meiji oligarchy ruled russia during the russo japanese war.
meiji oligarchy ruled russia during the russo japanese war.
who ruled russia during the russo japanese war?
meiji oligarchy
the russo-japanese war (1904–1905) was fought over rival ambitions in manchuria and korea. most international observers expected russia to win easily over upstart japan—and were astonished when japan sank the main russian fleet and won the war, marking the first great asian victory over a modern european power. russia sought a warm-water port on the pacific ocean for its growing navy, and to expand maritime trade. vladivostok was operational only during the summer, whereas port arthur, a naval base in liaodong province leased to russia by china, was operational all year. since the end of the first sino-japanese war in 1895, negotiations between russia and japan went nowhere. japan was worried by russia's long march east through siberia and central asia, and offered to recognize russian dominance in manchuria in exchange for recognition of korea as being within the japanese sphere of influence. tokyo placed a much higher value on korea than did st petersburg, but russia demanded korea north of the 39th parallel to become a neutral buffer zone between russia and japan. while the russian decision makers were confused, japan worked to isolate them diplomatically, especially by signing the anglo-japanese alliance in 1902, (even though it did not require britain to enter a war.) after negotiations collapsed in 1904, the japanese navy opened hostilities by attacking the russian eastern fleet at port arthur in a surprise attack. russia suffered numerous defeats but tsar nicholas ii was convinced that russia would eventually win so he refused to settle. the decisive battle came in may 1905 at the battle of tsushima, when the main russian battle fleet, after sailing around the world, finally arrived off korea and was sunk in a matter of hours. peace came with the treaty of portsmouth, mediated by american president theodore roosevelt. it was highly advantageous to japan and transformed the balance of power in east asia.
foreign policy of the russian empire
debate with respect to the russo-japanese war preluding world war ii is a topic of interest to scholars today. arguments that are favorable toward this perspective consider characteristics specific to the russo-japanese war to the qualities definitive of "total war". numerous aspects of total war characterize the russo-japanese war. encompassed on both ends was the mass mobilization of troops into battle. for both russia and japan, the war required extensive economic support in the form of production of equipment, armaments, and supplies at such a scale that both domestic support and foreign aid were required. the conclusion of the russo-japanese war also demonstrated the need for world leaders to regard domestic response to foreign policy, which is argued by some scholars as setting in motion the dissolution of the romanov dynasty by demonstrating the inefficiencies of tsarist russia's government.
russo-japanese war