Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 Emperor. Reasons for the start and defeat of the Russo-Japanese War: briefly

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 (briefly)

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

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

About the reaction of Russian society to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war, one can briefly say this: Japan's actions outraged Russian society. The world community reacted differently. England and the USA took a pro-Japanese position. And the tone of the press reports was distinctly anti-Russian. France, which at that time was an ally of Russia, declared neutrality - an alliance with Russia was necessary for it in order to prevent the strengthening of Germany. But, already on April 12, France concluded an agreement with England, which caused a cooling of Russian-French relations. Germany, on the other hand, declared friendly neutrality towards Russia.

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

The most significant events of 1905 were:

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

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

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

diplomatic isolation of the Russian Empire;

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

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

serious superiority of Japan in the military and economic spheres.

Portsmouth Peace

The Treaty of Portsmouth (Portsmouth Peace) is a peace treaty between Japan and the Russian Empire that ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

The peace treaty was concluded in the city of Portsmouth (USA), thanks to which it got its name, on August 23, 1905. S.Yu. Witte and R.R. participated in the signing of the agreement on the Russian side. Rosen, and from the Japanese side - K. Jutaro and T. Kogoro. The initiator of the negotiations was the American President T. Roosevelt, so the signing of the treaty took place on the territory of the United States.

The treaty canceled the effect of previous agreements between Russia and China regarding Japan and concluded new ones, already with Japan itself.

Russo-Japanese War. Background and reasons

Japan did not pose any threat to the Russian Empire until the middle of the 19th century. However, in the 60s, the country opened its borders to foreign citizens, and began to develop rapidly. Thanks to the frequent trips of Japanese diplomats to Europe, the country adopted foreign experience and was able to create a powerful and modern army and navy in half a century.

It is no coincidence that Japan began to build up its military power. The country experienced an acute shortage of territories, so at the end of the 19th century, the first Japanese military campaigns began in neighboring territories. The first victim was China, which gave Japan a number of islands. Korea and Manchuria were supposed to be next on the list, but Japan clashed with Russia, which also had its own interests in these territories. Negotiations were held throughout the year between diplomats in order to divide the spheres of influence, but they did not achieve success.

In 1904, Japan, which did not want more negotiations, attacked Russia. Russian- japanese war which lasted two years.

Reasons for signing the Peace of Portsmouth

Despite the fact that Russia was losing the war, Japan was the first to think about the need to make peace. The Japanese government, which had already achieved most of its goals in the war, understood that the continuation of hostilities could hit the economy of Japan, which was already not in the best condition.

The first attempt to make peace took place in 1904, when the Japanese envoy to Great Britain turned to Russia with his version of the treaty. However, the peace provided for the condition that Russia agrees to appear in the documents as the initiator of the negotiations. Russia refused, and the war continued.

The next attempt was made by France, which assisted Japan in the war and was also severely exhausted economically. In 1905, France, which was on the verge of a crisis, offered its mediation to Japan. A new version of the contract was drawn up, which provided for indemnity (payback). Russia refused to pay money to Japan and the treaty was not signed again.

The last attempt to make peace took place with the participation of US President T. Roosevelt. Japan turned to the states that provided her financial assistance and asked to mediate in the negotiations. This time, Russia agreed, as discontent was growing inside the country.

Terms of the Peace of Portsmouth

Japan, having enlisted the support of the United States and agreed in advance with the states on the division of influence on Far East, was determined to sign a speedy and beneficial peace for itself. In particular, Japan planned to take the island of Sakhalin, as well as a number of territories in Korea, and impose a ban on navigation in the waters belonging to the country. However, the peace was not signed, since Russia refused such conditions. At the insistence of S. Yu Witte, the negotiations continued.

Russia managed to defend the right not to pay indemnity. Despite the fact that Japan was in dire need of money and hoped to get a payoff from Russia, Witte's stubbornness forced the Japanese government to refuse money, otherwise the war could continue, and this would hit Japan's finances even more.

Also, according to the Treaty of Portsmouth, Russia managed to defend the right to own the greater territory of Sakhalin, and Japan retreated only the southern part on the condition that the Japanese would not build military fortifications there.

In general, despite the fact that Russia lost the war, it managed to significantly soften the terms of the peace treaty and exit the war with fewer losses. Spheres of influence on the territory of Korea and Manchuria were divided, agreements were signed on movement in the waters of Japan and trade on its territories. The peace treaty was signed by both parties.

| Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was fought for control of Manchuria, Korea, and the ports of Port Arthur and Dalniy. On the night of February 9, the Japanese fleet, without declaring war, attacked the Russian squadron on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, a naval base leased by Russia from China. The battleships "Retvizan" and "Tsesarevich" and the cruiser "Pallada" were seriously damaged.

Hostilities began, marking the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. In early March, the Russian squadron in Port Arthur was led by an experienced naval commander, Vice Admiral Makarov, but on April 13 he died when the flagship battleship Petropavlovsk hit a mine and sank. The command of the squadron passed to Rear Admiral V.K. Vitgeft.

In March 1904, the Japanese army landed in Korea, and in April - in the south of Manchuria. Russian troops under the command of General M.I. Zasulich could not withstand the onslaught of superior enemy forces and in May were forced to leave the Jinzhou position. Port Arthur, thus, was cut off from the Russian Manchurian army. For the siege of the city, the 3rd Japanese army of General M. Nogi was allocated. The 1st and 2nd Japanese armies began to quickly move north and in the battle of Vafangou on June 14-15 forced the Russian army, commanded by the Minister of War, General A.N. Kuropatkin, to retreat.

In early August, the Japanese landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and approached the outer defensive perimeter of the fortress. The garrison of Port Arthur consisted of 50.5 thousand soldiers and officers with 646 guns and 62 machine guns. Subsequently, due to the use of naval artillery on land, the number of guns increased to 652. The Russian fleet in Port Arthur Bay consisted of 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 2 mine cruisers, 4 gunboats, 19 destroyers and 2 mine transports. The number of crews of ships and coastal services of the fleet was 8 thousand people, who later, after the death of the fleet, were thrown to reinforce the ground units. From local population Volunteer squads were formed with a total number of 1.5 thousand people. The combatants delivered ammunition and food to the positions, evacuated the wounded and maintained communication between the headquarters and various defense sectors.

On August 10, 1904, the Russian squadron tried to escape from Port Arthur. The attempt was almost a success, and the Japanese fleet was about to retreat when the captain's bridge of the flagship battleship "Tsesarevich" exploded high-explosive projectile. As a result, the commander of the squadron, Admiral Witgeft, and his entire staff were killed. The control of the Russian ships was disrupted, they tried to break through to Vladivostok one by one, but everyone who managed to escape from the harbor of Port Arthur was interned in neutral ports. Only the Novik cruiser managed to reach the Korsakov post in Kamchatka, where it died in an unequal battle with Japanese cruisers.

The defense of Port Arthur was led by the commandant of the fortress, General A.M. Stessel, but the squadron did not obey him, being under the command of the fleet commander, and he could not influence the actions of the ships locked in Port Arthur.

The Japanese 3rd Army besieging the city numbered more than 50 thousand people and over 400 guns. On August 19, she tried to take Port Arthur by storm, but five days later with heavy losses was pushed back to its original position. The Japanese began to build lines of trenches and field fortifications around the fortress. In early September, they were able to capture the strategically important Long Hill. Another height - High - the defenders of the cities managed to defend. In mid-October, food shortages began to become acute in Port Arthur. This, as well as the beginning of the cold, caused the spread of diseases among the besieged. In mid-November, more than 7,000 wounded and sick with scurvy, typhoid and dysentery were in Port Arthur hospitals. The Chinese population of the city, numbering 15 thousand people during the siege, was in an even more difficult situation and really starved.

On October 30, after three days of artillery preparation, the Japanese launched a third assault on Port Arthur, which lasted three days and ended in vain. On November 26, the fourth assault began. On December 5, Japanese troops captured Vysokaya Hill and were able to install 11-inch howitzers to bombard the harbor. This immediately increased the accuracy of artillery fire. On the same day, Japanese batteries sank the battleship Poltava, on December 6, the battleship Retvizan, on December 7, the battleships Peresvet and Pobeda, as well as the cruiser Pallada. The cruiser "Bayan" received heavy damage.

On December 15, the commander was killed land defense fortress General R.I. Kondratenko. The defenders of Port Arthur had run out of food, although there was still a supply of shells. On January 2, 1905, commandant Stessel, believing that there was no chance of assistance from the Manchurian army in the foreseeable future, capitulated. Subsequently, he was convicted by a military court for cowardice, but pardoned by the king. From point of view today Stessel's decision is not to be blamed. Under conditions of a complete blockade, when all Russian positions were under aimed artillery fire, and the garrison did not have food supplies, Port Arthur would not have lasted more than two or three weeks, which could not affect the course of hostilities in any way.

In Port Arthur, 26 thousand people surrendered. Russian losses killed and wounded during the siege amounted to 31 thousand people. The Japanese lost 59,000 killed and wounded and 34,000 sick.

With the fall of Port Arthur, which represented the main point of the Russo-Japanese War, the main Japanese goal was achieved. Battles in Manchuria, despite the fact that there were many times more involved on both sides ground forces were of an auxiliary nature. The Japanese did not have the forces and means to occupy Northern Manchuria, not to mention the Russian Far East. Kuropatkin pursued a strategy of attrition, hoping that a protracted war would exhaust Japan's human and material resources and force Japan to stop the war and clear the occupied territories. However, in practice it turned out that the prolongation of the war was disastrous for Russia, since a revolution had already begun there in January 1905. The overall numerical superiority of the Russian army was largely offset by the fact that with the Far East European part empires were connected by only one Trans-Siberian railway.

IN Peaceful time the Russian army numbered 1.1 million people, and after the start of the war, another 3.5 million reservists could be added to it. However, by the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, there were only 100,000 soldiers and 192 guns in Manchuria. The Japanese army in peacetime was 150 thousand people. During the war, another 1.5 million people were called up, more than half of all Japanese forces operated in Manchuria. By the end of the war, the Russian army in the Far East had a one and a half times numerical superiority over the enemy, but could not use it.

First major battle ground forces Russia and Japan took place near Liaoyang in the period from August 24 to September 3, 1904. 125 thousandth Japanese army Marshal Oyama was opposed by the 158,000-strong Russian army of General Kuropatkin. The Japanese forces launched two concentric attacks in an attempt to encircle the enemy, but their attacks on the advanced Russian positions on the Liaoyang Heights were repulsed. Then the Russian troops withdrew in an organized manner to the main position, which consisted of three lines of forts, redoubts and trenches, and for 15 km went around Liaoyang from the west and south, resting on the Taizihe River. On August 31, three brigades of the 1st Japanese Army crossed Taijihe and captured the bridgehead. After failing to eliminate this bridgehead, Kuropatkin, despite the fact that the Japanese attacks were repulsed in the center and on the right western flank, fearing a flank bypass, ordered a retreat. The Japanese lost 23,000 killed and wounded, and the Russians 19,000.

After the Liaoyang battle, Russian troops withdrew to Mukden and took up positions on the Hunhe River. The Japanese remained north of Taijihe. On October 5-17, a counter battle took place on the Shahe River. At the beginning of the battle, the Russians managed to knock the enemy down from the advanced positions, but on October 10, the Japanese launched a counteroffensive and on October 14 broke through the front of the 10th Army Corps. At the end of the battle, both sides switched to positional defense along a 60-kilometer front. The Russian army in this battle numbered 200 thousand people with 758 guns and 32 machine guns and lost 40 thousand people killed and wounded. The losses of the Japanese, who had 170 thousand soldiers, 648 guns and 18 machine guns, were half as much - 20 thousand.

The parties remained in positions within range of rifle fire until January 1905. During this period, telephone communications improved significantly in both armies. The devices appeared not only in the headquarters of the armies, but also in the headquarters of corps, divisions, brigades, regiments, and even on artillery batteries. On January 24, 1905, the Russian army tried to advance in the Sandepu area, but by January 28, the enemy pushed them back to their original positions. Kuropatkin at that moment had 300,000 soldiers and 1,080 guns, while Oyama had 220,000 men and 666 guns. The Russians lost 12,000 men and the Japanese 9,000.

From February 19 to March 10, 1905, the largest battle of the Russo-Japanese War took place - Mukden. The Russian army at its beginning consisted of 330 thousand people with 1475 guns and 56 machine guns. The Japanese, taking into account the 3rd Noga Army that approached from Port Arthur and the new 5th Army that arrived from Japan, had 270 thousand people, 1062 guns and 200 machine guns. Kuropatkin was preparing to go on the offensive against the left flank of the enemy on February 25, but Oyama, who sought to envelop the Russian army from both flanks, forestalled him. The 2nd Russian Army was engulfed from the west by the 3rd Japanese Army and attacked from the front by the 2nd Army. The 1st Japanese Army of General Kuroka broke through the positions of the 1st Russian Army and threatened to cut the Mandarin Road in the rear of the main Russian forces. Fearing encirclement and already actually in a sack, Kuropatkin was able, however, to withdraw the army in order to Telin, and then to Sypingai positions 175 km north of Mukden.

After Mukden Kuropatkin, General Nikolai Linevich, who previously commanded the 3rd Army, replaced him as commander-in-chief. The opposing armies met the end of the war on the Sipingai positions, without undertaking any active military operations in Manchuria after the Battle of Mukden.

In the battle of Mukden, for the first time, there were cases when soldiers shot officers who tried to stop the fleeing with fire from revolvers. Nearly four decades later, during the Great Patriotic War, soviet soldiers were no longer so conscious and resignedly allowed the officers to shoot themselves. Near Mukden, the Russians lost 59,000 killed and wounded and 31,000 prisoners. Japanese losses reached 70 thousand killed and wounded.

After the death in battle on August 10, 1904, the Russian squadron in Port Arthur, together with its commander, Admiral Witgeft from the Baltic Fleet The 2nd Pacific Squadron was formed under the command of Admiral Z.P. Rozhdestvensky, Chief of the Main Naval Staff. She made a six-month transition to the Far East, where she died in the battle in the Tsushima Strait on May 27, 1905. The Rozhdestvensky squadron consisted of 8 squadron battleships, 3 coastal defense battleships, one armored cruiser, 8 cruisers, 5 auxiliary cruisers and 9 destroyers. The Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Togo had 4 squadron battleships, 6 coastal defense battleships, 8 armored cruisers, 16 cruisers, 24 auxiliary cruisers and 63 destroyers. On the side of the Japanese was a qualitative superiority in artillery. Japanese guns had almost three times the rate of fire, and in terms of power, Japanese shells were more powerful than Russian shells of the same caliber.

By the time Rozhdestvensky's squadron arrived in the Far East, Japanese armored ships were concentrated in the Korean port of Mozampo, and cruisers and destroyers were concentrated off Tsushima Island. South of Mosampo, between the islands of Goto and Quelpart, a patrol of cruisers was deployed, which was supposed to detect the approach of Russian forces. The Japanese commander was sure that the enemy would try to break through to Vladivostok by the shortest route - through the Korea Strait, and he was not mistaken.

On the night of May 27, Rozhdestvensky's squadron approached the Korea Strait in a marching order. Two light cruisers moved ahead, followed by armadillos in two wake columns, and the rest of the ships behind them. Rozhdestvensky did not carry out long-range reconnaissance and did not carry out blackouts on all of his ships. At 2:28 am, the Japanese auxiliary cruiser Shinano-Maru discovered the enemy and reported to the commander. Togo led the fleet from Mosampo.

On the morning of May 27, Rozhdestvensky rebuilt all the ships of the squadron into two wake columns, leaving behind transport ships under the protection of cruisers. Drawn into the Korea Strait, at half past two the Russian ships discovered the main forces of the Japanese fleet, which were advancing to the right of the bow to cut across Rozhdestvensky's squadron. Rozhdestvensky, believing that the Japanese intended to attack the left column of his squadron, where obsolete ships predominated, rebuilt the squadron into one column. Meanwhile, two detachments of armored ships of the Japanese fleet, having gone to the port side, began to make a turn of 16 points, being only 38 cables from the lead ship of the Russian squadron. This risky turn lasted a quarter of an hour, but

Rozhdestvensky did not take advantage of the favorable moment for shelling the enemy fleet. However, taking into account the real accuracy of the then naval artillery at this distance and the level of training of Russian gunners, it is unlikely that in a quarter of an hour Rozhdestvensky's squadron would have managed to sink at least one large enemy ship.

Russian ships opened fire only at 13:49, when Togo was already completing the turn of the ships. The Russian gunners were very ill-prepared for firing at long distances and were unable to inflict any significant damage on the Japanese. In addition, the quality of Russian ammunition was low. Many of them did not explode. Due to poor fire control, Russian ships were unable to concentrate fire on individual enemy ships. The Japanese, on the other hand, concentrated the artillery fire of their battleships on the Russian flagships Suvorov and Oslyabya.

At 14:23, the battleship Oslyabya, having received heavy damage, left the battle and soon sank. Seven minutes later, the Suvorov was put out of action. This battleship stayed afloat until the seventh hour in the evening, when it was sunk by Japanese destroyers.

After the failure of the flagships, the order of battle of the Russian squadron was upset, and she lost her unified command. The first was the battleship "Alexander III", and after its failure, the column was headed by the battleship "Borodino". At 15:05, fog thickened over the Tsushima Strait, and the opponents lost sight of each other. But 35 minutes later, the Japanese again discovered Rozhdestvensky's squadron and forced it to change course from northeast to south. Then Togo again lost contact with the enemy and was forced to abandon his main forces in search of the Russians. Only at about 6 pm did the Japanese battleships overtake the Russian squadron, which at that moment was firing at the Japanese cruisers.

Now the battle of the main forces was conducted on parallel courses. At 7:12 pm it got dark, and Togo stopped the battle. By that time, the Japanese had managed to sink " Alexander III"and" Borodino. "After the cessation of the battle, the main forces of the Japanese fleet retreated to the island of Ollyndo (Dazhelet). The destroyers were supposed to finish off the Russian squadron by torpedo attacks.

At 8 pm, 60 Japanese destroyers began to cover the main forces of the Russian squadron. At 8.45 pm the Japanese fired their first torpedo salvo. Others followed. In total, 75 torpedoes were fired from a distance of 1 to 3 cables, of which only six reached the target. Aimed launches were hampered by darkness. Reflecting the attacks of the destroyers, the Russian sailors sank two enemy destroyers. Another Japanese destroyer sank and six were damaged when they collided with each other.

On the morning of May 15, Rozhdestvensky's squadron, due to frequent evasions from attacks by Japanese destroyers, was dispersed throughout the Korean Peninsula. Russian ships were destroyed by superior enemy forces one by one. Only the Almaz cruiser and two destroyers managed to break through to Vladivostok. Most of the ships were sunk. Four armored ships and a destroyer, on which the seriously wounded Rozhdestvensky and the junior flagship Rear Admiral N.I. Nebogatov were, were captured.

Regarding the surrender of Nebogatov’s squadron, the Soviet historian Mikhail Pokrovsky wrote: “Near Tsushima, Nebogatov’s quick surrender was explained not only by the technical senselessness of further battle, but also by the fact that the sailors resolutely refused to die in vain; and on the best Nebogatov battleship, the officers had a choice: either to lower flag, or being thrown overboard by the crew." Upon his return to Russia, Nebogatov was made the main culprit of the Tsushima disaster and sentenced to death for surrendering the remnants of the fleet to the enemy (the wounded Rozhdestvensky could not be judged). The death penalty was replaced by 10 years of hard labor, and two years later Nebogatov was pardoned and released. Russian losses in the Tsushima battle amounted to 5045 killed and 803 wounded, Japanese - 1 thousand people.

In the Russo-Japanese War, Russia's military losses, according to official figures, amounted to 31,630 killed, 5,514 dead from wounds and 1,643 dead in captivity. About 60,000 servicemen were taken prisoner, of which about 16,000 were wounded. There is no reliable data on Japan's losses. Russian sources estimate them as more significant than the losses of Kuropatkin's army. Based on these sources, B.Ts.Urlanis estimated Japanese losses at 47387 killed, 173425 wounded and 11425 dead from wounds. In addition, he estimated that 27,192 Japanese died of disease.

But foreign observers in most battles believe the Japanese losses are less than the Russians, with the exception of the siege of Port Arthur. During this siege, the number of dead and wounded in the Japanese army was 28 thousand more, but at Liaoyang and Shah, the losses of the Japanese were 24 thousand less than those of the Russians. True, under Mukden, Japanese losses in killed and wounded were 11 thousand more than those of the Russians, but in Tsushima and other naval battles the Russians had more killed and wounded by about the same amount. Based on these figures, it can be assumed that in reality the Japanese losses in killed and wounded were approximately equal to the Russians, while the Japanese captured several times more prisoners.

Also, data on more than a twofold excess of mortality from diseases in the Japanese army compared to the Russian army do not inspire confidence. After all, the Russian army outnumbered the Japanese by about one and a half times, and the establishment of sanitary affairs in both armies was approximately at the same level. Rather, it can be assumed that the number of deaths from diseases in both armies was approximately the same. Another thing is that for Japan, whose armed forces and population were significantly smaller, these losses were much more sensitive than for the Russian Empire.

According to the Peace of Portsmouth, concluded on September 5, 1905, with the mediation of the United States, Russia ceded to Japan the lease of the Liaodong Peninsula along with a branch of the South Manchurian Railway, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin Island, where Japanese landings were landed shortly before the end of the war. Russian troops were withdrawn from Manchuria, and Korea was recognized as a sphere of Japanese influence. Russian positions in China and throughout the Far East were undermined, and Japan made a bid to become a great power and dominate North China.

The defeat of Russia was due primarily to the weakness of its fleet, which was unable to resist the Japanese and protect the Far Eastern ports, as well as to establish sea supplies for Russian troops. The weakness of the rear led to the beginning of the revolution soon after the fall of Port Arthur. But even without a revolution, Kuropatkin's strategy of starvation would hardly have led to success.

According to the materials of the portal "Great wars in the history of Russia"

Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 - this is an imperialist war for the seizure of colonies, for the assertion of monopoly rights in the Far Eastern market; at the same time, this war was an attempt to resolve the imperialist contradictions between a number of powers seeking to partition China.
The pursuit of superprofits by Russian military-feudal imperialism caused the expansion of Russian capital to the East; however, here the aggressive policy of the autocracy came into conflict with the imperialist interests of Japanese capital. The imperialist aspirations of Russian and Japanese capital to the Far East found their solution in the war.
Tsarist Russia and Japan passed their way to war through the stage of joint participation, with Germany, England, Italy, France, the USA and other countries, in an international punitive expedition that suppressed a popular uprising in China. The punitive expedition was undertaken in order to prepare for the further division of China; this once again confirms that at a certain stage in the development of contradictions between the imperialists, the latter can temporarily unite their efforts for joint conquests.
The Russo-Japanese War is an important stage in the development of military art. New phenomena such as mass armies, smokeless powder, rapid-fire artillery, repeating rifle, new means of communication, led to new forms of warfare. Mass armies lead to the expansion of the front of struggle. The new weapons make it difficult to attack frontally and cause the desire to bypass and cover, which in turn further expands the combat front. The need to use the power of fire in order to force the enemy to turn around, as well as the need to deploy at a considerable distance from the enemy with an increased width of the front, lead to an increase in the duration of the battle, which was discovered for the first time in the Russo-Japanese War. http://www.hrono.ru/libris/lib_l/levic00.html
The cause of the war was Russian expansion in Manchuria. In May 1896, Russia obtained from China a concession for the construction and operation of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) from Harbin to Port Arthur, and in March 1898, the lease of the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula (Kwantung) and Port Arthur, which soon turned into its main naval base in the Far East. In 1900, taking advantage of the Yihetuan uprising in China, Russian troops occupied Manchuria. However, Russia's attempt to maintain its military presence there ran into opposition from Japan, Great Britain and the United States, who did not want the strengthening of Russian influence in Northern China. In January 1902, Japan and Great Britain signed alliance treaty directed against Russia. In this situation, in March 1902, Russia was forced to conclude an agreement with China, undertaking to withdraw its troops from Manchuria within eighteen months, but in every possible way delayed its implementation, which led to a sharp aggravation of its relations with Japan. In March 1903, Russia demanded that China provide guarantees that it would not lease any part of Manchurian territory to another power without its consent; the Chinese government, backed by Japan and Britain, refused. In July 1903, Japan proposed to Russia a plan for the division of spheres of influence in northern China, but subsequent negotiations were unsuccessful. January 23 (February 5), 1904 Japan severed diplomatic relations with Russia. http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/istoriya/RUSSKO-YAPONSKAYA_VONA.html

The main reasons for the start of the Russo-Japanese War were:
- an attempt to capture foreign markets for the developing domestic economy;
- clash of Russian and Japanese interests in the Far East;
- the desire to enrich the wealth of Korea and China, Russia and Japan;
- Russian imperial expansion to the East;
- the desire of the tsarist government to distract the people from revolutionary uprisings.

IN late XIX century - the beginning of the 20th century, relations between Japan and Russia, aggravated due to the right to own China and Korea, led to a major military conflict between the countries. After a long break, this was the first to use latest weapons.

Causes

Completed in 1856, it limited Russia's ability to move and expand south, so Nicholas I. I. turned his eyes to the Far East, which negatively affected relations with the Japanese state, which itself claimed Korea and Northern China.

The tense situation no longer had a peaceful solution. Despite the fact that in 1903 Japan made an attempt to avoid a collision by proposing an agreement under which she would lose all rights to Korea. Russia agreed, but put forward conditions that demanded sole influence on the Kwantung Peninsula, as well as the right to protect the railway in Manchuria. The Japanese government did not like this, and it continued to actively prepare for war.

The Meiji Restoration, which ended in Japan in 1868, led to the fact that the new government began to pursue a policy of expansion and decided to improve the country's capacities. Thanks to the reforms carried out, by 1890 the economy was being modernized: modern industries appeared, electrical equipment and machine tools were produced, and coal was exported. The changes affected not only industry, but also the military industry, which has significantly increased thanks to Western exercises.

Japan decides to increase influence on neighboring countries. Based on the geographical proximity of Korean territory, she decides to take control of the country and prevent European influence. Having put pressure on Korea in 1876, an agreement on trade relations with Japan is signed, providing free access to ports.

These actions led to a conflict - the Sino-Japanese War (1894−95), which ended with the victory of Japan, and the final influence on Korea.

According to the Treaty of Shimonoseki signed as a result of the war, China:

1. transferred to Japan territories, which included the Liaodong Peninsula and Manchuria;
2. renounced rights to Korea.

For European countries: Germany, France and Russia it was unacceptable. As a result of the Triple Intervention, Japan, unable to resist the pressure, was obliged to abandon the Liaodong Peninsula.

Russia immediately takes advantage of the return of Liaodong and in March 1898 signs a convention with China and receives:

1. lease rights for 25 years on the Liaodong Peninsula;
2. the fortresses of Port Arthur and Dalniy;
3. obtaining permission to build a railway passing through Chinese territory.

This had a negative impact on relations with Japan, which claimed these territories.

March 26 (April 8), 1902, Nicholas I. I. signs an agreement with China, according to which Russia needs to withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Manchuria within one year and six months. Nicholas I.I. did not keep his promises, but demanded that China restrict trade with foreign countries. In response, England, the USA and Japan protested against the violation of the deadlines and advised against accepting the Russian conditions.

In the middle of the summer of 1903, the movement along the Trans-Siberian Railway begins. The path passed along the Chinese Eastern Railway, through Manchuria. Nicholas I. I. begins to redeploy his troops to the Far East, arguing this by testing the capacity of the built railway connection.

At the end of the agreement between China and Russia, Nicholas I. I. did not withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Manchuria.

In the winter of 1904 at a meeting secret council and the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan, a decision was made to start hostilities against Russia, and soon an order was given to land the Japanese armed forces in Korea and attack Russian ships in Port Arthur.

The moment of the declaration of war was chosen with the maximum calculation, since by that time she had assembled a strong and modernly equipped army, weapons and navy. While Russian armed forces were heavily scattered.

Main events

Battle of Chemulpo

Significant for the annals of the war was the battle in 1904 at Chemulpo cruisers"Varangian" and "Korean", under the command of V. Rudnev. In the morning, leaving the port to the accompaniment of music, they tried to get out of the bay, but less than ten minutes had passed before the alarm sounded and a battle flag was raised above the deck. Together they resisted the Japanese squadron that attacked them, engaging in an unequal battle. The Varyag was severely damaged and was forced to turn back to port. Rudnev decided to destroy the ship, a few hours later the sailors were evacuated, and the ship was flooded. The ship "Koreets" was blown up, and the crew was previously evacuated.

Blockade of Port Arthur

To block the Russian ships inside the harbor, Japan is trying to sink several old ships at the entrance. These actions were thwarted by Retvizvan who patrolled the waters near the fort.

In the early spring of 1904, Admiral Makarov and the shipbuilder N. E. Kuteinikov arrived. Come at the same time a large number of spare parts and equipment for ship repair.

At the end of March, the Japanese flotilla again tries to block the entrance to the fortress, blowing up four transport ships filled with stones, but sinking them too far.

On March 31, the Russian battleship Petropavlovsk sinks after hitting three mines. The ship disappeared in three minutes, killing 635 people, among them were Admiral Makarov and the artist Vereshchagin.

3rd attempt to block the harbor entrance, was crowned with success, Japan, having sunk eight transport workers, locks up the Russian squadrons for several days and immediately lands in Manchuria.

The cruisers "Russia", "Gromoboy", "Rurik" were the only ones who retained freedom of movement. They sank several ships with military personnel and weapons, including the "Khi-tatsi Maru", which transported weapons for the siege of Port Arthur, due to which the capture dragged on for several months.

18.04 (01.05) The 1st Japanese Army, consisting of 45 thousand people. approached the river Yalu and entered the battle with an 18,000-strong Russian detachment led by M. I. Zasulich. The battle ended with the defeat of the Russians and was marked by the beginning of the Japanese invasion of the Manchurian territories.

On 22.04 (05.05), a Japanese army consisting of 38.5 thousand people landed 100 km from the fortress.

On 27.04 (10.05) Japanese detachments broke the railway communication between Manchuria and Port Arthur.

On May 2 (15), 2 Japanese ships were sunk, which, thanks to the Amur minelayer, fell into the placed mines. In just five May days (May 12-17), Japan lost 7 ships, and two went to the Japanese port for repairs.

Having successfully landed, the Japanese began to move towards Port Arthur in order to block it. To meet the Japanese detachments, the Russian command decided on fortified areas near Jinzhou.

On May 13 (26) a major battle took place. Russian detachment(3.8 thousand people) and in the presence of 77 guns and 10 machine guns, more than 10 hours repulsed the enemy attack. And only the approaching Japanese gunboats, having suppressed the left flag, broke through the defenses. The Japanese lost - 4,300 people, the Russians - 1,500 people.

Thanks to the battle won at Jinzhou, the Japanese overcame a natural barrier on the way to the fortress.

At the end of May, Japan captured the port of Dalniy without a fight, practically intact, which significantly helped them in the future.

On June 1-2 (14-15) in the battle of Vafangou, the 2nd Japanese Army defeats the Russian detachments under the command of General Stackelberg, who was sent to lift the blockade of Port Arthur.

13 (26) July 3rd Japanese Army broke through the defense Russian troops"on the passes" formed after the defeat at Jinzhou.

On July 30, the distant approaches to the fortress are engaged, and the defense begins.. This is a bright historical moment. The defense was carried out until January 2, 1905. In the fortress and adjacent areas, the Russian army did not have a single authority. General Stessel - commanded the troops, General Smironov - commander of the fortress, Admiral Vitgeft - commanded the fleet. It was difficult for them to come to a consensus. But among the leadership was a talented commander - General Kondratenko. Thanks to his oratory and managerial qualities, the authorities found a compromise.

Kondratenko earned the fame of the hero of the Port Arthur events, he died at the end of the siege of the fortress.

The number of troops in the fortress is about 53 thousand people, as well as 646 guns and 62 machine guns. The siege went on for 5 months. The Japanese army lost 92 thousand people, Russia - 28 thousand people.

Liaoyang and Shahe

During the summer of 1904, a Japanese army of 120,000 men approached Liaoyang from the east and south. The Russian army at that time was replenished with soldiers arriving along the Trans-Siberian Railway and slowly retreated.

On August 11 (24) there was a general battle at Liaoyang. The Japanese, moving in a semicircle from the south and east, attacked the Russian positions. In prolonged battles, the Japanese army, led by Marshal I. Oyama, suffered 23,000 losses, Russian troops, led by Commander Kuropatkin, also suffered losses - 16 (or 19, according to some sources) thousand killed and wounded.

The Russians successfully repelled attacks in the south of Laoyang for 3 days, but Kuropatkin, assuming that the Japanese could block the railway north of Liaoyang, ordered his troops to retreat to Mukden. The Russian army retreated without leaving a single gun.

Armed clashes take place on the Shahe River in autumn. The beginning was the attack of the Russian troops, and a week later the Japanese launched a counterattack. Russia's losses amounted to about 40 thousand people, the Japanese side - 30 thousand people. The completed operation on the river. Shahe set a time of calm at the front.

On May 14-15 (27-28), the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Tsushima defeated the Russian squadron, which was redeployed from the Baltic, commanded by Vice Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky.

July 7 is the last major battle - Japanese invasion of Sakhalin. The 14,000th Japanese army was resisted by 6,000 Russians - they were mostly convicts and exiles who joined the army in order to acquire benefits and therefore did not have strong combat skills. By the end of July, Russian resistance was crushed, more than 3 thousand people were captured.

Consequences

Negative influence The war also affected the internal situation in Russia:

1. the economy is undermined;
2. stagnation in industrial areas;
3. price increase.

Industry leaders pushed for a peace treaty. A similar opinion was shared by Great Britain and the United States, which initially supported Japan.

Military operations had to be stopped and forces should be directed to extinguish the revolutionary trends that were dangerous not only for Russia, but also for the world community.

On August 22 (9), 1905, with the mediation of the United States, negotiations begin in Portsmouth. Representative from Russian empire was S. Yu. Witte. At a meeting with Nicholas I. I., he received clear instructions: not to agree to an indemnity that Russia never paid, and not to give up land. In view of Japan's territorial and monetary demands, such instructions were not easy for Witte, who was already pessimistic and considered losses inevitable.

Following the results of the negotiations, on September 5 (August 23), 1905, a peace treaty was signed. According to the document:

1. The Japanese side received the Liaodong Peninsula, a segment of the Chinese Eastern Railway (from Port Arthur to Changchun), as well as South Sakhalin.
2. Russia recognized Korea as a zone of influence of Japan and concluded a fishing convention.
3. Both sides of the conflict had to withdraw their troops from the territory of Manchuria.

The peace treaty did not fully respond to the claims of Japan and was much closer to Russian conditions, as a result of which it was not accepted by the Japanese people - waves of discontent swept through the country.

The countries of Europe were satisfied with the agreement, as they expected to take Russia as an ally against Germany. The United States, on the other hand, believed that their goals had been achieved, they had significantly weakened the Russian and Japanese powers.

Results

War between Russia and Japan 1904−1905 had economic and political reasons. She showed internal problems Russian management and diplomatic mistakes made by Russia. Russia's losses amounted to 270 thousand people, of which 50,000 were killed. Japan's losses were similar, but there were more killed - 80,000 people.

For Japan, the war turned out to be much more intense. than for Russia. She had to mobilize 1.8% of her population, while Russia - only 0.5%. Military operations quadrupled the external debt of Japan, Russia - by 1/3. The ended war influenced the development of military art in general, showing the importance of weapons equipment.

Reasons for the war:

Russia's desire to gain a foothold on the "non-freezing seas" of China and Korea.

The desire of the leading powers to prevent the strengthening of Russia in the Far East. US and UK support for Japan.

The desire of Japan to oust the Russian army from China and capture Korea.

Arms race in Japan. Increasing taxes for the sake of military production.

Japan's plans were to seize Russian territory from Primorsky Krai to the Urals.

The course of the war:

January 27, 1904 - near Port Arthur, 3 Russian ships were pierced by Japanese torpedoes, which did not sink due to the heroism of the crews. The feat of the Russian ships "Varyag" and "Koreets" near the port of Chemulpo (Incheon).

March 31, 1904 - the death of the battleship "Petropavlovsk" with the headquarters of Admiral Makarov and a crew of more than 630 people. The Pacific Fleet was beheaded.

May - December 1904 - heroic defense fortress of Port Arthur. The 50 thousandth Russian garrison, having 646 guns and 62 machine guns, repelled the attacks of the 200 thousandth army of the enemy. After the surrender of the fortress, about 32 thousand Russian soldiers were captured by the Japanese. The Japanese lost more than 110 thousand (according to other sources 91 thousand) soldiers and officers, 15 warships sank, and 16 were destroyed.

August 1904 - Battle of Liaoyang. The Japanese lost more than 23 thousand soldiers, the Russians - more than 16 thousand. Uncertain outcome of the battle. General Kuropatkin gave the order to retreat, fearing encirclement.

September 1904 - battle near the Shakhe River. The Japanese lost more than 30 thousand soldiers, the Russians - more than 40 thousand. Uncertain outcome of the battle. After that, a positional war was waged in Manchuria. In January 1905, a revolution raged in Russia, which made it difficult to wage a war to victory.

February 1905 - The battle of Mukden stretched for 100 km along the front and lasted 3 weeks. The Japanese launched an offensive earlier and confused the plans of the Russian command. Russian troops retreated, avoiding encirclement and losing more than 90 thousand. The Japanese lost over 72,000.

Russo-Japanese war briefly.

The Japanese command recognized the underestimation of the strength of the enemy. From Russia to railway soldiers continued to arrive with weapons and provisions. The war again took on a positional character.

May 1905 - the tragedy of the Russian fleet near the Tsushima Islands. The ships of Admiral Rozhdestvensky (30 combat, 6 transport and 2 hospital) traveled about 33 thousand km and immediately entered the battle. No one in the world could defeat 121 enemy ships on 38 ships! Only the cruiser "Almaz", the destroyers "Brave" and "Grozny" broke through to Vladivostok (according to other sources, 4 ships were saved), the crews of the rest died as heroes or were captured. The Japanese were badly damaged 10 and 3 ships sank.

Until now, Russians, passing by the Tsushima Islands, lay wreaths on the water in memory of 5,000 dead Russian sailors.

The war was ending. The Russian army in Manchuria was growing and could continue the war for a long time. The human and financial resources of Japan were depleted (old people and children were already being drafted into the army). Russia, from a position of strength, signed the Treaty of Portsmouth in August 1905.

The results of the war:

Russia withdrew troops from Manchuria, transferred the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan, southern part Sakhalin Islands and money for the maintenance of prisoners. This failure of Japanese diplomacy caused mass riots in Tokyo.

After the war, Japan's external public debt grew 4 times, Russia's by 1/3.

Japan lost more than 85 thousand killed, Russia more than 50 thousand.

More than 38 thousand soldiers died from wounds in Japan, more than 17 thousand in Russia.

Yet Russia lost this war. The reasons were economic and military backwardness, weakness of intelligence and command, the great remoteness and stretching of the theater of operations, poor supply, and weak interaction between the army and navy. In addition, the Russian people did not understand why it was necessary to fight in distant Manchuria. The revolution of 1905-1907 further weakened Russia.