Russo-Japanese War 1904 1905 summary. Russo-Japanese War briefly

Large-scale hostilities of the Russo-Japanese War began on January 26, 1904 with a treacherous attack by Japanese destroyers on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur on the Russian squadron.

The Japanese torpedoed and temporarily disabled the best Russian battleships Tsesarevich and Retvizan, as well as the cruiser Pallada. Measures to protect ships in the outer roadstead were clearly insufficient. It must be admitted that none of the Russian ships received fatal damage, and after an artillery battle on the morning of January 27, the Japanese fleet was forced to retreat. The moral factor played a fatal role - the Japanese fleet managed to seize the initiative. Our squadron began to suffer ridiculous and unjustified losses in the following days due to poor interaction and control. So, two days after the start of the war, the Yenisei minelayer and the Boyarin cruiser were killed on their own mines.

The war went on with varying success and was marked by the heroism of Russian sailors and soldiers, who struck even the enemy with their fighting spirit. Like, for example, Private Vasily Ryabov, who was detained by the Japanese during a reconnaissance exit. In the clothes of a Chinese peasant, in a wig with a pigtail, Ryabov ran into a Japanese patrol behind enemy lines. The interrogation did not break Ryabov, he kept a military secret and, being sentenced to death, behaved with dignity. Everything happened strictly according to the ritual. Shot from guns from fifteen paces. The Japanese were delighted with the courageous behavior of the Russian and considered it their duty to bring this to the attention of his superiors.

The note of the Japanese officer sounds like a presentation for an award: "Our army cannot but express our sincere wishes to the respected army that the latter educate more such truly beautiful, worthy of full respect warriors."

The peace treaty, signed on August 23, 1905, is still a very controversial document, some historians consider it a big mistake of Russian diplomacy. Not the last negative role in resolving the negotiation issue was played by Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel. In literature, he is often called the commandant of the fortress, although this is not so. Stessel was the head of the Kwantung fortified region, after the abolition of the latter in June 1904, contrary to orders, he remained in Port Arthur. As a military leader, he did not show himself by sending out reports with exaggerated data on Russian losses and the number of Japanese troops.

Stessel is also known for a number of very dark financial dealings in the besieged fortress. On January 2, 1905, contrary to the opinion of the military council, he began negotiations with the Japanese on the surrender of Port Arthur. After the war, under the pressure of public opinion, he was put on trial and was sentenced to 10 years in a fortress, but six months later he was released by decision of the emperor and hurried to go abroad.

The 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.

Plans and tasks of the parties

At the beginning of the 20th 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, the eastern part of the army was defeated and there was a threat of encirclement of the Russian army by the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Japanese, having an advantage at sea, 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. The Kuban Cossacks posed a great threat to the Japanese army. 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 amount of money was stolen. Embezzlement in the Far East flourished, which created problems with the supply of the army. In the American city of Portsmouth, through the mediation of US President T. Roosevelt, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Russia transferred southern Sakhalin and Port Arthur to Japan. Russia also recognized Japan's dominance in Korea.

The defeat of Russia in the war was of great importance for the future political system in Russia, where the power of the emperor would be limited for the first time in several hundred years.

What have we learned?

Speaking briefly about the 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.

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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 included 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 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. R.'s last stage - 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. there were reactionary and rotten tsarism, the inability of the high military command, the unpopularity of the war among the people, the low combat quality of replacements manned by storekeepers, including older ages who did not have sufficient combat training, 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 a great influence on the development of military art (see. operational art). It was the first time that rapid-fire weapons (rifles, machine guns) were used on a mass scale. 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 deterioration in their financial situation, an increase in taxes and prices. Japan's public debt increased 4 times, its losses amounted to 135 thousand killed and died from wounds and diseases and about 554 thousand wounded and sick. Russia spent 2347 million rubles on the war, about 500 million rubles were lost in the form of property that went to Japan and sunk ships and vessels. Russia's losses amounted to 400 thousand killed, wounded, sick and captured. 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 on the description of the Russian-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 Naval General Staff, Prince. 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.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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The more a person is able to respond to the historical and universal, the wider his nature, the richer his life and the more capable such a person is of progress and development.
F. M. Dostoevsky

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which we will briefly discuss today, is one of the most important pages in the history of the Russian Empire. In the war, Russia was defeated, demonstrating a military lag behind the leading world countries. Another important event of the war - following its results, the Entente was finally formed, and the world began to slowly, but steadily, roll towards the First World War.

Background of the war

In 1894-1895, Japan defeated China, as a result of which Japan had to cross the Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula along with Port Arthur and Farmosa Island (the current name is Taiwan). Germany, France and Russia intervened in the course of the negotiations, insisting that the Liaodong Peninsula remain in the use of China.

In 1896, the government of Nicholas II signed a treaty of friendship with China. As a result, China allows Russia to build a railroad to Vladivostok through Northern Manchuria (China Eastern Railway).

In 1898, Russia, within the framework of a friendship agreement with China, leases the Liaodong Peninsula from the latter for 25 years. This move drew sharp criticism from Japan, which also laid claim to these lands. But this did not lead to serious consequences at that time. In 1902, the tsarist army enters Manchuria. Formally, Japan was ready to recognize this territory for Russia if the latter recognized Japan's dominance in Korea. But the Russian government made a mistake. They did not take Japan seriously, and did not even think of entering into negotiations with it.

Causes and nature of the war

The reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are as follows:

Lease of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur by Russia.
Economic expansion of Russia in Manchuria.
Distribution of spheres of influence in China and Korea.

The nature of hostilities can be defined as follows

Russia planned to conduct defense and pull up reserves. The transfer of troops was planned to be completed in August 1904, after which it was planned to go on the offensive, up to the landing in Japan.
Japan planned to wage an offensive war. The first strike was planned at sea with the destruction of the Russian fleet, so that nothing would interfere with the transfer of the landing force. The plans included the capture of Manchuria, the Ussuri and Primorsky Territories.

The balance of power at the beginning of the war

Japan in the war could put up about 175 thousand people (another 100 thousand in reserve) and 1140 field guns. The Russian army consisted of 1 million people and 3.5 million in reserve (reserve). But in the Far East, Russia had 100,000 men and 148 field guns. Also at the disposal of the Russian army were the border guards, who were 24 thousand people with 26 guns. The problem was that these forces, inferior in number to the Japanese, were widely scattered geographically: from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. During 1904-1905, Russia carried out 9 mobilizations, calling for military service about 1 million people.

The Russian fleet consisted of 69 warships. 55 of these ships were in Port Arthur, which was very poorly fortified. To demonstrate that Port Arthur was not completed and ready for war, it is enough to cite the following figures. The fortress was supposed to have 542 guns, but in fact there were only 375, but even of these only 108 guns were usable. That is, the gun supply of Port Arthur at the time of the outbreak of the war was 20%!

It is obvious that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 began with a clear superiority of Japan on land and at sea.

The course of hostilities

Map of military operations

rice. one - Map of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Events of 1904

In January 1904, Japan breaks off diplomatic relations with Russia and on January 27, 1904 attacks warships near Port Arthur. This was the beginning of the war.

Russia began to transfer the army to the Far East, but this happened very slowly. The distance of 8 thousand kilometers and the unfinished section of the Siberian railway - all this prevented the transfer of the army. The capacity of the road was 3 echelons per day, which is extremely small.

On January 27, 1904, Japan attacked Russian ships in Port Arthur. At the same time, in the Korean port of Chemulpo, an attack was made on the Varyag cruiser and the Korean escort boat. After an unequal battle, the "Korean" was blown up, and the "Varyag" was flooded by the Russian sailors themselves, so that the enemy would not get it. After that, the strategic initiative at sea passed to Japan. The situation at sea worsened after the battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up on a Japanese mine on March 31, on board of which was the commander of the fleet, S. Makarov. In addition to the commander, his entire staff, 29 officers and 652 sailors perished.

In February 1904, Japan landed an army of 60,000 in Korea, which moved towards the Yalu River (the river separated Korea and Manchuria). There were no significant battles at that time, and in mid-April the Japanese army crossed the border of Manchuria.

Fall of Port Arthur

In May, the second Japanese army (50 thousand people) landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and headed for Port Arthur, creating a bridgehead for the offensive. By this time, the Russian army had partially managed to complete the transfer of troops and its strength was 160 thousand people. One of the most important events of the war was the Battle of Liaoyang in August 1904. This battle still raises many questions among historians. The fact is that in this battle (and it was practically a general one), the Japanese army was defeated. And so much so that the command of the Japanese army declared the impossibility of continuing the conduct of hostilities. The Russo-Japanese War could have ended there if the Russian army went on the offensive. But the commander, Koropatkin, gives an absolutely absurd order - to retreat. In the course of further events of the war in the Russian army there will be several opportunities to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, but each time Kuropatkin either gave absurd orders or hesitated to act, giving the enemy the right time.

After the battle at Liaoyang, the Russian army retreated to the Shahe River, where a new battle took place in September, which did not reveal a winner. After that, there was a lull, and the war moved into a positional phase. In December, General R.I. Kondratenko, who commanded the land defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The new commander of the troops A.M. Stessel, despite the categorical refusal of the soldiers and sailors, decided to surrender the fortress. On December 20, 1904, Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese. On this, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 passed into a passive phase, continuing active operations already in 1905.

Later, under public pressure, General Stessel was put on trial and sentenced to death. The sentence was not carried out. Nicholas 2 pardoned the general.
History reference

Defense map of Port Arthur

rice. 2- Defense map of Port Arthur

Events of 1905

The Russian command demanded active actions from Kuropatkin. It was decided to start the offensive in February. But the Japanese preempted him by going on the offensive on Mukden (Shenyang) on February 5, 1905. From February 6 to 25, the largest battle of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 continued. From the Russian side, 280 thousand people took part in it, from the Japanese side - 270 thousand people. There are many interpretations of the Mukden battle in terms of who won the victory in it. In fact, it was a draw. The Russian army lost 90 thousand soldiers, the Japanese - 70 thousand. Smaller losses on the part of Japan are a frequent argument in favor of her victory, but this battle did not give the Japanese army any advantage or gain. Moreover, the losses were so severe that Japan made no further attempts to organize major land battles until the end of the war.

Much more important is the fact that the population of Japan is much smaller than the population of Russia, and after Mukden, the island country has exhausted its human resources. Russia could and should have gone on the offensive in order to win, but 2 factors played against this:

Kuropatkin factor
Factor in the Revolution of 1905

On May 14-15, 1905, the Tsushima naval battle took place, in which the Russian squadrons were defeated. The losses of the Russian army amounted to 19 ships and 10 thousand killed and captured.

Kuropatkin factor

Kuropatkin, commanding the ground forces, throughout the entire Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 did not use a single chance for a favorable offensive in order to inflict great damage on the enemy. There were several such chances, and we talked about them above. Why did the Russian general and commander refuse active actions and did not seek to end the war? After all, if he had given the order to attack after Liaoyang, and with a high degree of probability, the Japanese army would have ceased to exist.

Of course, it is impossible to answer this question directly, but a number of historians put forward the following opinion (I cite it for the reason that it is well-reasoned and extremely similar to the truth). Kuropatkin was closely associated with Witte, who, let me remind you, by the time of the war was removed by Nicholas II from the post of prime minister. Kuropatkin's plan was to create conditions under which the tsar would return Witte. The latter was considered an excellent negotiator, so it was necessary to reduce the war with Japan to a stage where the parties would sit down at the negotiating table. For this, the war could not be ended with the help of the army (the defeat of Japan is a direct surrender without any negotiations). Therefore, the commander did everything to bring the war to a draw. He successfully coped with this task, and indeed Nicholas 2 called on Witte by the end of the war.

Revolution Factor

There are many sources pointing to Japanese financing of the 1905 Revolution. The real facts of the transfer of money, of course. No. But there are 2 facts that I find extremely curious:

The peak of the revolution and movement fell on the Battle of Tsushima. Nicholas 2 needed an army to fight the revolution and he decided to start peace negotiations with Japan.
Immediately after the signing of the Peace of Portsmouth, the revolution in Russia began to wane.

Reasons for the defeat of Russia

Why was Russia defeated in the war with Japan? The reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War are as follows:

The weakness of the grouping of Russian troops in the Far East.
The unfinished Trans-Siberian Railway, which did not allow the transfer of troops in full.
Mistakes of the army command. I already wrote above about the Kuropatkin factor.
Japan's superiority in military equipment.

The last point is extremely important. He is often forgotten, but undeservedly. In terms of technical equipment, primarily in the navy, Japan was far ahead of Russia.

Portsmouth Peace

To conclude peace between countries, Japan demanded that Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, act as an intermediary. Negotiations began and the Russian delegation was headed by Witte. Nicholas 2 returned him to his post and entrusted him with negotiating, knowing the talents of this man. And Witte really took a very tough position, not allowing Japan to get significant gains from the war.

The terms of the Peace of Portsmouth were as follows:

Russia recognized Japan's right to dominate Korea.
Russia ceded part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (the Japanese wanted to get the entire island, but Witte was against it).
Russia transferred the Kwantung Peninsula to Japan along with Port Arthur.
No one paid indemnities to anyone, but Russia had to pay a reward to the enemy for the maintenance of Russian prisoners of war.

Consequences of the war

During the war, Russia and Japan lost about 300 thousand people each, but in view of the population for Japan, these were almost catastrophic losses. The losses were due to the fact that this was the first major war in which automatic weapons were used. At sea, there was a big bias towards the use of mines.

An important fact that many bypass, it was after the Russo-Japanese War that the Entente (Russia, France and England) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) were finally formed. The fact of the formation of the Entente draws upon itself. Before the war, Europe had an alliance between Russia and France. The latter did not want its expansion. But the events of the Russian war against Japan showed that the Russian army had many problems (it really was), so France signed agreements with England.

Positions of world powers during the war

During the Russo-Japanese War, the world powers occupied the following positions:

England and USA. Traditionally, the interests of these countries were extremely similar. They supported Japan, but mostly financially. Approximately 40% of Japan's costs of the war were covered by Anglo-Saxon money.
France declared neutrality. Although, in fact, she had an allied agreement with Russia, she did not fulfill her allied obligations.
Germany from the first days of the war declared its neutrality.

The Russian-Japanese war was practically not analyzed by tsarist historians, since they simply did not have enough time. After the end of the war, the Russian Empire lasted almost 12 years, which included a revolution, economic problems and a world war. Therefore, the main study took place already in Soviet times. But it is important to understand that for Soviet historians it was a war against the backdrop of a revolution. That is, "the tsarist regime strove for aggression, and the people prevented this with all their might." That is why it is written in Soviet textbooks that, for example, the Liaoyang operation ended in the defeat of Russia. Although technically it was a draw.

The end of the war is also seen as the complete defeat of the Russian army on land and in the navy. If at sea the situation was indeed close to defeat, then on land Japan was on the brink of an abyss, since they no longer had the manpower to continue the war. I propose to look at this question even a little wider. How did the wars of that era end after the unconditional defeat (and this is what Soviet historians often talked about) of one of the parties? Large indemnities, large territorial concessions, partial economic and political dependence of the loser on the winner. But there is nothing like it in the Portsmouth world. Russia did not pay anything, lost only the southern part of Sakhalin (an insignificant territory) and refused the land leased from China. The argument is often made that Japan won the fight for dominance in Korea. But Russia has never seriously fought for this territory. She was only interested in Manchuria. And if we go back to the origins of the war, we will see that the Japanese government would never have started a war if Nicholas 2 had recognized Japan's dominance in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's positions in Manbchuria. Therefore, at the end of the war, Russia did what it should have done back in 1903, without bringing matters to a war. But this is a question for the personality of Nicholas 2, who today is extremely fashionable to call a martyr and hero of Russia, but it was his actions that provoked the war.

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 was the result of a clash of interests between Russia and Japan in the Far East. Both countries, which experienced in the last decades of the XIX century. the processes of internal modernization, at about the same time, intensified foreign policy in this region. Russia was aimed at the development of economic expansion in Manchuria and Korea, which were nominally the possessions of China. However, here she ran into Japan, which was rapidly gaining strength, which was also eager to quickly join in the division of a weakened China.

Power rivalry in the Far East

The first major clash between St. Petersburg and Tokyo occurred when the Japanese, having defeated the Chinese in the war of 1894-1895, intended to impose extremely difficult peace conditions on them. The intervention of Russia, supported by France and Germany, forced them to moderate their appetites. But Petersburg, acting as the protector of China, strengthened its influence in this country. In 1896, an agreement was signed on the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) through Manchuria, which shortened the route to Vladivostok by 800 km and made it possible to expand the Russian presence in the region. In 1898, Port Arthur was leased on the Liaodong Peninsula, which became Russia's main naval base in the Pacific Ocean. It had an advantageous strategic position and, unlike Vladivostok, did not freeze.

In 1900, during the suppression of the so-called Boxer uprising, Russian troops occupied Manchuria. It was Tokyo's turn to express its extreme displeasure. Proposals on the division of spheres of interest (Manchuria - Russia, Korea - Japan) were rejected by St. Petersburg. Emperor Nicholas II was increasingly influenced by adventurers from his entourage, who underestimated the strength of Japan. In addition, as Minister of the Interior V. K. Plehve said, “to keep the revolution ... a small victorious war is needed.” This opinion was supported by many at the top.

"Maxims" were adopted by the Russian army on May 28, 1895. In the Russo-Japanese war, they were used in two forms: with large wheels and a shield, or, as shown in the figure, on a tripod

Meanwhile, Japan was actively preparing for war, building up its military power. The Japanese army deployed for mobilization numbered over 375 thousand people, 1140 guns, 147 machine guns. The Japanese fleet consisted of 80 warships, including 6 squadron battleships, 8 armored ships and 12 light cruisers.

Russia initially kept about 100 thousand people in the Far East (about 10% of the entire army), 148 guns and 8 machine guns. There were 63 Russian warships in the Pacific Ocean, including 7 squadron battleships, 4 armored and 7 light cruisers. The remoteness of this region from the center and the difficulties of transportation along the Trans-Siberian Railway affected. In general, Russia was noticeably inferior to Japan in terms of readiness for war.

The move of the warriors

On January 24 (February 6, New Style), 1904, Japan broke off negotiations and severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Even before the official declaration of war, which followed on January 28 (February 10), 1904, Japanese destroyers on the night of January 26-27 (February 8-9) attacked the Russian squadron in Port Arthur and damaged two battleships and a cruiser. For the Russian sailors, the attack was sudden, although it was clear from the behavior of the Japanese that they were about to start a war. Nevertheless, the Russian ships stood on the outer road without mine nets, and two of them illuminated the road with searchlights (they were hit in the first place). True, the Japanese were not distinguished by accuracy either, although they fired almost point-blank: out of 16 torpedoes, only three hit the target.

Japanese sailors. 1905

On January 27 (February 9), 1904, six Japanese cruisers and eight destroyers blocked the Russian cruiser "Varyag" (commander - captain of the 1st rank V. F. Rudnev) and the gunboat "Koreets" in the Korean port of Chemulpo (now Incheon) and offered them to surrender. The Russian sailors made a breakthrough, but after an hour-long battle they returned to the port. The heavily damaged "Varyag" was flooded, and the "Korean" was blown up by his teams, who went on board the ships of neutral states.

The feat of the cruiser "Varyag" received a wide response in Russia and abroad. The sailors were solemnly welcomed at home, they were received by Nicholas II. Until now, the song "Varangian" is popular both in the fleet and among the people:

Upstairs you, comrades, All in places! The last parade is coming... Our proud "Varangian" does not surrender to the enemy, No one wants mercy.

Trouble at sea plagued the Russians. At the end of January, the Yenisei mine transport was blown up and sank on its own minefields, and then the Boyarin cruiser sent to help it. However, the Japanese were undermined by Russian mines more often. So, on May 2 (15), two Japanese battleships exploded at once.

At the end of February, a new squadron commander, Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov, a brave and active naval commander, arrived in Port Arthur. But he was not destined to defeat the Japanese. On March 31 (April 13), the flagship battleship Petropavlovsk, moving to help the ships attacked by the Japanese, ran into a mine and sank in a matter of minutes. Makarov, his personal friend, battle painter V.V. Vereshchagin, and almost the entire crew were killed. The command of the squadron was taken over by the uninitiative Rear Admiral V.K. Vitgeft. The Russians tried to break through to Vladivostok, but on July 28 (August 10) they were stopped by the Japanese in the battle in the Yellow Sea. In this battle, Vitgeft died, and the remnants of the Russian squadron returned to Port Arthur.

On land, things also turned out badly for Russia. In February 1904, Japanese troops landed in Korea and in April reached the border with Manchuria, where a large Russian detachment was defeated on the Yalu River. In April - May, the Japanese landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and interrupted Port Arthur's connection with the main army. In June, the Russian troops sent to help the fortress were defeated near Vafangou and retreated to the north. In July, the siege of Port Arthur began. In August, the Liaoyang battle took place with the participation of the main forces of both sides. The Russians, having a numerical advantage, successfully repulsed the attacks of the Japanese and could count on success, but the army commander A.N. Kuropatkin showed indecision and ordered a retreat. In September - October, the oncoming battle on the Shahe River ended inconclusively, and both sides, having suffered heavy losses, went on the defensive.

The epicenter of events has shifted to Port Arthur. For more than one month, this fortress withstood the siege, repelling several assaults. But in the end, the Japanese were able to capture the strategically important mountain Vysokaya. And after this, General R.I. Kondratenko, who was called the "soul of defense" of the fortress, died. On December 20, 1904 (January 21, 1905), Generals A. M. Stessel and A. V. Fock, contrary to the opinion of the military council, surrendered Port Arthur. Russia lost the main naval base, the remnants of the fleet and more than 30 thousand prisoners, and the Japanese released 100 thousand soldiers for operations in other directions.

In February 1905, the largest battle of Mukden in this war took place, in which more than half a million soldiers from both sides participated. Russian troops were defeated and retreated, after which active hostilities on land ceased.

Tsushima disaster

The final chord of the war was the Battle of Tsushima. As early as September 19 (October 2), 1904, a detachment of ships under the command of Vice Admiral 3. P. Rozhestvensky, called the 2nd Pacific Squadron, set off from the Baltic to the Far East (it was followed by the 3rd squadron under the command of Rear Admiral N I. Nebogatova). In their composition, in particular, there were 8 squadron battleships, 13 cruisers of various classes. Among them were both new ships, including those that had not yet been properly tested, as well as obsolete ones, unsuitable for ocean navigation and general battle. After the fall of Port Arthur, they had to go to Vladivostok. Having made an exhausting journey around Africa, the ships entered the Tsushima Strait (between Japan and Korea), where the main forces of the Japanese fleet (4 squadron battleships, 24 cruisers of various classes and other ships) were waiting for them. The Japanese attack was sudden. The battle began on May 14 (27), 1905 at 13:49. Within 40 minutes, the Russian squadron lost two battleships, and then new losses followed. Rozhdestvensky was wounded. After sunset, at 20:15, the remnants of the Russian squadron attacked dozens of Japanese destroyers. On May 15 (28), at 11 o'clock, the ships remaining afloat, surrounded by the Japanese fleet, lowered the St. Andrew's flags.

The defeat at Tsushima was the most difficult and shameful in the history of the Russian fleet. Only a few cruisers and destroyers managed to escape from the scene of the battle, but only the Almaz cruiser and two destroyers reached Vladivostok. More than 5 thousand sailors died, and over 6 thousand were captured. The Japanese lost only three destroyers and about 700 men killed and wounded.

There were many reasons for this disaster: miscalculations in planning and organizing the expedition, unpreparedness for battle, weak command, obvious shortcomings of Russian guns and shells, the diversity of ships, unsuccessful maneuvering in battle, communication problems, etc. The Russian fleet was clearly inferior to the Japanese in material and moral preparation, in military skill and stamina.

Peace of Portsmouth and the outcome of the war

After Tsushima, the last hopes for a favorable outcome for Russia collapsed, in which the Russian army and navy did not win a single major victory. In addition, a revolution began in Russia. But both sides were exhausted. Human losses amounted to approximately 270 thousand people. Therefore, both Japan and Russia readily accepted the mediation of US President T. Roosevelt.

On August 23 (September 5), 1905, a peace treaty was signed in the American city of Portsmouth. Russia gave Japan South Sakhalin and its rights to lease Port Arthur with adjacent territories. She also recognized Korea as a Japanese sphere of influence.

The Russo-Japanese War had a great impact on military and naval affairs. For the first time, machine guns and rapid-fire cannons were so widely used, light machine guns, mortars, and hand grenades appeared, and experience began to be accumulated in the use of radios, searchlights, balloons, wire obstacles with electric current in war. For the first time, submarines and new sea mines were used. Improved tactics and strategy. The defensive positions combined trenches, trenches, dugouts. Of particular importance was the achievement of fire superiority over the enemy and the close interaction of the combat arms on the battlefield, and at sea - the optimal combination of speed, fire power and armor protection.

In Russia, the defeat marked the beginning of a revolutionary crisis, culminating in the transformation of the autocracy into a constitutional monarchy. But the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War did not teach the ruling circles of the Russian Empire anything, and eight years later they pushed the country into a new, even more grandiose war - the First World War.