but God is merciful.

The First Pacific Squadron, blockaded in Port Arthur, took the battle three times, but Admiral Togo did not accept the general battle. He was probably wary of Vice Admiral Makarov, who was the first to use the new “stick over T” naval battle tactics.

The death of Vice Admiral Makarov was a great tragedy for Russian sailors. His ship hit a mine. After the death of the commander, the First Pacific Squadron ceased to conduct active operations at sea.

Soon the Japanese managed to pull large artillery under the city and bring up fresh forces in the amount of 50,000 people. The last hope was the Manchurian army, which could lift the siege. In August 1904, it was defeated at the Battle of Liaoyang, and it looked quite real. The Kuban Cossacks posed a great threat to the Japanese army. Their constant forays and fearless participation in battles harmed communications and manpower.

The Japanese command began to talk about the impossibility of further waging war. If the Russian army had gone on the offensive, this would have happened, but Commander Kropotkin gave an absolutely stupid order to retreat. The Russian army continued to have many chances to develop an offensive and win a general battle, but Kropotkin retreated every time, giving the enemy time to regroup.

In December 1904, the commander of the fortress, R.I. Kondratenko, died and, contrary to the opinion of soldiers and officers, Port Arthur was surrendered.

In the 1905 campaign, the Japanese outpaced the Russian advance, defeating them at Mukden. Public sentiment began to express dissatisfaction with the war, and unrest began.

Rice. 3. Battle of Mukden.

In May 1905, the Second and Third Pacific Squadrons, formed in St. Petersburg, entered Japanese waters. During the Battle of Tsushima, both squadrons were destroyed. The Japanese used new types of shells filled with “shimoza”, which melted the side of the ship rather than piercing it.

After this battle, the participants in the war decided to sit down at the negotiating table.

To summarize, let’s summarize the “Events and dates of the Russo-Japanese War” in the table, noting which battles took place in the Russo-Japanese War.

The latest defeats of the Russian troops had grave consequences, resulting in the First Russian Revolution. It is not in the chronological table, but it was this factor that provoked the signing of peace against Japan, exhausted by the war.

Results

During the war years in Russia, a huge amount of money was stolen. Embezzlement in the Far East flourished, which created problems with the supply of the army. In the American city of Portsmouth, through the mediation of US President T. Roosevelt, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Russia transferred southern Sakhalin and Port Arthur to Japan. Russia also recognized Japan's dominance in Korea.

Russia's defeat in the war had enormous implications for the future political system in Russia, where the power of the emperor would be limited for the first time in several hundred years.

What have we learned?

Speaking briefly about the Russian-Japanese War, it should be noted that if Nicholas II had recognized Korea as the Japanese, there would have been no war. However, the race for colonies gave rise to a clash between the two countries, although even in the 19th century, the Japanese had a generally more positive attitude towards Russians than towards many other Europeans.

Test on the topic

Evaluation of the report

Average rating: 3.9. Total ratings received: 465.

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 over the past decades had 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

The Russian ruling circles, for some inexplicable reason, 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 Yurievich 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. The forces of the imperial fleet and army 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 considered the main task of the entire upcoming campaign to be the capture 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 dealt a strong blow to the 30 thousand-strong group of Russian troops of General Stackelberg, who had 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, about 100 km long, 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 capture the large city of 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 high-profile victories was already on the verge of economic exhaustion, carried out its last major operation, driving Russian troops out of 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 a large number of 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

The Russo-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 turned out to be not very significant - the main problem was the loss of the ice-free base of Port Arthur. As a result of the agreements, both Russian and Japanese forces evacuated from Manchuria, 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 government paid closer attention to 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.

The Russo-Japanese War began on January 26 (or, according to the new style, February 8) 1904. The Japanese fleet unexpectedly, before the official declaration of war, attacked ships located in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. As a result of this attack, the most powerful ships of the Russian squadron were disabled. The declaration of war took place only on February 10.

The most important reason for the Russo-Japanese War was Russia's expansion to the east. However, the immediate cause was the annexation of the Liaodong Peninsula, previously captured by Japan. This prompted military reform and the militarization of Japan.

The reaction of Russian society to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War can be briefly said as follows: Japan’s actions outraged Russian society. The world community reacted differently. England and the USA took a pro-Japanese position. And the tone of press reports was clearly anti-Russian. France, an ally of Russia at that time, declared neutrality - it needed an alliance with Russia in order to prevent the strengthening of Germany. But already on April 12, France concluded an agreement with England, which caused a cooling of Russian-French relations. Germany declared friendly neutrality towards Russia.

Despite active actions at the beginning of the war, the Japanese failed to capture Port Arthur. But already on August 6 they made another attempt. A 45-strong army under the command of Oyama was sent to storm the fortress. Having encountered strong resistance and having lost more than half of the soldiers, the Japanese were forced to retreat on August 11. The fortress was surrendered only after the death of General Kondratenko on December 2, 1904. Despite the fact that Port Arthur could have held out for at least 2 more months, Stessel and Reis signed the act of surrendering the fortress, as a result of which the Russian fleet was destroyed, and 32 thousand. people were captured.

The most significant events of 1905 were:

The Battle of Mukden (February 5 – 24), which remained the largest land battle in human history until the outbreak of the First World War. It ended with the withdrawal of the Russian army, which lost 59 thousand killed. Japanese losses amounted to 80 thousand.

The Battle of Tsushima (May 27 - 28), in which the Japanese fleet, 6 times larger than the Russian fleet, almost completely destroyed the Russian Baltic squadron.

The course of the war was clearly in Japan's favor. However, its economy was depleted by the war. This forced Japan to enter into peace negotiations. In Portsmouth, on August 9, participants in the Russo-Japanese War began a peace conference. It should be noted that these negotiations were a serious success for the Russian diplomatic delegation, headed by Witte. The concluded peace treaty sparked protests in Tokyo. But, nevertheless, the consequences of the Russian-Japanese War were very noticeable for the country. During the conflict, the Russian Pacific Fleet was practically destroyed. The war claimed more than 100 thousand lives of soldiers who heroically defended their country. Russia's expansion to the East was stopped. Also, the defeat showed the weakness of the tsarist policy, which to a certain extent contributed to the growth of revolutionary sentiments and ultimately led to the revolution of 1904–1905. Among the reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905. the most important are the following:

diplomatic isolation of the Russian Empire;

the unpreparedness of the Russian army for combat operations in difficult conditions;

outright betrayal of the interests of the fatherland or the mediocrity of many tsarist generals;

Japan's serious superiority in the military and economic spheres.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, a fierce clash occurred between the Russian and Japanese empires. In what year did war with Japan await our country? It began in the winter of 1904 and lasted more than 12 months until 1905, becoming a real a blow to the whole world. It stood out not only as a subject of dispute between the two powers, but also as the latest weapon used in battles.

In contact with

Prerequisites

Basic events unfolded in the Far East, in one of the most contested regions in the world. At the same time, it was claimed by the Russian and Japanese empires, each with its own political strategies regarding this area, ambitions and plans. Specifically, there was talk of establishing control over the Chinese region of Manchuria, as well as over Korea and the Yellow Sea.

Note! At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia and Japan were not just the strongest countries in the world, but also actively developing. Oddly enough, this became the first prerequisite for the Russo-Japanese War.

The Russian Empire actively expanded its borders, touching Persia and Afghanistan in the southeast.

British interests were affected, so the Russian map continued to expand in the Far East.

The first to stand in the way was China, which had become impoverished from numerous wars and was forced give Russia part of its territories in order to gain support and funds. Thus, new lands came into the possession of our empire: Primorye, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The reasons also lay in Japanese politics. The new Emperor Meiji considered self-isolation a relic of the past and actively began to develop his country, promoting it on the international stage. After numerous successful reforms, the Japanese Empire reached a new, modernized level. The next step was the expansion of other states.

Even before the start of the 1904 war Meiji conquered China, which gave him the right to dispose of Korean lands. Later, the island of Taiwan and other nearby territories were conquered. Here were the prerequisites for future confrontation, since the interests of two empires that contradicted each other met. So, on January 27 (February 9), 1904, the war between Russia and Japan officially began.

Causes

The Russo-Japanese War became one of the most striking examples of “cockfighting”. There were no racist, religious or ideological disputes between the two warring countries. Nor did the essence of the conflict lie in increasing one’s own territory for significant reasons. It’s just that each state had a goal: to prove to itself and others that it was powerful, strong and invincible.

Let's first consider reasons for the emergence of the Russo-Japanese War within the Russian Empire:

The king wanted to assert himself through victory and show all his people that his army and military power were the strongest in the world.
It was possible to suppress once and for all the revolution that broke out, into which peasants, workers and even the urban intelligentsia were drawn.

Let us briefly consider how this war could be useful to Japan. The Japanese had only one goal: to demonstrate their new weapons, which had been improved. It was necessary to test the latest military equipment, and where could this be done if not in battle.

Note! If the participants in the armed confrontation had won, they would have settled their internal political differences. The economy of the victorious country would have improved significantly and new lands would have been acquired - Manchuria, Korea and the entire Yellow Sea.

Military operations on land

At the beginning of 1904, the 23rd artillery brigade was sent to the eastern front from Russia.

The troops were distributed among strategically important sites - Vladivostok, Manchuria and Port Arthur. There was also a special corral of engineering troops, and a very impressive number of people guarded the CER (railway).

The fact is that all food and ammunition were delivered to the soldiers from the European part of the country by train, which is why they required additional protection.

By the way, this became one of the reasons for Russia's defeat. The distance from the industrial centers of our country to the Far East is unrealistically large. It took a lot of time to deliver everything necessary, and it was not possible to transport much.

As for the Japanese troops, they were outnumbered by the Russian ones. Moreover, having left their native and very small islands, they found themselves literally scattered over a vast territory. But in the ill-fated 1904-1905 they were saved by military power. The latest weapons and armored vehicles, destroyers, and improved artillery have done their job. It is worth noting the very tactics of warfare and combat that the Japanese learned from the British. In a word, they took it not by quantity, but by quality and cunning.

Naval battles

The Russo-Japanese War became real fiasco for the Russian fleet.

Shipbuilding in the Far Eastern region at that time was not very developed, and delivering the “gifts” of the Black Sea to such a distance was extremely difficult.

In the land of the rising sun, the fleet was always powerful, Meiji was well prepared, knew the enemy’s weaknesses very well, and therefore managed not only to hold back the enemy’s onslaught, but also to completely defeat our fleet.

He won the battle thanks to the same military tactics that he learned from the British.

Main events

For a long time, the troops of the Russian Empire did not improve their potential and did not conduct tactical exercises. Their entry to the Far Eastern front in 1904 made it clear that they were simply not ready to fight and fight. This can be clearly seen in the chronology of the main events of the Russo-Japanese War. Let's look at them in order.

February 9, 1904 – Battle of Chemulpo. The Russian cruiser "Varyag" and the steamer "Koreets", under the command of Vsevolod Rudnev, were surrounded by a Japanese squadron. In an unequal battle, both ships were lost, and the remaining crew members were evacuated to Sevastopol and Odessa. In the future, they were prohibited from enlisting in the Pacific Fleet;
On February 27 of the same year, using the latest torpedoes, the Japanese disabled more than 90% of the Russian fleet by attacking it in Port Arthur;
spring 1904 - defeat of the Russian Empire in numerous battles on land. In addition to difficulties with transporting ammunition and supplies, our soldiers simply did not have a normal map. The Russo-Japanese War had clear patterns and certain strategic objects. But without proper navigation it was impossible to cope with the task;
1904, August – The Russians were able to defend Port Arthur;
1905, January - Admiral Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese;
May of the same year - another unequal naval battle. After the battle of Tsushima, one Russian ship returned to the port, but the entire Japanese squadron remained safe and sound;
July 1905 - Japanese troops invaded Sakhalin.

Probably the answer to the question of who won the war is obvious. But in fact, numerous battles on land and water caused the exhaustion of both countries. Japan, although considered the winner, was forced to enlist the support of countries such as Great Britain. The results were disappointing: the economy and domestic politics of both countries were completely undermined. The countries signed a peace treaty, and the whole world began to help them.

Outcome of hostilities

At the time of the end of hostilities in the Russian Empire, preparations for revolution were in full swing. The enemy knew this, so he set a condition: Japan agreed to sign a peace treaty only on condition of complete surrender. At the same time, it had to be observed the following items:

half of the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were to pass into the possession of the land of the rising sun;
renunciation of claims to Manchuria;
Japan was to have the right to lease Port Arthur;
the Japanese get all the rights to Korea;
Russia had to pay its enemy an indemnity for the maintenance of prisoners.

And these were not the only negative consequences of the Russian-Japanese War for our people. The economy began to stagnate for a long time, as factories and factories became impoverished.

Unemployment began in the country, prices for food and other goods rose. Russia began to be denied loans many foreign banks, during which business activities were also suspended.

But there were also positive moments. By signing the Portsmouth Peace Agreement, Russia received support from the European powers - England and France.

This became the seed for the emergence of a new alliance called the Entente. It is worth noting that Europe was also frightened by the brewing revolution, so it tried to provide all possible support to our country so that these events would not go beyond its borders, but would only subside. But, as we know, it was not possible to restrain the people, and the revolution became a vivid protest of the population against the current government.

But in Japan, despite numerous losses, things got better. The Land of the Rising Sun proved to the whole world that it can defeat the Europeans. The victory brought this state to the international level.

Why did everything turn out this way?

Let us list the reasons for Russia's defeat in this armed confrontation.

Considerable distance from industrial centers. The railway could not cope with transporting everything necessary to the front.
The Russian army and navy lack proper training and skill. The Japanese had more advanced technology possession of weapons and combat.
Our enemy developed fundamentally new military equipment, which was difficult to cope with.
Betrayal by the tsarist generals. For example, the surrender of Port Arthur, which had previously been taken.
The war was not popular among ordinary people, and many of the soldiers who were sent to the front were not interested in victory. But the Japanese soldiers were ready to die for the sake of the emperor.

Analysis of the Russo-Japanese War by historians

Russo-Japanese War, reasons for defeat

Conclusion

After the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the old regime completely collapsed in Russia. Just a few years later, our ancestors became citizens of a completely new country. And most importantly, many who died on the Far Eastern Front were not remembered for a long time.