Causes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1904 1905. Russo-Japanese War briefly

The confrontation between Russia and Japan for control over Manchuria, Korea, the ports of Port Arthur and Dalniy were main reason the beginning of a tragic war for Russia.

The fighting began with an attack by the Japanese fleet, which on the night of February 9, 1904, without declaring war, launched a surprise attack on the Russian squadron near the naval base of Port Arthur.

In March 1904 japanese army landed in Korea, and in April - in the south of Manchuria. Under the blows of superior enemy forces, the Russian troops left the Jinzhou position in May and blocked Port Arthur 3 by the Japanese army. In the battle of June 14-15 at Vafangou, the Russian army retreated.

In early August, the Japanese landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and laid siege to the fortress of Port Arthur. On August 10, 1904, the Russian squadron made an unsuccessful attempt to break through from Port Arthur, as a result, individual escaped ships were interned in neutral ports, and the Novik cruiser near Kamchatka died in an unequal battle.

The siege of Port Arthur lasted from May 1904 and fell on January 2, 1905. The main goal of Japan was achieved. The battles in Northern Manchuria were of an auxiliary nature, because. the Japanese did not have the strength and means to occupy it and the entire Russian Far East.

The first major battle on land near Liaoyang (August 24 - September 3, 1904) led to the retreat of Russian troops to Mukden. The meeting battle on October 5-17 on the Shahe River and the attempt of the Russian troops to advance on January 24, 1905 in the Sandepu area were unsuccessful.

After the largest Mukden battle (February 19 - March 10, 1905), Russian troops withdrew to Telin, and then to Sypingai positions 175 km north of Mukden. Here they met the end of the war.

Formed after the death of the Russian fleet in Port Arthur, 2 Pacific made a six-month transition to the Far East. However, in the hours-long battle at Fr. Tsushima (May 27, 1905) she was crushed and destroyed by superior enemy forces.

Russian military losses, according to official figures, amounted to 31,630 killed, 5,514 died of wounds and 1,643 died in captivity. Russian sources estimated the losses of Japan as more significant: 47,387 people were killed, 173,425 were wounded, 11,425 died from wounds and 27,192 from diseases.

According to foreign sources, the losses in killed, wounded and sick of Japan and Russia are comparable, and Russian prisoners were several times more than Japanese.

Results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

For Russia . She ceded to Japan the Liaodong Peninsula along with a branch of the South Manchurian Railway and the southern half of about. Sakhalin. Russian troops were withdrawn from Manchuria, and Korea was recognized as a sphere of influence of Japan.

Russia's position in China and on everything Far East were undermined. The country lost its position as one of the largest maritime powers, abandoned the "oceanic" strategy and returned to the "continental" strategy. Russia reduced international trade and tightened domestic policy.

The main reason for the defeat of Russia in this war is the weakness of the fleet and poor logistics.

Defeat in the war led to military reforms and a marked improvement in combat training. The troops, especially the command staff, gained combat experience, which later proved itself in the First World War.

Losing the war was the catalyst for the first Russian revolution. Despite its suppression by 1907, the Russian empire did not recover from this blow and ceased to exist.

For Japan . Psychologically and politically, Japan's victory demonstrated to Asia the ability to defeat the Europeans. Japan has become a great power of the European level of development. It began to dominate Korea and coastal China, began active naval construction, and by the end of World War I had become the third maritime power in the world.

Geopolitical. All positions of Russia in the Pacific region were practically lost, it abandoned the eastern (southeastern) direction of expansion and turned its attention to Europe, the Middle East and the Straits zone.

Relations with England improved and an agreement was signed on the delimitation of spheres of influence in Afghanistan. The Anglo-French-Russian alliance "Entente" was finally formed. The balance of power in Europe shifted temporarily in favor of the Central Powers.

Anatoly Sokolov

Russo-Japanese War arose from the ambition to carry out the expansion of Manchuria and Korea. The parties were preparing for war, realizing that sooner or later they would go to battles in order to resolve the “Far Eastern issue” between the countries.

Causes of the war

The main reason for the war was the clash of the colonial interests of Japan, which dominated the region, and Russia, which claimed to be 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 increasingly grew 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 back the love of the people. There were no states in Europe where he could easily win, and Japan, with its ambitions, was ideally suited 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 produce results. It was clear that it was going to war.

TOP 5 articleswho read along with this

Plans and tasks of the parties

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

The Japanese fleet was built with the help of the British, and training was also carried out under the guidance of European specialists. The Japanese army was about 375,000 fighters.

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

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 Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905.

Hostilities began on January 27, 1904. The Japanese squadron attacked the Russian Pacific Fleet, which was stationed without much protection on 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 up battle against 14 Japanese ships. The enemy paid tribute to the heroes who accomplished the feat and refused to give up their ship to the delight of the enemies.

Rice. 1. The death of the cruiser Varyag.

The attack on Russian ships stirred up the broad masses of the people, in which even before that “hat-captive” moods were formed. Processions were held in many cities, even the opposition ceased its activities for the duration of the war.

In February-March 1904, the army of General Kuroka landed in Korea. The Russian army met her in Manchuria with the task of delaying the enemy without accepting a pitched battle. However, on April 18 in the battle of Tyurechen East End 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, carried out the transfer of 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 pitched battle. He was probably afraid of Vice Admiral Makarov, who was the first to use the new tactics of waging a naval battle "stick over T".

A great tragedy for Russian sailors was the death of Vice Admiral Makarov. 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, she was defeated at the battle of Liaoyang, and it looked quite real. Japanese army big threat created by the Kuban Cossacks. Their constant attacks and fearless participation in battles harmed communications and manpower.

The Japanese command began to talk about the impossibility to continue the war. If the Russian army went on the offensive, it would have happened, but Commander Kropotkin gave an absolutely stupid order to retreat. The Russian army had many chances to develop the offensive and win the 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 company of 1905, the Japanese outstripped the Russian offensive, inflicting a defeat on them at Mukden. Public sentiment began to express dissatisfaction with the war, unrest began.

Rice. 3. Battle of Mukden.

In May 1905, the Second and Third Pacific Squadrons formed in St. Petersburg entered the waters of Japan. During the Battle of Tsushima, both squadrons were destroyed. The Japanese used new types of shells filled with "shimosa", melting the side of the ship, and not piercing it.

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

Summing up, we will summarize in the table “Events and dates of the Russo-Japanese War”, noting which battles took place in the Russo-Japanese War.

The last 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 number of Money. 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 great value for future political system in Russia, where the power of the emperor will be limited for the first time in several hundred years.

What have we learned?

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

Topic quiz

Report Evaluation

Average rating: 3.9. Total ratings received: 453.

1. Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905 became a major military clash between the imperialist and colonial interests of Russia and Japan for dominance in the Far East and pacific ocean. The war, which claimed the lives of more than 100 thousand Russian soldiers, led to the death of the entire Russian Pacific Fleet, ended with the victory of Japan and the defeat of Russia. As a result of the war:

- the colonial expansion of Russia to the east, which had begun, was stopped;

- the military and political weakness of the policy of Nicholas II was demonstrated, which contributed to the first Russian revolution of 1904-1905.

2. As successful implementation in Russia industrial revolution, the rapid growth of capitalism in Russia, like any imperialist power, there was a need for colonies. At the beginning of the XX century. most of the colonies had already been divided among the big imperialist powers of the West. India, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, Canada, other colonies already belonged to other countries and Russian attempts to invade the occupied colonies would lead to full-scale wars with the countries of the West.

In the late 1890s tsarist minister A. Bezobrazov put forward the idea of ​​turning China into a colony of Russia and expanding the territory of Russia to the east. According to Bezobrazov's plan, China, not yet occupied by the imperialists of other countries, with its resources and cheap labor, could become for Russia an analogue of India for the British.

Simultaneously with China, it was planned to turn into a colony of Russia:

- Mongolia;

- a number of islands of the Pacific Ocean;

— Papua New Guinea.

This would turn Russia into the strongest colonial power in the Pacific - as opposed to Great Britain and France - the largest colonial empires in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

Bezobrazov's plan evoked both support and resistance from the elite. Sober-minded politicians understood that an attempt at Russian hegemony in China and the Pacific would provoke resistance from other countries and war. Opponents of the Far Eastern policy considered Bezobrazov an adventurer and called Bezobrazov and his supporters the “bezobrazov clique.” Despite the resistance of a number of courtiers, the new Tsar Nicholas II liked Bezobrazov's plan, and Russia began to implement it:

- in 1900 the Russian army occupied Northern China(Manchuria) and Mongolia;

— began the military and economic consolidation of Russia in China,

- on the territory of Manchuria, the Chinese Eastern Railway was built, connecting Vladivostok with Siberia through the territory of China;

- began the resettlement of Russians in Harbin - the center of Northeast China;

- deep in China, not far from Beijing, the Russian city of Port Arthur was built, where a garrison of 50 thousand people was concentrated and Russian ships were stationed;

- Port Arthur - the largest naval base of Russia, occupied an advantageous strategic position at the entrance to the Bay of Beijing and became the "sea gate" of Beijing - the capital of China. At the same time, there was a powerful Russian expansion in Korea.

- created Russian-Korean joint-stock companies who penetrated the leading areas of the Korean economy;

— the construction of the railway between Vladivostok and Seoul began;

- the Russian mission in Korea gradually became the shadow government of this country;

- on the roads in the main port of Korea - Incheon (a suburb of Seoul) were Russian warships;

- preparations were underway for the official inclusion of Korea into Russia, which was supported by the Korean leadership, fearing a Japanese invasion;

- Tsar Nicholas II and many of his entourage (basically, the “non-obrazovskaya clique” invested personal money in Korean enterprises that promised to be profitable.

Using military and commercial ports in Vladivostok, Port Arthur and Korea, the Russian military and merchant fleets began to claim a leading role in this region. The military, political and economic expansion of Russia in China, Mongolia and Korea aroused strong indignation in neighboring Japan. Japan, a young imperialist state, like Russia, which recently (after the Meiji revolution of 1868) embarked on the path of capitalist development and did not have minerals, was in dire need of resources and colonies. China, Mongolia and Korea were considered by the Japanese as the first potential Japanese colonies and the Japanese did not want these territories to turn into Russian colonies. Under strong diplomatic pressure from Japan and its ally, England, who threatened war, in 1902 Russia was forced to sign an agreement on China and Korea, according to which Russia was to completely withdraw its troops from China and Korea, after which Korea passed into Japan's zone of influence , and only the CER remained behind Russia. Initially, Russia began to fulfill the agreement, but the Bezobrazovtsy insisted on its failure - in 1903, Russia actually abandoned the agreement and stopped withdrawing troops. The Bezobrazovites convinced Nicholas II that even in the worst case, Russia would face a "small but victorious war", since, in their opinion, Japan was a weak and backward country, and a diplomatic solution should not be sought. The tension between Russia and Japan began to grow, Japan demanded in an ultimatum form the implementation of the treaty on China and Korea, but this demand was ignored by Russia.

3. January 27, 1904 Japan attacked the Russian military squadron in Chemulpo (Incheon) - the main port of Korea. The Russo-Japanese War began.

4. The largest battles of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904 - 1905:

- the battle of the cruisers "Varyag" and "Koreets" with the Japanese fleet in the port of Chemulpo near Seoul (January 27, 1904);

— heroic defense Port Arthur (June - December 1904);

— fighting on the Shahe River in China (1904);

- the battle of Mukden (February 1905);

- Battle of Tsushima (May 1905).

On the first day of the war - January 27, 1904, the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunship "Koreets" in front of the fleets of the whole world, took an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron in the port of Chemulpo (Incheon) near Seoul. During the battle, the Varyag and the Korean sank several of the best Japanese ships, after which, unable to break out of the encirclement, they were flooded by the teams. At the same time, on the same day, the Japanese attacked the Russian fleet in Port Arthur, where the Pallada cruiser took an unequal battle.

A major role in the skillful actions of the fleet on initial stage the war was played by a prominent Russian naval commander, Admiral S. Makarov. March 31, 1904 he died during the battle on the cruiser "Petro-Pavlovsk", which was sunk by the Japanese. After the defeat of the Russian fleet in June 1904, the fighting moved to land. On June 1-2, 1904, the Battle of Wafagou took place in China. During the battle, the Japanese expeditionary force of generals Oku and Nozu, who landed on land, defeated the Russian army of General A. Kuropatkin. As a result of the victory at Vafagou, the Japanese cut the Russian army and surrounded Port Arthur.

The heroic defense of the besieged Port Athur began, which lasted six months. During the defense, the Russian army withstood four fierce assaults, during which the Japanese lost more than 50 thousand people killed; 20 thousand soldiers were killed by the Russian army. On December 20, 1904, the tsarist general A. Stessel, contrary to the requirements of the command, after six months of defense surrendered Port Arthur. Russia lost its main port in the Pacific Ocean. 32 thousand defenders of Port Arthur were captured by the Japanese.

The decisive battle of the war took place near Mukden, in China. The "Mukden meat grinder", in which more than half a million soldiers participated (about 300 thousand on each side), lasted 19 days in a row - from February 5 to February 24, 1905. As a result of the battle, the Japanese army under the command of General Oyama utterly defeated the Russian army of General A Kuropatkin. The reasons for the defeat of the Russian army in the general battle were the weakness of staff work and poor logistics. The Russian command underestimated the enemy, fought "according to the book" without taking into account the real situation, gave mutually exclusive orders; as a result of which 60 thousand Russian soldiers were thrown under fire and killed, more than 120 thousand were captured by the Japanese. In addition, as a result of the negligence of officials, theft, the army was left without ammunition and food, some of which were lost on the way, some came late.

The Mukden disaster, as a result of which, due to the mediocrity of the command and government, 200 thousand soldiers found themselves in the role of "cannon fodder", caused a wave of hatred in Russia towards the tsar and the government, contributed to the growth of the revolution of 1905.

The final and again unsuccessful for Russia was the naval Battle of Tsushima. After the complete defeat of the Russian squadron in the Pacific, a decision was made to relocate Baltic Fleet to the Sea of ​​Japan to help the besieged Port Arthur. October 2, 1904 30 largest ships of the Baltic fleet, including the cruisers "Oslyabya" and "Aurora", under the command of Admiral 3. Rozhdestvensky began their transition to the Pacific Ocean. By May 1905, for 7 months, while the fleet went around three oceans, Port Arthur was surrendered to the enemy, and the Russian army was completely defeated near Mukden. On the way, on May 14, 1905, the Russian fleet, which came from the Baltic, was surrounded by a Japanese fleet of 120 newest ships. During the Tsushima naval battle on May 14-15, 1905, the Russian fleet was completely defeated. Of the 30 ships, only three ships, including the Aurora cruiser, managed to break through Tsushima and survive. The Japanese sank more than 20 Russian ships, including the best cruisers and battleships, the rest were boarded. More than 11 thousand sailors died and were taken prisoner. The Battle of Tsushima deprived Russia of a fleet in the Pacific Ocean and meant the final victory of Japan.

4. August 23, 1905 in the United States (Portsmouth) between Russia and Japan was signed Portsmouth Peace Treaty, according to which.

- became part of Japan Sakhalin Island(southern part), as well as Korea, Port Arthur;

- Manchuria and the Chinese Eastern Railway, which connected the Russian Far East with the rest of Russia, passed under the control of Japan.

For Russia, the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War was catastrophic:

- Russia has suffered huge human losses;

- there was a major disappointment of the people in Nicholas II and the royal elite;

- Russia lost the Asia-Pacific region, which for 40 years came under the complete control of Japan;

The revolution of 1905 began in Russia.

At the same time, during this war, the birth and baptism of fire of militaristic Japan took place, which conquered the first colonies, turned from a closed backward state unknown to the world into a major imperialist power. Victory in the war of 1904 - 1905 encouraged Japanese militarism. Inspired by 1905, Japan over the next 40 years invaded China and other countries, including the United States, which brought misfortune and suffering to these peoples.

One of the largest military conflicts of the early 20th century is the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Its result was the first recent history, the victory of an Asian state over a European one, in a full-scale armed conflict. The Russian Empire entered the war, counting on an easy victory, but the enemy was underestimated.

In the middle of the 19th century, Emperor Mutsuhio carried out a series of reforms, after which Japan turned into a powerful state with modern army and fleet. The country has come out of self-isolation; her claim to dominance East Asia intensified. But another colonial power, the Russian Empire, also sought to gain a foothold in this region.

Causes of the war and the balance of power

The cause of the war was the clash in the Far East of the geopolitical interests of two empires - modernized Japan and Tsarist Russia.

Japan, having established itself in Korea and Manchuria, was forced to make concessions under pressure from the European powers. Russia was given the Liaodong Peninsula, captured by the island empire during the war with China. But both sides understood that a military conflict could not be avoided and were preparing for hostilities.

By the time the hostilities began, the opponents had concentrated significant forces in the conflict zone. Japan could put up 375-420 thousand people. and 16 heavy warships. Russia had 150 thousand people stationed in Eastern Siberia and 18 heavy ships (battleships, armored cruisers, etc.).

The course of hostilities

The beginning of the war. The defeat of Russian naval forces in the Pacific

The Japanese attacked before the declaration of war, on January 27, 1904. The blows were delivered in various directions, which allowed the fleet to neutralize the threat of opposition from Russian ships on sea lanes, and units of the Japanese imperial army to land in Korea. Already by February 21, they occupied the capital Pyongyang, and by the beginning of May they blocked the Port Arthur squadron. This allowed the Japanese 2nd Army to land in Manchuria. Thus, the first stage of hostilities was, ended with the victory of Japan. The defeat of the Russian fleet allowed the Asian empire to invade the mainland by land units and ensure their supply.

Campaign of 1904. Defense of Port Arthur

The Russian command expected to take revenge on land. However, the very first battles showed the superiority of the Japanese in the land theater of operations. The 2nd Army defeated the Russians opposing it and was divided into two parts. One of them began to advance on the Kwantung Peninsula, the other on Manchuria. Near Liaoyang (Manchuria), the first major battle took place between the ground units of the warring parties. The Japanese were constantly attacking, and the Russian command, which had previously been confident in victory over the Asians, lost control of the battle. The battle was lost.

Having put his army in order, General Kuropatkin went on the offensive and tried to release the Kwantung fortified area cut off from his own. A major battle unfolded in the Shahe River Valley: there were more Russians, but the Japanese Marshal Oyama managed to hold back the onslaught. Port Arthur was doomed.

Campaign of 1905

This naval fortress had a strong garrison and was fortified from the land. Under the conditions of a complete blockade, the garrison of the fortress repelled four assaults, inflicting significant losses on the enemy; during the defense, various technical innovations were tested. The Japanese kept under the walls of the fortified area from 150 to 200 thousand bayonets. However, after almost a year of siege, the fortress fell. Almost a third of the captured Russian soldiers and officers were wounded.

For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur was a severe blow to the prestige of the empire.

The last chance to turn the tide of the war for the Russian army was the battle of Mukden in February 1905. However, the Japanese were no longer opposed by the formidable force of a great power, but by units suppressed by continuous defeats, which were far from native land. After 18 days, the left flank of the Russian army faltered, and the command gave the order to retreat. The forces of both sides were exhausted: a positional war began, the outcome of which could only be changed by the victory of the squadron of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. After many months on the road, she approached the island of Tsushima.

Tsushima. Ultimate Japanese victory

By the time of the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese fleet had an advantage in ships, the experience of defeating Russian admirals and high morale. Having lost only 3 ships, the Japanese utterly defeated the enemy fleet, scattering its remnants. Russia's maritime borders were unprotected; a few weeks later the first amphibious assaults landed on Sakhalin and Kamchatka.

Peace treaty. The results of the war

In the summer of 1905, both sides were extremely exhausted. Japan had an undeniable military superiority, but she was running out of supplies. Russia, on the contrary, could use its advantage in resources, but for this, it was necessary to rebuild the economy and political life for military purposes. The outbreak of the 1905 revolution ruled out this possibility. Under these conditions, both sides agreed to sign a peace treaty.

According to the Portsmouth Peace, Russia lost southern part Sakhalin, Liaodong Peninsula, the railway to Port Arthur. The empire was forced to leave Manchuria and Korea, which became the de facto protectorates of Japan. The defeat accelerated the collapse of the autocracy and the subsequent disintegration Russian Empire. Its opponent Japan, on the contrary, significantly strengthened its position, becoming one of the leading world powers.

The Land of the Rising Sun consistently increased its expansion, becoming one of the largest geopolitical players, and remained so until 1945.

Table: chronology of events

Strengths and weaknesses of opponents

Military-political reasons for the defeat of Russia

The negative factors that determined military defeat Russian army and navy were: remoteness from the theater of operations, serious shortcomings in the supply of troops and ineffective military leadership.

The political leadership of the Russian Empire, with a general understanding of the inevitability of a collision, purposefully, did not prepare for a war in the Far East.

The defeat hastened the collapse of the autocracy and the subsequent disintegration of the Russian Empire. Its opponent Japan, on the contrary, significantly strengthened its position, becoming one of the leading world powers. The Land of the Rising Sun consistently increased its expansion, becoming the largest geopolitical player and remained so until 1945.

Other factors

• Economic and military-technical backwardness of Russia
• Imperfect management structures
• Weak development of the Far East region
• Embezzlement and bribery in the army
• Underestimation of the Japanese Armed Forces

Results of the Russo-Japanese War

In conclusion, it is worth noting the importance of defeat in the Russo-Japanese War for the continued existence of the autocratic system in Russia. The inept and ill-considered actions of the government, which caused the death of thousands of soldiers who faithfully defended it, actually led to the beginning of the first revolution in the history of our country. The captured and wounded returning from Manchuria could not hide their indignation. Their testimonies, combined with visible economic, military and political backwardness, led to a sharp surge of indignation, primarily in the lower and middle strata. Russian society. In fact, the Russo-Japanese War exposed the long-hidden contradictions between the people and the authorities, and this exposure happened so quickly and imperceptibly that it baffled not only the government, but also the participants in the revolution themselves. In many historical publications there is an indication that Japan managed to win the war due to betrayal by the socialists and the nascent Bolshevik Party, but in fact such statements are far from the truth, since it was the failures of the Japanese war that provoked a surge of revolutionary ideas. Thus, the Russo-Japanese War became a turning point in history, a period that forever changed its further course.

“Not the Russian people,” wrote Lenin, “but Russian autocracy started this colonial war, which turned into a war between the new and the old bourgeois world. Not the Russian people, but the autocracy came to a shameful defeat. The Russian people benefited from the defeat of the autocracy. The capitulation of Port Arthur is the prologue to the capitulation of tsarism.

Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905 Russo-Japanese War 1904‒1905, arose in the context of the intensified struggle of the imperialist powers for the division of semi-feudal China and Korea; was predatory, unjust, imperialistic in nature on both sides. In the unfolding rivalry of powers in the Far East, capitalist Japan played a particularly active role, striving to capture Korea and Northeast China (Manchuria). Defeated China in Japanese-Chinese war 1894‒1895, Japan by Treaty of Shimonoseki 1895 received the islands of Taiwan (Formosa), Penghuledao (Pescadores) and the Liaodong Peninsula, but under pressure from Russia, supported by France and Germany, she was forced to abandon the latter, after which the aggravation of Russian-Japanese relations began. In 1896, Russia received from the Chinese government a concession to build a railway through Manchuria, and in 1898 leased the Kwantung Peninsula from China with Port Arthur ( Luishunem) with the right to create a naval base on it. During suppression Yihetuan uprising in China, tsarist troops occupied Manchuria in 1900. Japan began energetic preparations for war with Russia, signing in 1902 Anglo-Japanese alliance. The tsarist government, whose aggressive policy in the Far East was directed by adventurist "bezobrazovskaya clique", counted on an easy victory in the war with Japan, which would make it possible to overcome the worsening revolutionary crisis.

In economic and military terms, Japan was much weaker than Russia, but the remoteness of the Far Eastern theater of operations from the center of Russia reduced the military capabilities of the latter. After mobilization, the Japanese army consisted of 13 infantry divisions and 13 reserve brigades (over 375 thousand people and 1140 field guns); in total, the Japanese government mobilized about 1.2 million people during the war. The Japanese Navy had 6 new and 1 old battleship, 8 armored cruisers (2 of them, built abroad, arrived after the start of the war), 17 light cruisers (including 3 old ones), 19 destroyers, 28 destroyers (only in part of the so-called United Fleet), 11 gunboats, etc.

Russia was not ready for a war in the Far East. With a personnel army of 1.1 million people. and a reserve of 3.5 million people, by January 1904 it had here only about 98 thousand people, 148 guns and 8 machine guns; the border guard numbered 24 thousand people. and 26 guns. These forces were scattered over a vast territory from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. Throughput capacity of the Siberian railway. the highway was very low (at first, only 3 pairs of military echelons per day). During the war, about 1.2 million people were sent to Manchuria. (most in 1905). The Russian Navy in the Far East had 7 battleships, 4 armored cruisers, 10 light cruisers (including 3 old ones), 2 mine cruisers, 3 destroyers (1 of them entered service after the start of the war), 7 gunboats: most of the ships were based on Port Arthur, 4 cruisers (including 3 armored ones) and 10 destroyers - to Vladivostok. The defensive structures of Port Arthur (especially the land ones) were not completed. Pursuing an adventurist policy unsecured by forces and means, the tsarist government considered Japan a weak adversary and allowed itself to be taken by surprise.

The Russian command assumed that the Japanese army would not be able to launch an offensive on land soon. Therefore, the troops in the Far East were tasked with holding back the enemy until the arrival of large forces from the center of Russia (in the 7th month of the war), then going on the offensive, throwing Japanese troops into the sea and landing troops in Japan. The fleet was supposed to fight for supremacy at sea and prevent the landing of Japanese troops.

From the beginning of the war until August 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers conducted active operations on the enemy’s sea lanes, destroying 15 steamships, including 4 military transports, and heroically fighting the superior forces of the Japanese on August 1 (14) in a battle in Korea Strait. The last step R.-i. in. appeared Battle of Tsushima 1905. Russian 2nd and 3rd Pacific squadrons under the command of Vice Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky, they made an 18,000-mile transition (32.5 thousand km) from the Baltic Sea around Africa and on May 14 (27) approached the Tsushima Strait, where they entered into battle with the main forces of the Japanese fleet. In a two-day naval battle, the Russian squadron was completely defeated, which meant "... not only a military defeat, but a complete military collapse of the autocracy" (V. I. Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 10, p. 252 ).

Despite the victory, Japan was exhausted by the war, anti-war sentiment was growing in it, Russia was engulfed in revolution, and the tsarist government sought to make peace as soon as possible. On May 18 (31), 1905, the military government turned to US President T. Roosevelt with a request for mediation in peace negotiations, which began on July 27 (August 9) in the American city of Portsmouth. August 23 (September 5) was signed Treaty of Portsmouth 1905, according to which Russia recognized Korea as a sphere of Japanese influence, transferred to Japan the lease rights of Russia to the Kwantung region with Port Arthur and the southern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway, as well as the southern part of Sakhalin.

The root causes of Russia's defeat in R.-I. in. were the reactionary and rotten tsarism, the inability of the high military command, the unpopularity of the war among the people, the low combat quality of the replacements manned by the storekeepers, including the older ages, who did not have sufficient combat training, the poor preparedness of a significant part of the officer corps, insufficient material and technical support, poor knowledge of the theater of operations, etc. Japan won the war with widespread support from Britain and the United States. From April 1904 to May 1905, she received 4 loans from them in the amount of 410 million dollars, which covered 40% of military expenses. The most important result of R.-I. in. was the establishment of Japanese imperialism in Korea and South Manchuria. Already on November 17, 1905, Japan imposed a protectorate agreement on Korea, and in 1910 included it in the Japanese Empire. The strengthening of Japanese imperialism in the Far East changed the attitude of the United States towards Japan, which became a more dangerous competitor for them than Russia.

The war had big influence on the development of military art (see. operational art). It was the first to use on a mass scale rapid fire weapon(rifles, machine guns). In defense, trenches have replaced the complex fortifications of the past. The need for closer interaction between the branches of the armed forces and the widespread use of technical means of communication has become obvious. Artillery firing from closed positions became widespread. Destroyers were used for the first time at sea. Based on the experience of the war in the Russian army, military reforms 1905‒12.

R.-i. in. brought the peoples of Russia and Japan a worsening of their financial situation, rising 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. The Far Eastern adventure of tsarism, which led to heavy defeats accompanied by heavy casualties, aroused the indignation of the peoples of Russia and hastened the beginning of the first bourgeois-democratic Revolution of 1905–07.

Lit .: Lenin V.I., To the Russian proletariat, Complete collection soch., 5th ed., vol. 8; his same, First of May. Draft leaflet, ibid.; his, The Fall of Port Arthur, ibid., vol. 9; his, First of May, ibid., vol. 10; his own, Rout, ibid., vol. 10; Yaroslavsky E., Russo-Japanese War and the attitude of the Bolsheviks towards it, M., 1939; Russo-Japanese War 1904‒1905 The work of the military historical commission according to the description of the Russo-Japanese War, vol. 1–9, St. Petersburg. 1910; Russo-Japanese War 1904‒1905. The work of the historical commission on the description of the actions of the fleet in the war of 1904‒1905. at the Marine General Staff, book. 1–7, St. Petersburg, 1912–18; Kuropatkin A.N., [Report...], vol. 1‒4, St. Petersburg - Warsaw, 1906; Svechin A., Russo-Japanese War 1904‒1905, Oranienbaum, 1910; Levitsky N. A., Russo-Japanese War of 1904‒1905, 3rd ed., M., 1938; Romanov B. A., Essays on the diplomatic history of the Russo-Japanese war. 1895‒1907, 2nd ed., M. ‒ L., 1955; Sorokin A.I., The Russo-Japanese War of 1904‒1905, M., 1956: Luchinin V., The Russo-Japanese War of 1904‒1905 Bibliographic index, M., 1939.

Big soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what the "Russian-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905" is in other dictionaries:

This page is proposed to be combined with the Crimean Nogai raids on Russia ... Wikipedia

In the second half of the 19th century trade relations between Russia and Germany were regulated by a trade agreement concluded between Russia and the German customs union in 1867. The rapid industrialization of Germany led to an increase in its exports ... ... Diplomatic Dictionary

War- WAR. I. War, the most powerful means of coercion, by means of which the state achieves its political aims (ultima ratio regis). In its essence, V. is an application in human life. common in the world. law of struggle for ... ... Military Encyclopedia

Battle 11 21 Aug. (Aug. 24. Sept. 3) in the area of ​​the city of Liaoyang (Manchuria) during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 05. Commander of the Rus. Manchurian army, Gen. A. N. Kuropatkin intended to give Liaoyang a decision. fight the enemy and stop him ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia