Introduction

Conclusion

Bibliographic list

Appendix

Introduction

At the end of the 19th century, the struggle between two great powers, Japan and Russia, intensified in the Far East. Tsarist Russia showed an increased interest in Korea. The Romanovs were personally interested in the huge "wealth" of Korea, which they wanted to turn to their own advantage. The diplomatic activity of Russia in relation to China led to the fact that an alliance treaty was concluded, according to which Russia received the right to build the Chinese Eastern Railway. By this, Russia strengthened its position in China. In addition, Russia leased the Kwantung Peninsula from China with Port Arthur for a period of 25 years. It becomes the main base of the Russian navy.

Japan reacted negatively to Russian penetration into the Chinese and Korean economies. The largest concerns of Japan considered their sales markets - China and Korea. Being an economically developed country, Japan was active in the Far East.

Japan fought for the redivision of the world. Russia contradicted the interests of Japan, and Japan began to intensively prepare for war with the help of England and the United States, who were afraid of the strengthening of Russia. And Russia treated Japan arrogantly.

The relevance of the work is determined by the similarity of the transitional period that developed in Russia at the beginning of the 20th and 21st centuries. At this time, many researchers, scientists, efforts and interest in Russian history, because without knowledge of the history of their country, stable development of the state is impossible.

The purpose of this work is an attempt to analyze the significance, features of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905. in order to identify its influence on the further development of Russian statehood.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to consider the following tasks:

· consider the causes and prerequisites for the outbreak of war;

· analyze the course of hostilities during the war;

· find out why Russia was defeated in the war with Japan.

The object of study of this course work are the consequences of the policy pursued by the country, which led to the loss of the war.

The subject of research in this work is the key events of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, their role and place in the history of Russia.

In this course work, many sources on this topic were used, such as: Zolotukhin A.P. "History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905." - the beginning of the war was taken from this source, with what goals it began and the course of hostilities during the war; Shirokrad A.B. "The Fall of Port Arthur" - this book helped to figure out how Japan was preparing for war. Article Balakin V.I. "Causes and Consequences of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905." - with the help of this article, the reasons for the defeat of Russia and the further state of Russia after the war were clarified.

The practical significance of this course work lies in the fact that these materials can be used both in theoretical and practical classes in the discipline: "History".

The structure of work includes:

Introduction, 3 sections, conclusion, bibliography, appendices. The total amount of work was 23 pages.

russian japanese war treaty

1. Causes and prerequisites for the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

1.1 The balance of forces of the parties before the start of the war

The words of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia V.K. Plehve: "To keep the revolution, we need a small victorious war." There was some truth in these words: a revolution in Russia had been brewing for a long time, and a victorious war could hold back the revolution and bring defeat in the war closer. But the situation developed differently than the autocracy would have liked. The unsuccessful Russo-Japanese War spurred the revolution, and in turn the revolution hastened the defeat of Russia.

Japan was ready for war, had everything necessary to attack Russia first and win the war. For Russia, this was an unexpected step on the part of the Japanese, and of course, she was not initially ready for war.

1.2 Prepare Japan for war

In 1895, the Japanese government, immediately after the end of the war with China, adopted the first program to strengthen its fleet. Japan planned to start building ships of all classes, and first of all, squadron battleships, armored cruisers and destroyers, designed to conduct active offensive operations. Since the Japanese shipbuilding industry was not yet sufficiently developed, the government placed orders for the construction of ships under the 1895 program abroad.

In 1896, the Japanese government, considering the shipbuilding program of 1895 insufficient, additionally adopted a 10-year program that provided for the construction of mainly cruisers and a significant number of destroyers, as well as the equipment of naval bases and ports designed to ensure the combat activities of the Japanese fleet in the Yellow and Japan seas.

The third shipbuilding program was adopted at a special meeting of the Japanese Parliament in June 1903 on February 2, 1904, i.e. Just before the start of the war, the Japanese government signed contracts in London with the firms of Vickers and Armstrong for the supply of 2 squadron battleships "Kashima" and "Katori" with a displacement of 16,400 tons each.

"Kashima" was laid down on February 29, 1904 at the Armstrong shipyard in Elsvin, and "Katori" on February 27, 1904 at the Vickers shipyard in Barrow. The battleships were launched on March 22, 1905 and July 4, 1905, respectively. They entered service at the same time - May 23, 1906.

As you can see, neutral England did not give a damn about all international laws and agreements and literally at a frantic pace, in less than a year and a half, commissioned two of the most powerful battleships.

In 1900-1904. significantly increased the power of the Japanese army. It was completed on the basis of the law on universal military service, which applied to persons aged 17 to 40 years. The service of Japanese citizens was divided into real, first-class reserve, second-class reserve (territorial troops) and militia. Since in peacetime the contingent of conscription exceeded the need, recruitment into the army was carried out by lot. Active service in the army lasted three years, and in the navy - four. Then the soldier was enrolled in the reserve of the first category, after four years and four months - in the reserve of the second category, and after another five years - in the militia.

Much attention in Japan was paid to the training of officers. The officers, continuing the samurai traditions, considered themselves as the main stronghold of the empire, as the bearer of the idea of ​​"great Japan", the "exclusivity" of the Japanese nation.

According to the imperial rescript, the officer directly carries out the will of the emperor in the army, treats his subordinates in the same way as the emperor treats his people, and his order is an imperial order, and disobedience is regarded as disobedience to the will of the emperor.

On the basis of the principle of complete obedience to the will of the commander and the strict observance of the order of the officer, the Japanese soldier was brought up. This type of fanatic soldier was glorified by the Japanese press, his valor was sung, and military service was regarded as a great honor, not being compared with any profession. As a rule, the speeches of the leading statesmen of Japan, the throne or anniversary speeches of the representatives of the imperial house could not do without glorification of the army and navy. No holiday was celebrated more magnificently than the Day of the Army and Navy, no one was seen off so solemnly as the soldiers going to the front. Songs were composed about officers and generals, they were given the most honorable places at religious and secular ceremonies.

In order to create the appearance of social closeness of soldiers and officers, promotion and appointment to officer positions of the middle and especially the lower rank of soldiers - peasants who distinguished themselves in the service.

The highest tactical formation of the Japanese army was a division. It was envisaged to create an army in wartime. Before the start of the Russo-Japanese War, three armies appeared in Japan.

The division consisted of two infantry brigades of two regiments each, a regiment of three battalions, and a battalion of four companies. The division had one cavalry regiment of three squadrons and an artillery regiment of two divisions (each division had three six-gun batteries). The division also had a sapper and convoy battalions.

The Guards and the First Capital Divisions were organized in a special way. Each of them included a cavalry brigade, the brigade had two regiments of five squadrons each, an artillery brigade, composed of three regiments of two divisions each (each division had three six-gun batteries). Army artillery was formed from allocated divisions and batteries that were part of the divisions. In wartime, each division was given parts of the reinforcement. A wartime company had a staff of 217 people, a sapper company - 220 people, a field battery - six 75-mm guns, 150 soldiers and officers.

On the eve of the war, Japan began to deploy the army according to the wartime plan. At the same time, to reinforce the active troops, the wartime staff provided for the formation of 52 reserve infantry battalions and 52 reserve batteries (312 guns), and to make up for the loss in the active artillery - 19 spare batteries (114 guns) of field artillery.

Conclusion: From the above, we can conclude that Japan was ready for war earlier and had all the necessary weapons, it was helped by developed countries such as England and the United States.

1.3 Russia's preparation for war

The gradual concentration of Russian troops in the Far East began long before the war. Britain's predatory policy in the Far East, which ran counter to the interests of Russian capital, compelled the tsarist government as early as 1885 to reinforce its troops in the Siberian frontier districts. Further strengthening followed in 1887 in connection with the then-imminent conflict between Japan and China. This reinforcement was recognized as necessary "in order not to remain a passive spectator of events and to be able to defend one's interests."

At the same time, "protection" of their interests was conceived in the form of the capture of Northern Manchuria. At the same time, it was recognized as necessary to strengthen the Pacific Fleet. Large funds were allocated to strengthen armaments in the Far East.

The tsarist troops stationed in the Far East were brought to wartime states, and by the beginning of the Sino-Japanese war their number had increased to 30,500 men and 74 guns. The bulk of the troops were the Cossack cavalry.

In anticipation of the intervention in the Shimonoseki treaty, the border districts were reinforced by various formations and mainly by artillery. The Amur Governor-General Dukhovsky was instructed to carry out a number of measures aimed at strengthening local formations and strengthening Vladivostok, Nikolaevsk and Sakhalin. At the same time, Dukhovskoy especially insisted on the formation of units in European Russia from old-time soldiers, since the acquisition of units in Siberia could be carried out mainly at the expense of recruits, who, according to Dukhovskoy, were "the most politically dangerous."

Due to the difficult financial situation, Russia was able to fully carry out measures to strengthen troops in the Far East only in relation to the Amur District. The rest of the measures were spread over several years, and large sums were allocated for fortress work and the development of engineering defense of the Pacific coast during the last years before the war.

The slowness in preparing for a war in the Far East is partly due to the tsarist government's confidence that the Far East problem would find its solution in a war on the western frontier. The attention of tsarism was not promptly switched from West to East, as a result of which by 1898 the number of troops in the Far East reached only 60,000 people and 126 guns.

The difficult financial condition of tsarist Russia, the rudimentary state of the engineering training of the theater of war, the sparsely populated and impassable roads of the region, as well as the lack of barracks, delayed the concentration of troops in the Far East. Japan, on the other hand, accelerated the pace of its armaments and was in a hurry to start a war before the completion of the construction of the Circum-Baikal railway branch by the Russians.

In 1898, when, with the seizure of the Kwantung Peninsula by Russia, relations between Russia and Japan became even more aggravated, a plan was drawn up to strengthen the Russian army in the Far East, providing for the accumulation of 90,000 people and 184 guns by 1903, while the Japanese army by this time , according to the initial assumptions of the Russians, was to increase to 394,000 people and 1014 guns.

The tsarist government was forced to think about accelerating the pace of accumulation of troops in the Far East. This was facilitated by the war against the Chinese popular uprising in 1900-1901, which caused significant transfers of troops from European Russia, as well as the creation of a number of new formations and the reorganization of units located in the Far East.

The tense situation in the Far East required further strengthening of the Russian army, and the governor Alekseev from the center was ordered "to put our combat readiness in the Far East in full balance with our political and economic tasks in the shortest possible time and without stopping at the necessary expenses." This prescription required the creation of two new corps with a total number of at least 50,000 people, with their concentration in the area of ​​​​the proposed Japanese landing. Strengthening was achieved not by sending organized units from European Russia, but by reorganizing local troops with the inclusion in their composition of individual groups of soldiers sent from European Russia.

It was decided to transfer two divisions and one brigade to the Kwantung District, as well as to strengthen Port Arthur and Vladivostok. Port Arthur received fortress infantry and fortress artillery. Under the pretext of testing the Siberian railway in 1903, two infantry brigades (10th and 17th corps) with artillery were transferred to the Far East. These brigades were not equipped with sufficient baggage, and therefore were not fully capable of campaigning. The troops on Sakhalin Island were also reinforced. The cavalry was kept in European Russia in case of war in the West and the suppression of the revolution. In addition, it was recognized as impossible to use large horse masses in the highlands of Manchuria. It was decided to limit the Cossack cavalry in Manchuria, located in the border areas.

Thus, by the beginning of the war, Russia had 98,000 men and 272 guns in the Far East in addition to 24,000 men and 48 guard guard guns.

The war found the troops in a period of reorganization: two-battalion regiments were deployed into three-battalion ones, and brigades were deployed into divisions.

The engineering preparation of the theater proceeded just as slowly.

The question of strengthening the proposed theater of war was raised only when the inevitability of the imminent outbreak of war with Japan became obvious. The main attention was paid to strengthening the fortresses of Port Arthur and Vladivostok, as well as to the construction of some fortifications in the possible operational directions of the future enemy. The isolated position of Port Arthur required its serious strengthening, which would give the fortress the opportunity to hold out for a more or less long time in anticipation of the proceeds.

The project for the fortifications of Port Arthur of the first stage provided for a two-year construction period, but various circumstances (the Chinese popular uprising of 1900, during which the Chinese workers fled, the cholera epidemic) slowed down the start of work. Started work moved sluggishly.

From 1903, work was carried out more successfully, but it was already too late: the program for building the Port Arthur fortress was not completed, just like the program for building fortifications on the Jinzhou Isthmus.

As for Vladivostok, by the beginning of the war it was to some extent secured from an accelerated attack.

Within the country, tsarism was unable to secure a firm footing for itself. Dissatisfaction with the autocracy grew.

In the field of foreign policy, the tsarist government managed to achieve some success. By strengthening the alliance with France, Russia achieved a partial re-equipment of its artillery with the best models of guns, but absolutely nothing was done to organize the production of machine guns. The trade agreement with Germany unleashed the hands of tsarism and allowed for the transfer of troops from the western border to the east. China declared its neutrality. However, the presence of troops of the Chinese generals Yuan Shih-kai and Ma behind the Pechili border required the Russians to strengthen the right flank of the deployment to the detriment of the grouping in the most important eastern sector of the theatre.

As for occupied Manchuria, it must be said that the police regime and the brutal exploitation of the Chinese population caused a hostile attitude on the part of the latter, which also affected the actions of the Russian army.

Conclusion: Thus, neither militarily nor politically, tsarist Russia was ready for war.

2. The course of hostilities during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

2.1 The course of hostilities during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904

On the eve of the war, Japan had a relatively small, but well-trained and equipped with the latest weapons personnel army and navy. Russia kept only 100 thousand people in the Far East. on the territory from Lake Baikal to Port Arthur. The Russian fleet had 63 ships, many of which were obsolete.

The Russian war plan was based on the idea of ​​gaining time for the concentration and deployment of forces in the Liaoyang area. For this, part of the troops was supposed to hold back the advance of the Japanese army, gradually retreating to the north, as well as to hold the fortress of Port Arthur. Subsequently, it was planned to go on the general offensive, defeat the Japanese army and land on the Japanese islands. The fleet was tasked with seizing dominance at sea and preventing the landing of Japanese troops on the mainland.

The Japanese strategic plan provided for seizing dominance at sea by a surprise attack and the destruction of the Port Arthur squadron, then the landing of troops in Korea and South Manchuria, the capture of Port Arthur and the defeat of the main forces of the Russian army in the Liaoyang area. In the future, it was supposed to occupy Manchuria, the Ussuri and Primorsky Territories.

Japan, despite concessions to Russia, January 24, 1904 severed diplomatic relations. On the night of January 27, Japanese destroyers, taking advantage of the carelessness of the Russian command, suddenly attacked the Russian squadron, stationed on the outer roads of Port Arthur. Japan declared war on Russia.

In the afternoon of the same date, a large group of Japanese cruisers and destroyers blocked the Russian cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" in the Korean port. . Our ships, in battle with superior enemy forces, still could not make their way into the ocean. Not wanting to surrender to the enemy, the Varyag cruiser was sunk, and the Korean was blown up.

Only with the arrival in February 1904 in Port Arthur of Admiral S.O. Makarov's defense of the naval base was thoroughly strengthened, and the remaining ships of the squadron greatly increased their combat capability. But, on March 31, the battleship Petropavlovsk , on which Makarov S.O. was, hit a mine and sank in a matter of minutes. The fleet remaining in Port Arthur switched to passive defense.

In early February, units of the 60,000th Japanese 1st Army landed in Korea and in mid-April started fighting in southern Manchuria with the Russians of the 20,000th eastern detachment of the Manchurian army. Under the onslaught of superior enemy forces, our troops retreated, which gave the Japanese the opportunity, having landed another landing, already in southern Manchuria, to attack the Russian fortifications and capture Jingzhou, thereby cutting off Port Arthur from the land army. And in mid-May, the 3rd Japanese army, created to capture Port Arthur, landed in Talienvan Bay.

The 1st Siberian Corps, sent to help Port Arthur, after an unsuccessful battle at Vafangou with superior forces of the 2nd Japanese Army, was forced to retreat to the north.

In July, the Russian squadron attempted to break through from Port Arthur to Vladivostok. In the Yellow Sea there was a battle with the squadron of Admiral Togo. Both squadrons suffered serious damage. During the battle, Rear Admiral Witteft and almost his entire staff were killed. As a result of the ensuing confusion of orders, the Russian ships randomly retreated, some broke into the ports of foreign states and were interned there.

The ships of the Vladivostok squadron were active throughout the war, made daring raids on the coast of Japan, and sank ships with strategic military cargo. The cruisers of the Vladivostok detachment were sent to meet the breaking through 1st Pacific squadron, but in the Korean Strait they engaged in battle with the squadron of Admiral Kamimura. In a fierce battle, the cruiser Rurik was sunk.

The Japanese navy fulfilled its task and secured dominance at sea and the unhindered transfer of troops to the mainland.

In August 1904, General Kuropatkin began to pull his strike units back to Liaoyang - where the 3 Japanese armies advancing from the coast, Vyfangou and from Korea were supposed to meet. On August 25, 1904, a major battle began at Liaoyang, which was notable for its particular bloodshed. The forces of the Japanese army amounted to 125 thousand against 158 ​​thousand Russians. No decisive results were ultimately achieved; the Japanese lost 23 thousand, and the Russians - 19 thousand people, and despite the successful actions of the Russian troops, Kuropatkin considered himself defeated and began a systematic, well-organized retreat north to the Shahe River.

Having increased his army to 200 thousand people, General Kuropatkin, not having a sufficiently clear plan of action, launched an offensive against the 170 thousandth troops of Marshal Oyama. On October 5-17, 1904, a counter battle took place on the Shahe River, which ended in vain. Both sides suffered heavy losses and, having exhausted their offensive capabilities, went on the defensive. Here, for the first time, a continuous front over 60 km long was formed.

Strategically, Oyama won the decisive operation, frustrating the last Russian attempt to relieve Port Arthur. But still, the balance of power began to take shape in favor of the Russians and the position of the Japanese army became difficult. In this regard, the Japanese made attempts to capture Port Arthur as soon as possible.

The struggle for Port Arthur began at the end of July 1904, when the Japanese army, which landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, approached the outer contours of the fortress. On August 6, the first assault began, lasting 5 days, ending in the defeat of the Japanese. The Japanese army was forced to proceed to a long-term siege of the fortress. Until September, when the second assault began, siege work was carried out and the enemy artillery regiment was replenished with siege howitzers. In turn, the defenders of Port Arthur improved defensive structures.

A stubborn struggle unfolded for the dominant heights, which were of great importance in the defense system of the fortress. After fierce fighting, the Japanese managed to capture Mount Long. Attacks on Mount Vysokaya ended in vain. This ended the second assault on the fortress. On October 17, after a 3-day artillery preparation, the Japanese carried out the third assault on the fortress, which lasted 3 days. All enemy attacks were repulsed by Russian troops with huge losses for him. On November 13, Japanese troops (over 50 thousand people) launched a fourth assault. They were courageously resisted by the Russian garrison, which by this time numbered 18 thousand people. Especially heavy fighting took place behind the High Mountain, which fell on November 22. Having occupied Mount Vysokaya, the enemy began shelling the city and the harbor with howitzers. In November, most of the battleships and cruisers sank.

The siege of the fortress lasted almost eight months. The combat-ready units still held the defense, 610 guns could fire, there were enough shells and products, no more than 20 out of 59 fortified knots of the fortress were lost. But the general strategic situation in other sectors of the front by this time was clearly not in favor of the Russian troops. And due to the cowardice of General Stessel and the new head of the land defense, General A.V. Fock December 20, 1904 Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.

Conclusion: As a result of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.

2.2 The course of hostilities during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905

The city was not successful for the Russian army, Russia lost the military base of Port Arthur.

Taking advantage of the respite in the battles, Kuropatkin A.R. reorganized the troops and increased the total number of his troops to 300 thousand and on January 25-28, 1905 launched a new offensive, trying to crush all 3 armies of Marshal Oyama (total number of 220 thousand). The most stubborn fighting took place in the area of ​​the village of Sandepu. The offensive was carried out by units of only the 2nd Russian army, the Japanese command pulled up reserves, as a result, the advance of the Russian troops was stopped. Private successes were not developed and the armies withdrew to their original lines.

And on February 19, 1905, the Japanese army itself launched a counteroffensive. The well-known in history battle of Mukden unfolded, which lasted until February 25. And although the forces of the Russian troops amounted to 330 thousand people against 270 thousand Japanese, the Russian troops could not achieve victory in the battle. Both military groupings, dug in, met each other on a line 65 km long. And although after two weeks of fierce battles, the Japanese soldiers entered Mukden, Oyama's attempt to surround the Russians was not successful. During the battle, the right flank of the Russians was thrown back so far that Kuropatkin had no choice but to withdraw from the battle and retreat to the Sypin positions, defeated, but not put to flight.

The Russian army had not experienced such a defeat for a long time, although during the hostilities it inflicted quite significant damage on the Japanese army and bled it so much that they could not organize the pursuit of the Russian troops.

The operation near Mukden ended the fighting on the Manchurian front. As a result of the entire land campaign, Japan was able to retain almost the entire southern part of Manchuria. The Japanese victory was significant, but not so impressive as to force Russia to immediately make peace.

The last headquarters of the tsarist government were the newly formed 2nd and 3rd Pacific squadrons sent from the Baltic to the Far East in October 1904. The 2nd Pacific squadron of Rozhdestvensky, in 7 months of an unprecedented campaign for that time, having overcome over 18,000 miles in May 1905, approached the Korea Strait. In its narrowest part, between the islands of Tsushima and Iki, the squadron was already waiting for Japanese ships deployed for battle under the command of Admiral Togo.

The Tsushima battle began on May 27, 1905. The Japanese concentrated all their firepower on the leading Russian battleships. Russian ships courageously fought back, inflicting significant damage to Japanese ships. Admiral Rozhdestvensky was seriously wounded. The forces were not equal and the Russian squadron lost control, the formation broke up and the battle broke up into duels between individual Russian ships with superior enemy forces. The battle continued into the sunset. At night, attacks by Japanese destroyers inflicted particularly heavy damage on the Russian squadron. As a result of day and night fighting, the Russian squadron ceased to exist as an organized, combat-ready force. Most of the squadron's ships were sunk. Some were forced to surrender to superior enemy forces. 1 destroyer and 3 cruisers went to foreign ports and were interned there. Only 1 cruiser and 2 destroyers broke through to Vladivostok.

As a result of the Tsushima battle, the Russian squadron lost over 5 thousand people killed. 27 warships were sunk, surrendered and interned. The Japanese squadron also suffered losses, but they were much smaller.

In the land theater of operations, after Mukden, there were practically no active hostilities.

Conclusion: In 1905, there was the Mukden battle, in which the Russian troops were defeated. Russia was in no hurry to make peace with Japan, because it still hoped for the strength of its army.

3. Treaty of Portsmouth

3.1 The results and significance of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905

In the course of the armed struggle in the land and sea theaters, Japan achieved major successes. But despite the victories won, the morale of the Japanese troops gradually weakened. Immediately after the Battle of Tsushima, Japan turned to the United States with a request for peace mediation. The American ambassador in St. Petersburg was instructed to persuade Russia to negotiate.

July 1905 in Portsmouth (USA) opened a peace conference. Negotiations began in favorable conditions for Japan. Before the opening of the conference, the Anglo-American imperialists agreed with Japan on delimiting spheres of influence in the Far East. Only the firm position of the delegation forced Japan to moderate its demands. In view of the depletion of its resources, Japan was afraid of the resumption of hostilities and therefore was forced to refuse indemnities and be content with the southern part of Sakhalin.

The peace treaty signed on August 23, 1905 recognized Korea as a sphere of Japanese interests. Both sides pledged to withdraw their troops from Manchuria, Russia ceded Port Arthur and the railway to Changchun station. Part of Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel passed into the possession of Japan. Russia undertook to give the Japanese the right to fish along the Russian shores in the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and the Bering Sea.

The bitter experience of the Russian-Japanese war was taken into account in the reorganization of the army and navy, which was carried out in 1908-1910.

The war brought the peoples of Russia and Japan a deterioration in their financial situation, an increase in taxes and prices. Japan's public debt increased 4 times, its losses amounted to 135 thousand killed and died from wounds and diseases and about 554 thousand wounded and sick. Russia spent 2347 million rubles on the war, about 500 million rubles were lost in the form of property that went to Japan and sunk ships and vessels. Russia's losses amounted to 400 thousand killed, wounded, sick and captured.

And yet, victory in the war with Russia brought significant economic benefits to Japan. After the Russo-Japanese War, when Japan became the de facto master of South Manchuria, capturing the Chinese region developed by the efforts of Russia, the Chinese population in this region experienced all the "charms" of the occupation regime, turning on their own land into "second-class" people and cheap labor . However, despite the defeat in the war, Russia remained a serious military and political force, which was difficult for the Japanese government to ignore. But the victory in the war inflamed the ambitions of the then Japanese elite and, as a result, led Japan to a crushing defeat and a national catastrophe, but already in the Second World War.

From the standpoint of today, the sophisticated propaganda of the then Japanese government looks especially cynical, about the desire to "save China from enslavement by the Western powers", but in fact, hatching strategic plans to destroy the existing infrastructure of Russian support for the integrity of the Chinese states. In practice, immediately after, under the terms of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, Japan introduced a strict colonial regime and began to create a military foothold for the occupation of all of Manchuria and the further seizure of the interior provinces of China.

For Russia, historically more significant than economic and human losses was the beginning of the first Russian revolution, the onset of which accelerated the defeat in the war. The main result was that the war pushed Russia onto the path of transformation and further revolutionary changes, exacerbating many of the problems and contradictions inherent in autocratic power.

Reasons for the defeat of Russia:

All the numerous reasons for the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. can be classified into three main groups:

reasons emanating from the nationwide system and the situation within the country;

reasons depending on the low level of military organization;

additional reasons.

The internal situation in the country

Russia had enough forces and means to win the war even after the disasters of Port Arthur, Mukden and Tsushima. The country's military and material resources were enormous, especially since it was only towards the end of the war that the rusty state and military mechanism was reorganized on a military footing. If the war had continued for another year or two, then Russia would have had the opportunity to reduce the war to at least a draw. However, the tsarist government was interested in the speedy conclusion of peace. The main reason for this was the revolution that had begun in the country. Therefore, the State Council decided to conclude peace as soon as possible, even in such unfavorable conditions, in order to untie the hands of the government to fight the first bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1905-07 that had begun.

When peasant unrest, protests of the proletariat take place in the country, anti-government sentiments grow in the army and the whole society, and even armed uprisings occur in cities, in such conditions the government has no other choice but to stop the external war as soon as possible and direct all its forces to resolving the situation. inside the country.

In 1905 Russia was a knot of contradictions. In the field of social class relations, the most acute were the agrarian question, the position of the working class, and the national question of the peoples of the empire. In the political sphere, there is a contradiction between the government and the emerging civil society. Russia remained the only one of the major capitalist powers that had neither a parliament, nor legal political parties, nor the legal freedoms of citizens. Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War exposed its technical and economic backwardness compared to the advanced countries, and in the face of growing confrontation between the groupings of imperialist states, such a lag was fraught with the most serious consequences.

Most researchers of the theme of the Russian-Japanese war, starting with V.I. Lenin, who described the defeat in the war as the military collapse of tsarism, saw the root cause of the nominal defeat in the state system, in the Russian autocracy. Indeed, tsarism created bad generals, ruined the army, and administered foreign and domestic policy. But after all, the centuries-old history of autocracy in Russia also knew brilliant victories.5

Conclusion: Thus, the contradictions between the needs of the country's development and the inability to provide it in the conditions of autocratic Russia became more and more irreconcilable. In the autumn-winter of 1905, the whole society began to move. At this time, various streams of the revolutionary and liberal movements merged. The first Russian revolution of 1905-07 began.

Conclusion

In the course work, many reasons were considered that led to the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. The root causes were the reactionary and incapacity of tsarism and the high military command, the unpopularity of the war among the people, the army's poor readiness for military operations, insufficient material and technical support, and so on.

There are many reasons. These are purely military, and economic, and political, and social. And each of these reasons individually, and even in a group, would not have led Russia to that tragedy. The history of our country knows many cases when victories were won with "stupid" generals, and with unusable weapons, and with the opposition of many countries, and in times of revolutions and crises. In any difficult and unfavorable conditions, victory was still possible. But in that war, a huge variety of factors like a mosaic formed into a single picture. But then the question arises why all these factors were formed in one place and at one time. A simple enumeration of historical facts and even their analysis does not give us an answer. Was it a fatal coincidence, an accident? Or in that chain of events, you can trace some kind of pattern. But one pattern is striking - all events led to defeat, and everything conducive to victory was destroyed, whether it was the death of progressive commanders or problems with weapons, the aggravation of the foreign policy situation or the heating of the situation inside the country. And there is only one conclusion - if events lead to defeat, then this defeat is necessary. What happened in Russia in the national consciousness by the beginning of the 20th century. Despite the fact that both culture and society continued to live and develop, something important began to disappear from the national consciousness, something that is more significant than culture and education - a certain system of values, spirituality began to degenerate. And it was the internal degradation of the people that created the autocratic system, a weak tsar, stupid generals, an inert system of power, oppression of the people, and so on. And no reforms could help here and fundamentally change something. That is why the Stolypin reforms failed, the revolutionary situation was aggravated, military defeats were taking place, all this happened in order to cause a concussion of the whole society, so that something would change in self-consciousness. Development does not always go straight up, very often shocks, crises, disasters are needed to realize something important.

So, the events of 1904-1905. only links in a large chain of events in the history of our country. Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War, because. it was necessary for the whole country to get out of the decline of national consciousness, in which Russia found itself by the beginning of the 20th century.

Bibliographic list

1. Balakin V.I. Causes and consequences of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. // "New and latest history" 2004 N 6

Vinogradsky A.N. Japanese-Russian war. Causes, theater of war and means of the parties. SPb., 1904, p.3.

Zolotukhin A.P. History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 M. 1980

Levitsky N.A. Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 M., 2003

International relations in the Far East. M., Politizdat. 1991

Minutes of the Portsmouth Peace Conference and the text of the agreement between Russia and Japan, concluded in Portsmouth on August 23 (September 5), 1905. St. Petersburg, 1906, p.101-104.

Fedorov A. History of Russia XIX beginning XX I.M., 1975

Shirokorad A.B. Fall of Port Arthur. Publishing house AS Moscow 2003 ERMAK, p. 184-191.

Appendix

Annex A

Table the balance of forces of the parties before the start of the war.

Russian squadron of the Pacific Ocean in Port Arthur Japanese United Fleet Squadron battleships 7 6 Armored cruisers 1 6 Large armored cruisers (over 4000 tons) 4 4 Small armored cruisers 2 4 Mine cruisers (advisos and minelayers) 4 2 Seagoing gunboats 7 2 Fighters (destroyers) 22 19 Destroyers - 16 Artillery: 12" 20 24 10" 8 - 8" 10* 30 6" 136 184 120 mm 13 43

* Including 4 9" (229mm) guns on gunboats

Annex B

Tables of ships, rifles and cannons of the Japanese army.

Ships built for Japan overseas

Class of shipsQuantityConstruction siteSquadron battleships4England1st class armored cruisers6England, FranceUnarmoured cruisers5England, USAMine cruisers3JapanMine fighters (destroyers) 11EnglandDestroyers with displacement over 100 tons23France, GermanyDestroyers with displacement over 800 tons31France, GermanyJapanDestroyers35

Comparative data of rifles

Data of rifles Murat (Mod. 1889) Arisak (Mod. 1897) Mosin (Mod. 1891) Caliber, mm 86.57.62 Rifle length, mm with bayonet 149016601734 without bayonet 121012701306 Barrel length, mm 750800800 Rifle weight, kg. with a bayonet ... 4.34 without a bayonet 3.913.94.3 Number of cartridges in the magazine 855 Initial speed, m / s. …704860Sighting range, m. …24002200

Japanese cannon data

Gun data Field Mountain Caliber, mm7575 Barrel length, mm/klb2200/29.31000/13.3 Threaded part length, mm1857800 Barrel weight with bolt, mm32799 VN angle, deg. -5; +28-140; +33Angle GN, deg. Both guns do not have a swivel mechanismHeight of the line of fire, mm. 700500Stroke width, mm1300700Wheel diameter, mm14001000System weight, kg in combat position880328 in stowed position with limber1640360Rate of fire, rds. /min 33

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(1904-1905) - the war between Russia and Japan, which was fought for control of Manchuria, Korea and the ports of Port Arthur and Dalniy.

The most important object of the struggle for the final division of the world at the end of the 19th century was economically backward and militarily weak China. It was to the Far East that the center of gravity of the foreign policy activity of Russian diplomacy was shifted from the mid-1890s. The close interest of the tsarist government in the affairs of this region was largely due to the appearance here by the end of the 19th century of a strong and very aggressive neighbor in the face of Japan, which had embarked on the path of expansion.

By decision of the Japanese commander-in-chief, Marshal Iwao Oyama, Maresuke Nogi's army began the siege of Port Arthur, while the 1st, 2nd and 4th armies, which landed at Dagushan, moved to Liaoyang from the southeast, south and southwest. In mid-June, Kuroki's army occupied the passes southeast of the city, and in July repulsed an attempted Russian counteroffensive. The army of Yasukata Oku, after the battle at Dashichao in July, captured the port of Yingkou, cutting off the connection of the Manchurian army with Port Arthur by sea. In the second half of July, three Japanese armies joined at Liaoyang; their total number was more than 120 thousand against 152 thousand Russians. In the battle near Liaoyang on August 24 - September 3, 1904 (August 11-21, O.S.), both sides suffered huge losses: the Russians lost more than 16 thousand killed, and the Japanese - 24 thousand. The Japanese were unable to encircle the army of Alexei Kuropatkin, which withdrew to Mukden in perfect order, but they captured Liaoyang and the Yantai coal mines.

The retreat to Mukden meant for the defenders of Port Arthur the collapse of hopes for any effective assistance from the ground forces. The Japanese 3rd Army captured the Wolf Mountains and began an intense bombardment of the city and the internal raid. Despite this, several of her assaults in August were repulsed by the garrison under the command of Major General Roman Kondratenko; the besiegers lost 16,000 dead. At the same time, the Japanese succeeded at sea. An attempt to break through the Pacific Fleet to Vladivostok at the end of July failed, Rear Admiral Witgeft died. In August, the squadron of Vice Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura managed to overtake and defeat the cruiser detachment of Rear Admiral Jessen.

By the beginning of October 1904, thanks to reinforcements, the number of the Manchurian army reached 210 thousand, and the Japanese troops near Liaoyang - 170 thousand.

Fearing that in the event of the fall of Port Arthur, the Japanese forces would increase significantly due to the released 3rd Army, Kuropatkin launched an offensive to the south at the end of September, but was defeated in the battle on the Shahe River, losing 46 thousand killed (the enemy - only 16 thousand) and went on the defensive. The four-month "Shahei Sitting" began.

In September-November, the defenders of Port Arthur repulsed three Japanese assaults, but the 3rd Japanese Army managed to capture Mount Vysokaya, which dominated Port Arthur. On January 2, 1905 (December 20, 1904, O.S.), the head of the Kwantung Fortified Region, Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel, without exhausting all possibilities for resistance, surrendered Port Arthur (in the spring of 1908, a military court sentenced him to death, replaced by ten years imprisonment).

The fall of Port Arthur sharply worsened the strategic position of the Russian troops and the command tried to turn the tide. However, the successfully launched offensive of the 2nd Manchurian army on the village of Sandepa was not supported by other armies. After joining the main forces of the Japanese 3rd Army

Feet their number was equal to the number of Russian troops. In February, Tamemoto Kuroki's army attacked the 1st Manchurian Army southeast of Mukden, and Noga's army began bypassing the Russian right flank. Kuroki's army broke through the front of Nikolai Linevich's army. On March 10 (February 25 O.S.), 1905, the Japanese occupied Mukden. Having lost more than 90 thousand killed and captured, the Russian troops retreated north to Telin in disarray. The largest defeat at Mukden meant the loss of the campaign in Manchuria by the Russian command, although he managed to save a significant part of the army.

Trying to achieve a turning point in the war, the Russian government sent the 2nd Pacific squadron of Admiral Zinovy ​​Rozhestvensky, created from part of the Baltic Fleet, to the Far East, but on May 27-28 (May 14-15, O.S.) in the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese fleet destroyed the Russian squadron . Only one cruiser and two destroyers reached Vladivostok. At the beginning of the summer, the Japanese completely ousted the Russian detachments from North Korea, and by July 8 (June 25, O.S.) captured Sakhalin.

Despite the victories, Japan's forces were exhausted, and at the end of May, through the intermediary of US President Theodore Roosevelt, she invited Russia to enter into peace negotiations. Russia, which found itself in a difficult domestic political situation, agreed. On August 7 (July 25, O.S.), a diplomatic conference opened in Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA), which ended on September 5 (August 23, O.S.), 1905, with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth. According to its terms, Russia ceded to Japan the southern part of Sakhalin, the rights to lease Port Arthur and the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and the southern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway from the Changchun station to Port Arthur, allowed its fishing fleet to fish off the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, recognized Korea as a zone of Japanese influence and gave up its political, military and trade advantages in Manchuria. At the same time, Russia was exempted from paying any indemnities.

Japan, which as a result of the victory took the leading place among the powers of the Far East, until the end of World War II celebrated the day of the victory at Mukden as the Day of the Ground Forces, and the date of the victory at Tsushima as the Day of the Naval Forces.

The Russo-Japanese War was the first major war of the 20th century. Russia lost about 270 thousand people (including over 50 thousand killed), Japan - 270 thousand people (including over 86 thousand killed).

In the Russo-Japanese War, for the first time, machine guns, rapid-firing artillery, mortars, hand grenades, a radiotelegraph, searchlights, barbed wire, including those under high voltage, naval mines and torpedoes, etc., were used on a large scale.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Causes of the war

The famous cruiser "Varyag"

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was an influential power with a significant territory. Nicholas II wanted to turn the country into a world colonial power. Particularly attractive were the territories providing year-round maritime communication.

In 1897, Russia leased Port Arthur and the Liaodong Peninsula from China. These territories are used as a naval base and provide access to the Pacific Ocean. Starting the construction of the railway in Manchuria in 1898, Russia deployed troops on Chinese territory, under the pretext of ensuring the safety of its construction. In addition, Russia had views of the territory of Korea.

The territories of China and Korea were also desirable for Japan. In 1894-1895, Japan won the war with China and claimed a number of its territories, including the Liaodong Peninsula and Manchuria, Korea was also supposed to fall under its influence. As a result of the intervention of Russia and a number of European countries, these plans were not implemented.

In 1903, countries tried to peacefully resolve disputes and delimit their zones of influence. Japan offered Russia to take control of the territory of northeastern China, but completely abandon its claims to the territory of Korea. This did not suit Russia. The Russian government was sure that Japan would not dare to start a war. They underestimated the enemy.

In 1904, Japan launched a war against Russia by attacking ships in Port Arthur, officially announcing the start of the war on the same day.

Course of the war (chronology of major events)

We bring to your attention a brief table of the main events of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. with dates, progress and results.

Event	the date	Course and outcome of the event
The attack of the Japanese fleet on the Russian squadron	January 1904	Japan suddenly attacked without declaring war. Her target was the Russian squadron. Japan planned to put out of action the strongest ships of the Russian squadron, for the unhindered entry of troops into the territory of Korea. The cruiser "Varyag" and the ship "Koreets" entered into an unequal battle in the port of Chemulpo near Seoul. Unable to get out of the encirclement, the teams decided to flood the ships. The cruiser "Pallada" took an unequal battle in Port Arthur.
Siege of Port Arthur	February-December 1904	The fortress was a strategically important object. General R.I. Kondratiev took over the organization of the defense of the fortress, it lasted so long thanks to him. In December, during the shelling, the general was killed. A few days later, General A.M. Stessel decided to surrender Port Arthur. Later, General Stessel was sentenced to death under public pressure, but he was pardoned by Nicholas II.
Battle of Mukden	February 1904	In this battle, the Japanese army was commanded by General Oyama, the Russian army by General A. Kuropatkin. Losses were heavy on both sides. Japan won not quite confident, but a victory. Among the reasons that led to the defeat are the poor provision of the Russian army and weak staff work. During the battle, there was an opportunity to go on the offensive, but General Kuropatkin gave the order to retreat. Some historians believe that General Kuropatkin missed several opportunities to deliberately turn the tide of the war. He would be interested in the return of Witte, who held the post of prime minister and was removed from it by order of Nicholas II. For this, it was necessary to reduce the war to a draw, so that the parties sat down at the negotiating table. Witte was a good negotiator and Nicholas II brought him back by the end of the war.
Tsushima battle	May 1905	This battle turned out to be devastating for Russia. The Russian fleet was destroyed, only the Aurora cruiser and two more ships survived, the rest were mostly flooded, some were boarded.

The results and consequences of the war for Russia and Japan

Under the terms of the peace treaty, part of Sakhalin Island passed under the rule of Japan. Russia recognized Japan's right to dominate Korea. The rights to lease the territory of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur passed to Japan.
Japan counted on monetary compensation and a large territory; the country was dissatisfied with the peace treaty. For Russia, the negotiations ended in success and represented an agreement of equal parties. However, the Russo-Japanese War became one of the causes of popular discontent.

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

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Prerequisites

Main events unfolded in the Far East, in one of the most disputed regions of the world. At the same time, the Russian and Japanese empires claimed it, each had its own political strategies regarding this area, ambitions and plans. Specifically, it was about 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 only the strongest countries in the world, but also actively developing. Oddly enough, this was the first prerequisite for the Russo-Japanese War.

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

The interests of Great Britain were affected, so the Russian map continued to grow in the direction of the Far East.

China was the first to stand in the way, which became impoverished from numerous wars, was forced give Russia part of their territories in order to obtain support and funds. So, new lands came into the possession of our empire: Primorye, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The reasons also lay in the policy of Japan. The new emperor Meiji considered self-isolation a relic of the past and actively began to develop his country, promoting it in the international arena. 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 war in 1904 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 the prerequisites for future confrontation were hidden, since the interests of the two empires met, which contradicted each other. So, on January 27 (February 9), 1904, the war between Russia and Japan was officially started.

Causes

The Russo-Japanese War has become one of the most striking examples of the "cockfight". No racist, religious or ideological disputes were observed between the two warring countries. The essence of the conflict did not lie in the increase of its own territory for significant reasons. It's just that each state had a goal: to prove to itself and others that it is powerful, strong and invincible.

First consider Causes of the Russo-Japanese War within the Russian Empire:

1. 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.
2. It was possible once and for all to suppress the outbreak of the revolution, in which the peasants, workers and even the urban intelligentsia were drawn.

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

Note! The participants in the armed confrontation, in case of victory, would have adjusted their internal political differences. The economy of the victorious country would have improved significantly and new lands would have been received into its possession - Manchuria, Korea and the whole Yellow Sea.

Military action 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 objects - 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 provisions and ammunition were delivered to soldiers from the European part of the country by train, which is why they required additional protection.

By the way, this has become one of the reasons for the defeat of Russia. The distance from the industrial centers of our country to the Far East is unrealistically great. 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 Russians. Moreover, having left their native and very small islands, they were literally scattered over a vast territory. But in the unfortunate 1904-1905 they were saved by military power. The latest weapons and armored vehicles, destroyers, improved artillery have done their job. It is worth noting the very tactics of warfare and combat, which the Japanese learned from the British. In a word, they took not quantity, but quality and cunning.

Naval battles

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

Shipbuilding in the Far East region at that time was not too developed, and it was extremely difficult to deliver the "gifts" of the Black Sea to such a distance.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, the fleet was always powerful, Meiji was well prepared, knew the enemy's weaknesses very well, therefore he managed not only to restrain the enemy's onslaught, but also to completely defeat our fleet.

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

Main events

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

• February 9, 1904 - battle of Chemulpo. The Russian cruiser "Varyag" and the ship "Korean", under the command of Vsevolod Rudnev, were surrounded by the Japanese squadron. In an unequal battle, both ships perished, and the remaining crew members were evacuated to Sevastopol and Odessa. In the future, they were forbidden to enter the service in the Pacific Fleet;
• On February 27 of the same year, with the help of the latest torpedoes, the Japanese disabled more than 90% of the Russian fleet by attacking it in Port Arthur;
• spring 1904 - the defeat of the Russian Empire in numerous battles on land. In addition to the difficulties in transporting ammunition and provisions, our soldiers simply did not have a normal map. The Russo-Japanese War had clear schemes, 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 was another unequal sea 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 the territory of Sakhalin.

Probably, the answer to the question of who won the war is obvious. But in fact, numerous battles on land and water have 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. 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 the revolution were in full swing. The enemy knew this, so he set a condition: Japan agreed to the signing of a peace treaty only on condition of complete surrender. At the same time, they had to comply 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 her enemy an indemnity for the maintenance of prisoners.

And these were not the only negative consequences of the Russo-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 also stopped.

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

This was the seed of the birth of a new alliance called the Entente. It is worth noting that Europe was also frightened by the impending revolution, so it tried to provide all possible support to our country so that these events would not go beyond its borders, but 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 it all work out

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

1. Significant distance from industrial centers. The railroad could not cope with the transportation of everything needed to the front.
2. The lack of proper training and skill in the Russian army and navy. The Japanese had more advanced technology possession of weapons and combat.
3. Our adversary developed a fundamentally new military equipment, which was difficult to cope with.
4. Betrayal by the tsarist generals. For example, the surrender of Port Arthur, which was previously taken.
5. The war was not popular among the common people, and many of the soldiers who were sent to the front were not interested in winning. But the Japanese warriors were ready to die for the sake of the emperor.

Analysis of the Russo-Japanese War by historians

One of the largest confrontations is the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The reasons for it will be discussed in the article. As a result of the conflict, armadillo guns, long-range artillery, and destroyers were used.

The essence of this war was which of the two warring empires would dominate the Far East. Emperor of Russia Nicholas II considered it his primary task to strengthen the influence of his power in East Asia. At the same time, Emperor Meiji of Japan sought to gain complete control over Korea. War became inevitable.

Background of the conflict

It is clear that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 (the reasons are connected with the Far East) did not start instantly. She had her prerequisites.

Russia advanced in Central Asia to the border with Afghanistan and Persia, which affected the interests of Great Britain. Unable to expand in this direction, the empire switched to the East. There was China, which, due to complete exhaustion in the opium wars, was forced to transfer part of the territory to Russia. So she received control of Primorye (the territory of modern Vladivostok), the Kuril Islands, and partly Sakhalin Island. To connect distant frontiers, the Trans-Siberian Railway was created, which, along the railway line, provided communication between Chelyabinsk and Vladivostok. In addition to the railroad, Russia planned to trade on the ice-free Yellow Sea through Port Arthur.

In Japan, at the same time, their transformations were taking place. Having come to power, Emperor Meiji ended the policy of self-isolation and began to modernize the state. All his reforms were so successful that a quarter of a century after they began, the empire was able to seriously think about military expansion to other states. Its first targets were China and Korea. The victory of Japan over China allowed her to get in 1895 the rights to Korea, the island of Taiwan and other lands.

A conflict was brewing between two strong empires for dominance in East Asia. The result was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The causes of the conflict should be considered in more detail.

The main causes of the war

It was extremely important for both powers to show their military achievements, so the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 unfolded. The reasons for this confrontation lie not only in the claims to the territory of China, but also in the internal political situations that had developed in both empires by that time. A successful campaign in war not only provides the victor with economic benefits, but also raises her status on the world stage and silences opponents of her existing power. What did both states count on in this conflict? What were the main causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905? The table below reveals the answers to these questions.

Precisely because both powers were striving for an armed solution to the conflict, all diplomatic negotiations did not bring results.

The balance of power on land

The causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 were both economic and political. The 23rd Artillery Brigade was sent to the Eastern Front from Russia. As for the numerical advantage of the armies, the leadership belonged to Russia. However, in the East, the army was limited to 150 thousand people. However, they were scattered over a wide area.

• Vladivostok - 45,000 people
• Manchuria - 28,000 people
• Port Arthur - 22,000 people
• Security of the Chinese Eastern Railway - 35,000 people.
• Artillery, engineering troops - up to 8000 people.

The biggest problem of the Russian army was the remoteness from the European part. Communication was carried out by telegraph, and delivery was carried out by the CER line. However, a limited amount of cargo could be delivered by rail. In addition, the leadership did not have accurate maps of the area, which negatively affected the course of the war.

Japan before the war had an army of 375 thousand people. They studied the area well, had fairly accurate maps. The army has been modernized by English specialists, and the soldiers are devoted to their emperor to death.

The balance of power on the water

In addition to land, battles also took place on the water. Admiral Heihachiro Togo led the Japanese fleet. His task was to block the enemy squadron near Port Arthur. In another sea (Japanese), the squadron of the Land of the Rising Sun counteracted the Vladivostok group of cruisers.

Understanding the causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Meiji state thoroughly prepared for battles on the water. The most important ships of her United Fleet were produced in England, France, Germany and were significantly superior to Russian ships.

Major events of the war

When in February 1904 the Japanese forces began to cross into Korea, the Russian command did not attach any importance to this, although they understood the reasons for the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905.

Briefly about the main events.

• 09.02.1904. The historical battle of the cruiser "Varyag" against the Japanese squadron near Chemulpo.
• 27.02.1904. The Japanese fleet attacked the Russian Port Arthur without declaring war. The Japanese used torpedoes for the first time and disabled 90% of the Pacific Fleet.
• April 1904. The clash of armies on land, which showed Russia's unpreparedness for war (inconsistency in form, lack of military maps, inability to fence). Due to the fact that Russian officers had white tunics, Japanese soldiers easily figured out and killed them.
• May 1904. Capture of the port of Dalniy by the Japanese.
• August 1904. Successful Russian defense of Port Arthur.
• January 1905. Surrender of Port Arthur by Stessel.
• May 1905. The naval battle near Tsushima destroyed the Russian squadron (one ship returned to Vladivostok), while not a single Japanese ship was injured.
• July 1905. Japanese invasion of Sakhalin.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were of an economic nature, led to the exhaustion of both powers. Japan began to look for ways to resolve the conflict. She resorted to the help of Great Britain and the United States.

Battle of Chemulpo

The famous battle took place on February 9, 1904 off the coast of Korea (the city of Chemulpo). Captain Vsevolod Rudnev commanded two Russian ships. These were the cruiser "Varyag" and the boat "Korean". The squadron of Japan under the command of Sotokichi Uriu consisted of 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, 8 destroyers. They blocked the Russian ships and forced them to join the battle.

In the morning, in clear weather, the Varyag and the Koreyets weighed anchor and tried to get out of the bay. In honor of the exit from the port, music began to play for them, but after only five minutes the alarm sounded on the deck. The battle flag went up.

The Japanese did not expect such actions and expected to destroy the Russian ships in the port. The enemy squadron in a hurry raised anchors, battle flags and began to prepare for battle. The battle began with a shot from the Asama. Then there was a battle with the use of armor-piercing and high-explosive shells from both sides.

In unequal forces, the Varyag was badly damaged, and Rudnev decided to turn back to the anchorage. There, the Japanese could not continue shelling because of the danger of damaging the ships of other states.

Having lowered the anchor, the Varyag team began to study the condition of the ship. Rudnev, meanwhile, went for permission to destroy the cruiser and transfer his team to neutral ships. Not all officers supported Rudnev's decision, but two hours later the team was evacuated. They decided to sink the Varyag by opening its floodgates. The bodies of the dead sailors were left on the cruiser.

It was decided to blow up the Korean boat, having evacuated the team before that. All things were left on the ship, and secret documents were burned.

The sailors were received by French, English and Italian ships. After carrying out all the necessary procedures, they were delivered to Odessa and Sevastopol, from where they were disbanded by the fleet. By agreement, they could not continue to participate in the Russo-Japanese conflict, so they were not allowed into the Pacific Fleet.

The results of the war

Japan agreed to sign the peace treaty with the complete surrender of Russia, in which the revolution had already begun. According to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty (08/23/1905), Russia was obliged to fulfill the following points:

1. Relinquish claims to Manchuria.
2. Renounce in favor of Japan from the Kuril Islands and half of Sakhalin Island.
3. Recognize Japan's right to Korea.
4. Transfer to Japan the right to lease Port Arthur.
5. Pay Japan an indemnity for the "maintenance of prisoners."

In addition, the defeat in the war had negative consequences for Russia in economic terms. Stagnation began in some industries, as their lending from foreign banks decreased. Living in the country has risen in price significantly. The industrialists insisted on the speedy conclusion of peace.

Even those countries that initially supported Japan (Great Britain and the United States) realized how difficult the situation in Russia was. The war had to be stopped in order to direct all forces to the fight against the revolution, which was equally feared by world states.

Mass movements began among workers and military personnel. A striking example is the uprising on the battleship Potemkin.

The causes and results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are clear. It remains to find out what were the losses in human terms. Russia lost 270 thousand, of which 50 thousand were killed. Japan lost the same number of soldiers, but more than 80,000 were killed.

Value judgments

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were of an economic and political nature, showed serious problems within the Russian Empire. He also wrote about this. War revealed problems in the army, its weapons, command, as well as blunders in diplomacy.

Japan was not fully satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. The state lost too much in the fight against the European enemy. She hoped to get more territory, but the United States did not support her in this. Discontent began to brew inside the country, and Japan continued the path of militarization.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were considered, brought many military tricks:

• use of spotlights;
• the use of wire fences under high voltage current;
• field kitchen;
• radiotelegraphy for the first time made it possible to control ships from a distance;
• switching to fuel oil, which produces no smoke and makes ships less visible;
• the appearance of ships - minelayers, which began to be produced with the spread of mine weapons;
• flamethrowers.

One of the heroic battles of the war with Japan is the battle of the Varyag cruiser at Chemulpo (1904). Together with the ship "Korean" they opposed the whole squadron of the enemy. The battle was obviously lost, but the sailors still made an attempt to break through. It turned out to be unsuccessful, and in order not to surrender, the crew led by Rudnev sank their ship. For courage and heroism, they were awarded the praise of Nicholas II. The Japanese were so impressed by the character and stamina of Rudnev and his sailors that in 1907 they awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun. The captain of the sunken cruiser accepted the award, but never wore it.

There is a version according to which Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese for a fee. How true this version is, it is already impossible to verify. Be that as it may, because of his act, the campaign was doomed to failure. For this, the general was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in the fortress, but he was pardoned a year after imprisonment. He was deprived of all titles and awards, while leaving a pension.