In 1904, an international one was created. Entente

Notes:

* To compare the events that took place in Russia and Western Europe, in all chronological tables, starting from 1582 (the year the Gregorian calendar was introduced in eight European countries) and ending with 1918 (the year Soviet Russia switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar), in the column DATES are indicated date according to the Gregorian calendar only , and the Julian date is shown in brackets along with a description of the event. In chronological tables describing the periods before the introduction of a new style by Pope Gregory XIII, (in the column DATES) dates are in the Julian calendar only . At the same time, the translation into the Gregorian calendar is not done, because it did not exist.

Read about the events of the year:

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

Kokovtsov V.N. From my past. Memoirs 1903-1919 Volumes I and II. Paris, 1933. Chapter III. Resolution of the conflict with V. K. Plehve. - Murder of Plehve. - The legend about the papers that were in Plehve's briefcase at the time of his murder. - The new Minister of the Interior, Prince P. D. Svyatopolk-Mirsky and his connection with S. Yu. Witte. - Decree of December 12, 1904. - D. F. Trepov and the working question. - Gapon movement. - Demonstration on January 9, 1905 - My objections made to the Sovereign about Trepov's project on the personal influence of the Sovereign on the workers. - Reception by the Sovereign of the delegation of workers of the Petrograd region. - A failed attempt to survey the situation of the workers of the Petrograd region.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6th January. On January 4, the congress on technical education was closed. The congress met in the building of the university, and every day, incidents played out there. Only members had the right to enter meetings; then, to allow everyone to pass, the members stopped presenting their tickets and took off their badges. The sections assembled to discuss issues of commercial education spoke loudly about the harm and disgrace of zemstvo chiefs, others - technical ones - about freedom of the press and the constitution ... The questions were undoubtedly good, but they ended in a grandiose scandal and a cat concert arranged by some two participants the Kishinev pogrom, and the next day the congress was closed, and the building of the university was cordoned off by city and district guards.

January 11th. For the same reasons, all other congresses are closed. In general, there is a complete confusion in the minds of Petersburgers: why these congresses were convened, what they did, why they were closed - everyone interprets this differently. They treat what happened as some kind of hilariously played farce and are only interested in scandals.

January 14th. Every night, trains with military cargo leave for the Far East along the Nikolaev road; 15 people were taken from the guards regiments from each company and sent there. Papers have strongly fallen in the price; talk of war is on the rise.

January 17. The Highest Command was published on the defeat of the recalcitrant and most active and interesting of the Zemstvos - Tver. One stroke of the pen - and it is not there, another - there is no law. However, this Plehve has gone far, we do not live in a civilized country, but as if somewhere in the Persian satrapy!

January 20th. The subjects expelled from the congress with a scandal turned out to be Stepanov and Pronin. I know the first one well from Novoselitsa, where he worked as a contractor. He is an illiterate subject, but with money and a staunch hater of Jewry; his most cherished dream was: “to receive an order, even a lousy one,” and for this purpose he climbed out of his skin, donating heaps of money to various charitable causes.

They even wanted to beat him at the congress, but they stopped him who wanted to do this, and Stepanov, amid abuse, roaring and whistling, jumped out into the street without a fur coat and a hat. How these dandies got to the congress on an education completely alien to them - I can not comprehend!

As a result, there were a lot of searches of those who read even innocent essays and many arrests; I heard that, for example, the fairly well-known lawyer Pereverzev and others had been arrested. There is a story, as always from the “most reliable sources”, that the sovereign conferred with the ministers and asked their opinion how long the present state of affairs could last; Plehve answered: "As many as you like", others - five, ten years, and only one Witte said: "No more than a year, Your Majesty."

Witte generally enjoys the favor of society, and even in legendary cases, rumors ascribe to him the most honest and direct role.

Bad news is also coming from the Caucasus: an Armenian uprising is allegedly being prepared. Visitors from Tiflis say that the commander-in-chief allegedly received a notice that they were going to blow up his palace with a sap, and he called a sapper, and auditory trenches and pits were dug around the palace, in which sentries were placed.

January 24th. There was a scandal in the Ministry of Public Education: his minister, Zenger, suddenly, unexpectedly for everyone, did somersaults and woke up today ... a senator.

There are not even ordinary words in the rescript, in the form of “Most mercifully dismissed,” but directly: “resigns at the request.” The rumors are the liveliest and most diverse, but the most stubborn ones are that he was fired for the schools of the Tver Zemstvo. They say that the revision found in them almost entirely anarchism, the teachers allegedly raised children in the most revolutionary spirit, etc. And when the sovereign, having called Zenger, began to tell him about this, he listened, bulging didn't suspect anything of the sort. The second thing that the same government circles accuse Zenger of is Judophilia and a large percentage of Jews in gymnasiums and universities. The scandal, in any case, is not uncommon: usually such gentlemen are handed over to the State Council, but not to the Senate. There will be more than one supporter of the republic in Russia!

Every night, troops, artillery and combat cargoes go and go to the Far East. Sometimes whole crowds gather to see them off, “cheers” are heard, they wave their hats, send their best wishes to those leaving. Enthusiasm is starting to kick in. And not only in military circles, but also in society, everywhere you come across talk that Russia will shame itself with its current policy and the time has come to teach these monkeys a lesson. Hm... aren't these macaques taller than us, avosek?

There are rumors that the sovereign is in the most dejected state, crying and repeating: "Let everything be given up to the Japanese, only so that the war does not start."

The 25th of January. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, various ragamuffins ran through the streets with piles of telegram prints in their hands. "Declaration of war on the Japanese, declaration of war on Japan," was shouted from every corner. Telegrams sold like hot cakes. It turned out that the Japanese had recalled their envoy from St. Petersburg and, as a result, the Russian had also been recalled. There is strong excitement everywhere.

January 26th. There is a panic on the stock exchange: the papers fell again and, presumably, they will go down again. There is a great revival in the streets, the newspapermen sell well.

January 27th. All Petersburg was alarmed; a telegram arrived that Japanese destroyers entered the Port Arthur raid at night and "caused holes" in three of our battleships stationed there. What kind of "holes" these are, how the Japanese, by the way, who did not declare war, could get through unnoticed - all this is a mystery; telegrams issued during the day are taken from battle; whole crowds surround the sellers, tearing out leaflets from each other. Everyone reads them - cab drivers, janitors ... even the common people do not spare a nickel and a dime, just to find out what is happening in the Far East.

On the stock exchange - a new fall in prices.

So - the war has begun, and we have already disgraced ourselves. Of course, chickens are counted in the fall ...

They assure that the post of Minister of Finance was again offered by Sovereign Witte, but he refused. Yes, now we need a shell that is not as worn out as Pleska!

Everywhere they are indignant at the sailors who "overslept" the approach of the Japanese. Is it still so, you need to find out first.

In the 6th gymnasium, they say, by the way, there was a search, they thought to find revolutionary publications, but only found ... a lot of tobacco. Cheerful search and pleasant results!

By the way, from many people, including L.F. Rogozin, who know Plehve and do not at all share his views on politics, I heard, and more than once, that as a person, at home, he is the most beautiful and likeable person. What a riddle is the human soul after that!

January 27, 11:30 a.m. The Winter Palace is full of imagining officers. Those who come from there report the latest news: Alekseev telegraphed that seven Japanese destroyers were destroyed; of the ships, only the Retvizan was badly damaged, and the other two brought up the patches and, together with the rest of the squadron, went out to meet the Japanese. Now in these moments there is a battle ... The nervous tension in the city is terrible, the uplift of the spirit is extraordinary.

That night, the sovereign travels to Moscow for the traditional declaration of war: the imperial train is already ready at the Nikolaevsky railway station. They say that the emperor is very depressed by what happened, the dowager empress, too. They say that a telegram from Paris reports that the entire port Arthur raid is covered with fragments of destroyers and Japanese bodies; macaques rushed at our fleet like mad. Tomorrow we will read and check everything.

January 28 (morning). In the night, N. K. Mikhailovsky died of a heart attack; died alone, without any help, as there was no one in the apartment.

In the morning, a manifesto about the war appeared in the Government Gazette; snatched rooms, paying 30-40 kopecks. Telegrams on the course of hostilities were posted on the corners of the streets; common people, military men and ladies crowd around and eagerly listen to their reading.

Yesterday the area of ​​the Winter Palace was full of carriages; cheers roared, in a word, something extraordinary was happening. The anthem "God Save the Tsar" was played in the theaters, and the audience demanded its repetition three times. Ur didn't stop.

Moscow has already donated one million rubles for military needs.

Bought a leaflet of telegrams; the Japanese bombarded Port Arthur and knocked out four more of our ships; their losses are unknown; troops suffered minor damage ... And nothing more. What does this dream mean? The rumors are the most ridiculous - right up to the surrender of Port Arthur.

They say that Skrydlov will lead his Black Sea squadron to the East, and Kuropatkin will take over the main command of the land army. What, then, will the governor Alekseev do? Why are his telegrams silent about Japanese losses in the courts?

Admiral E. I. Alekseev in Port Arthur

Evening. At 3 pm midshipmen were promoted to midshipman; also made senior officers of the marine engineering and Pavlovsk schools. The military commander and the General Staff are besieged by officers and lower ranks of the reserve who want to go to war. The vast majority are denied. The unexpectedly produced young people are in a frenzy of delight, but fresh little officers are not seen on the streets: no one had ready-made uniforms. There is a message in the telegrams that the Japanese have been beaten off from Port Arthur, and that one cruiser has been lost to them. Only one "Petersburgskaya Gazeta" published supplements under loud names: "Victory. The defeat of the Japanese fleet, etc., and it says that three cruisers were sunk by ours, and 12 ships were destroyed by the Japanese; at the same time, the number of killed and wounded enemies was even calculated in detail. In front of the telegrams, a wildly hysterical article about “yellow-faced and red-haired” enemies, about the power of Russia was typed in large letters - in a word, the drunken eyes and rolled-up fists of Savras, causing the whole world to “hit” with him, could be seen from the lines. These numbers were snapped up at fifty kopecks and somewhat lifted the spirits of the public; many - and it should be so - do not believe them, but they have heard rumors that the compositor of the Government Gazette, which has a monopoly on the first printing of telegrams from the East, secretly sold the text of that telegram to Peterburgskaya Gazeta. God forbid our wolf calf to eat!

It is said among the sailors that the sultan was paid a large sum of money for the passage of the Black Sea squadron, but it will be pretended that the Russian ships will force the passage and pass under fire, of course harmless, from coastal batteries to help the Pacific Ocean. The staff is actively preparing for a war on three fronts; troops are drawn to Afghanistan in the form of a threat to England. No matter how much you have to deal with and talk with outstanding land soldiers and sailors - everyone is eager for war, and most of all - with England, and the general chorus of both the military and civilians is afraid not of England, not of coalitions, but of Russian diplomats. This is all such patented, polished mediocrity, such walking cowardice, that not a single Russian person can talk about these years without indignation.

January 29. Alekseev is silent. 7 of our armored ships were out of action, about 70 were killed and wounded - this is all our information.

Yesterday's report of the Petersburg newspaper is nowhere confirmed: everything, therefore, is an invention.

By the way, peddlers don’t have it today: they banned it from retail sales for yesterday’s issue for two weeks.

There is bewilderment in the city; the public is an amazing barometer: the slightest trifle unbalances it and makes it impossible to think and think anything. Let's even assume that we were defeated in Port Arthur - Korea and Manchuria are great, there is still where to meet and measure strength!

There was a telegram from London today at the post office, as if a Russian battleship was sunk by the Japanese, and two transports were captured with 2,000 of our troops. Why is the Government Gazette silent? It is better to know the worst truth than to listen and believe - as the public does - a tenfold exaggerated lie about anything!

By the way, an interesting detail: before leaving St. Petersburg, the Japanese envoy paid ten thousand rubles according to the bill presented to him by our telegraph for the last thirteen days.

Petersburg showed off: donated one and a half million for the war; donations begin to pour in from all sides; newspapers are full of reports about them.

January 30. There are telegrams in German newspapers that two Russian cruisers, the Varyag and the Korean, surrendered without a fight to the Japanese in Chemulpo.

Announcements about the losses of the Japanese at Port Arthur are posted around the city, and there is not a word about the sinking of their cruiser; at the end, the public is informed: “due to various unfavorable rumors spreading in the city from unreliable foreign sources, there is no confirmation of them.”

Yesterday, at about 8 pm, two companies of riflemen marched along the Nevsky, heading for the Far East. A gigantic crowd flooded the entire width of the street, soldiers marched mixed with all sorts of people, the crush was extraordinary. Hurrah thundered, hats flew into the air.

K. Bulla. Soldiers go to the front (1904–1905)

How, however, Russia was stirred up!

Foreign newspapers strongly (and on business) attack Alekseev, call him mediocrity, etc. Issues with these articles and telegrams are detained. The stock exchange got a little stronger yesterday, something will happen today? I heard that yesterday there was a telegram from the sovereign to Alekseev demanding immediate reports on the details of the battle at Port Arthur.

Evening. At about 8 pm demonstrations began in the city. Crowds of students and civilians, interspersed with ladies and national flags in their hands, went to the Winter Palace, from there along the Nevsky to Anichkov, singing "God save the Tsar" and "Kol is glorious." A thousand-voiced cheers and the singing of hymns at the palaces called several figures of courtiers to the windows.

At about 11 o'clock the police intervened and began to disperse the most restless, and some of the flames of patriotism had to be extinguished in the station; they dispersed the "herrings" with their fists and scabbards; some will have to remember the beginning of the Japanese-Russian war for a long time!

January 31st. Our mine transport "Yenisei" was blown up by our own mine. Needless to say, the glory started the war! Rumors in the city - do not get along.

Along with awakened patriotism, one has to come across other speeches: the desire that the Japanese beat us - for our own benefit. They say that if we beat them, then the already near “liberation” of Russia will move back into the distance again, we are arrogant, everything will go even worse than it went. It is lamentable that all other interests have been swallowed up by the war, and that the popular movement, which has grown so everywhere, has rushed into a new direction. I personally wish that, first of all, shame does not fall on Rus'. What to do? Let the reforms be pushed back for a few years, it's a pity, but once the mess has been brewed, we must get out of it with honor!

Strong indignation in ultra-liberal circles was produced by the most loyal telegram with all sorts of loyal feelings from the Tver zemstvo, so disgraced by the government the other day.

Yesterday's demonstrations also took place near the French and British embassies. The allies, of course, were cheered, hymns were sung, and the British were given a cat concert. It was then, the participants say, that the police asked them to "honor" to go home. In general, the police were now almost completely effaced.

Mikhailovsky was buried.

A crowd of thousands flooded the entire square; it was impossible to squeeze into the Transfiguration Cathedral. To the amazement and some excitement of the public, suddenly a gendarme detachment appeared from one of the courtyards and headed towards the cathedral. Fortunately, this oprichnina, after talking with the administrators and, probably, having received assurances from them that there would be no unrest, withdrew: the scandal would have been different!

The coffin was carried in their arms; in the most prominent place of the hearse for wreaths, at the top, hung a wreath with the inscription: "from those in the house of pre-trial detention."

When the procession moved - towards it from Liteiny came a "hooray" - the demonstrators-government marched.

Conversations were carried out in the crowd, alas, mainly about the war, about the students "white lining", loudly calling their circle "Dennitsa" (converted by their enemies, supporters of strikes - into a stall, that is, a stable) and organizing all these hymns on the streets . Arabazhin, for example, and others are convinced (they even offered a bet) that Japan will beat us, since our Manchurian road is worthless and can transport no more than 2,000 people a day. In general, many people are very pessimistic and say that no matter how the national question ends, the people's question will suffer terribly. They portend famine and all sorts of horrors like the intervention of England, complete impoverishment, etc., etc. The devil is terrible, but God is merciful!

Evening."Varangian" and "Korean" died heroically, defending themselves from a whole squadron. The Korean sank on its own, while the Varyag blew itself up at the last minute into the air; a tiny Vladivostok squadron broke into the sea and defeated the Japanese city of Hakodate. Honor and glory to the young people!

Cruiser "Varyag"

I was driving home and talked to the driver.

Here, - he says, - the master, the owner has four harnesses, money, he has everything, but he went to the volunteers. I can't stand it, he says. Wife, mother-in-law are crying, where, they say, you are going, why are you? I can’t, he says, endure and it’s over!

Well, how about you, - I ask, - you think: who will beat whom - will we beat the Japanese or will they beat us?

Vanka even spat.

Here are some things that can’t be overcome? - he pointed with his hand to a arshin from the ground. - We'll overcome. We sat quietly, endured, and now the sabbath: now we are turning around!

Well, what if they do get beat?

That is, I’ll smash my head against the panel!

Then he told me, laughing with his whole womb, that he had seen such a scene the other day. A Chinese man was walking, and some 13-year-old boy jumped up to him and shouted (demonstrators were walking) “Down with your hat!” The Chinese was confused, looking at him, and that “keek will give him in the ear, the Chinese will kick from his feet, and then run away. Laughter, laughter all around!"

I cite this as an illustration of what is happening now.

On the Nevsky the crowds seized the sailors and rocked them with shouts of "hurrah"; got the same and the newly minted midshipmen. The Pavlovsk School, as it turned out, is only eagerly awaiting production.

1st of February. There is as yet neither a town governor nor a minister of public education in St. Petersburg; Unterberger, whose appointment was so stubbornly and convincingly announced, according to rumors, refused, and others also refused. And now no one is interested in them.

Bells are ringing around the city, ordinary oil wycks have run over on their skates. Of course, among them there are many disguised Russians, nevertheless they work well.

February 4th. In the Berlin newspapers there are telegrams from London and Paris, as if our Vladivostok squadron ran into Japanese mines somewhere, and three cruisers were lost. Something is bad while things are going on with us in the East! Donations are pouring in from everywhere ... the theft of the treasury and this money will now begin! The ladies of the high society are also busy now in the Anichkov Palace with "work" for the wounded: they drink tea and chatter like magpies. Such, at least, are the stories of knowledgeable persons. Linen, that is, real work, was handed over to poor craftswomen directly at an outrageous price (also, philanthropists! ..) - underpants and kopecks. and bathrobes for 15 kopecks. piece for work. From the wounded, they say, they should take it cheaper!

February 5th. The lies in the city are incredible: today they have reached the point that Port Arthur has been taken. English newspapers also brought news of this kind: "the Moscow boyars were indignant and took and destroyed the Kremlin and many churches." You can’t go further than this news, and therefore from today I stop writing down all sorts of news about the war. "Too many lies!" - the modern Calchas would have to say.

February 6. I talked with one of the sailors who participated in the search for (and found) the battleship Rusalka, which died several years ago from its own dilapidation.

At the same time, there were stories in the city that they did not raise it only because all the higher naval authorities would have to be brought to justice, before that the hull of the ship was dilapidated and so fraudulently it was built. The sailor confirmed everything verbatim; for the same reason, "Gangut" also died in due time; this sailor, navigator of the merchant fleet, a man worthy of unconditional trust, claims that the repairs of these ships, well known to him, were carried out on paper, but in reality they were only repainted from the outside. Machines were always working on the Gangut, pumping out water that seeped into all the grooves. In exactly the same condition, they say, is our other coastal defense, such as different "Admirals" and "Do not touch me." The last name is amusing: “don’t touch me, I’ll fall apart myself,” sailors rewrite it this way.

In some institutions where they collected a subscription for deducting a percentage from the salary for the war, among other things and in the port customs, scandals occurred at the same time: several Poles refused to sign on the grounds that "they do not want to help Russia, which is oppressing them." Something similar happened at the Institute of Civil Engineers.

A massacre took place at the university the other day: students beat up several students for protesting against demonstrations; the fight was such that the fighters dispersed in torn uniforms, with collars turned back, or without them at all. Convincing agreement, to be sure!

Ridiculous and absurd rumors are circulating among our bourgeoisie. As an example, I give the one that I managed to hear.

Elisa Balletta

Grand Duke Alexei, a sailor, gave his mistress Balletta, a French actress (Mikhailovsky Theatre), a small silver ship model with diamond studs. And this is the form in which this “event” passed on to the people; Moreover, all this is conveyed with displeasure, with shaking heads, groans, but, of course, quietly: “What good to expect; how much money is wasted! Aleksey Leksanych gave his mistress, a Frenchwoman, a silver carapace, but for whole days with her on the sea on it rides!

February 8th. Bells rattle and ring in the streets: you can hear them even through the double windows. The people are swept away by death, they celebrate the last day of the buttermilk.

Regarding the reasons for the ban on the retail sale of Peterburgskaya Gazeta, I heard another version: they slapped her in the pocket, as if for an article where they reproached our Port Arthur sailors for “shamefully overslept” the approach of the Japanese.

As I write these lines, a drunken cheer comes from Suvorovsky Prospekt. “Ndravam” is now not prevented from taking a sip!

On Engineering St. at the house of the Red Cross, whole crowds of students, women and men of all classes are constantly on duty; there are so many proposals that one out of ten and even twenty people fall into the ranks of sisters and brothers of mercy. Donations are pouring in generously.

The higher courses for women are closed. The authorities, without the knowledge of the listeners, presented the most loyal address on their behalf with an expression of various feelings; the female students, having learned about this, were indignant - and rightly so - and arranged a very stormy meeting. The result is the closing of courses. Yes, it is difficult now to figure out where the truly “most loyal” feelings are, and where is the forced attachment to the expression of such! It is enough to offer such an offering to some firth in the assembly, then, if all the other people present did not approve, they would be forced to “offer” so as not to be subjected in turn to the offering of some kind of surprise, such as expulsion, imprisonment, etc.

A telegram from Alekseev brought news that we had sunk four Japanese merchant ships and that we had repelled a new attack by destroyers. Still, something like a success; fish without fish and cancer! According to rumors, our affairs are unimportant and Russian rotosity has had its full effect: there are few troops in the East, and our precious, billion-dollar Manchurian road cannot let more than 2,000 people a day through.

February 13. A funny parody of the manifesto about the war goes from hand to hand, starting like this: “We, by the grace of God, etc. ... the king of Khodynsky and Chisinau, Poltava and Kharkov, the king of Erivan”, etc. - all the places where there were riots are listed ending in sections.

The copies are lithographed and bear the inscription at the bottom: “Printing is permitted. Minister ext.<нутренних>cases von Plehve.

February, 15. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich goes to war. What, one wonders, will this hero do there? Of course, in the first place will get George. People will fight, and such gentlemen will receive awards. Again the army will put together a song like the one they brought from the war of 1877:

Were in this fight

Only two heroes -

Their Highnesses,

Their Highnesses!

People interpret that Fr. John of Kronstadt "blessed for a 25-year war," that is, in other words, he predicted that it would last 25 years.

Is Fr. John, I don’t know, but that all of Europe is arming, even such states as Holland and Sweden are mining their harbors, and everyone is about to rush at each other, like dogs at the first “wt” - that’s true!

18th of Febuary. The university is cordoned off by a double row of policemen; its entrances are closed. There is a crowd of students and civilians around the building. I still don't know what's going on, they say a grandiose gathering has been arranged.

Today I received the first issue of the Liberation Leaflet, a new supplement now being issued by Struve on the occasion of the war. I read it and thought: the task of the future historian is difficult! How will he figure it out in a pile of contradictions and sheer lies? I say this for the following reason: in this issue there is a note “State-owned patriotism and student youth”, which reads: “Patriotic demonstrations consisted of 3 elements - police provocation, hooliganism and sheepishness”, below again: “Patriotic demonstrations were carried out mainly by high school students and an indefinite rank People".

I personally and dozens of my acquaintances have seen different manifestations: they were satisfied with everything living that was at those moments and at those points. It was something elemental, penetrating to the very depths of the bones; I didn’t see “crowds of schoolboys” - boys everywhere and always accompany the processions - but I saw adults, respectable fathers of families, young people - students, young ladies, and ladies dressed up, and the poor - everyone walked in these processes, seized with enthusiasm . It is impossible to evoke feelings either in the audience or in the crowd by the “hired” way, and those who were in St. Petersburg these days will never forget them. It was enough to shout one "Hurrah" - and everyone became excited, everyone became participants in the demonstrations.

February 21st. From all sides they report about the flight of teenagers, starting from the age of 10-11, to the Far East, to the war with the Japanese. From gymnasiums and other educational institutions and from parents, up to now, they say, up to one and a half hundred statements about the disappearances of young soldiers have been filed with the detective police; cashiers at railway stations now do not sell tickets to children and detain them.

February 23. Things are not going well at the university. They assure that among the students and female students a circle of people was found who decided to express their sympathy for the Mikado and the Japanese by sending him a welcome telegram and collecting money in his favor. This telegram - passed on - was submitted to the telegraph, but, of course, delivered to a completely different mikado: the mayor, and he galloped with it to the sovereign. All this, knowing our wise future people, one can still believe, no doubt they knew where and to whom their telegram would go instead of Japan and submitted it on purpose for this purpose. But what follows smells of fiction; after reviewing the document, which was essentially ridiculous, the sovereign declared: “I have nothing against the dispatch and the collection of money from these years, only let them both go personally to hand over to the mikado.”

February 26th. From all sides it is reported that it is forbidden to settle for the summer near Oranienbaum, in Terioki, Sestroretsk, Kuokkala, and other coastal places. A fortification is being built in Terioki; the garrison is reinforced in Vyborg. I heard from the commissioners that there was almost a panic in Kronstadt: since March 1, it has been declared under martial law, and the inhabitants are preparing to leave and selling things for next to nothing. War with England is expected.

Boys run through the streets with sheets of paper in their hands and shout: “A new miracle of St. Nicholas in the East, the price is five kopecks.”

February 29th. Today in the newspapers appeared a refutation of the rumors about the prohibition to settle in the above-mentioned areas in the dachas; the message is somehow uncertainly typed in petite and almost imperceptibly. Nevertheless, rumors about this prohibition do not stop, but intensify.

The last Mohican of a galaxy of old poets, K. K. Sluchevsky, is dying; the old man has cancer, and his situation is hopeless.

The old man was an original man and, moreover, almost blind in recent years; passionately loved his "Corner" - a cottage in Hungerburg. "I have things that won't die, sir!" he sometimes used to say in moments of irritation, hitting his broad chest with his fist. It happened at such moments when they were talking about the new Russian academicians and the Russian Pelion - the Academy, which so insultingly forgot about the old man.

K. K. Sluchevsky

On Fridays, poets gathered at Sluchevsky's. Anyone who has concocted in his lifetime any book with verses had the right to go to K. K. on Friday: the doors were open to everyone and everyone. Beliefs were not taken into account, but, it is true, almost no one was received from among the "Friday" guests on other days. All the poetic brethren dragged to him, counting mainly on somehow and somewhere to get through with the help of K. K., the chamberlain and an influential person. The red-haired Apollon Apollonovich of Corinth also visited there, a little, alas, not much like his namesake; Korinfsky was an assistant to K. K. in the editorial office of the Government Bulletin and, not limited to oral praise to the patron, produced a little book: “The Poetry of K. K. Sluchevsky” and I don’t remember now whether it is in this book or in my poems, declared with pathos that Russia should be proud of Sluchevsky's poetry. Mr. Korinfsky thinks badly about Russia! Russia has something to be proud of, and in addition to mediocre, and in recent years, when the old man bucked beyond Moscow and hit decadence, and downright bad rhymes.

These Friday guests joked, said "impromptu", composed, probably from Saturday, and they liked these witticisms so much that they decided to acquaint the public with them and began to publish their own humorous magazine. These Friday inspirations were appreciated by the public, and after a few issues the magazine died.

All this happened a few years ago; I do not know what Fridays of the last time represented, but I have evidence to believe that they have not changed for the better. They finally stopped only these days.

March 4th. Yesterday I talked with dignitaries of the medical world and was curious to find out what this dream meant - sending almost entirely Jewish doctors to the army. It turns out that, as an "unreliable" element, in case of mobilization, they were enrolled in the most remote and, as it was recently assumed, not threatened by war district. Unexpectedly, everything turned upside down, and the Jews went to the front ranks. The foreign wits are right, who have now issued open letters, which depict the resting Sabaoth. An archangel comes to him and informs him that the earth is unfavorable: war. Sabaoth waves his hand and answers: “Let them fight for themselves: they will make up themselves!”.

Yes, the Russians are fighting the Japanese, Your Deity!

Russians? Give me a sash and a hat when it's like this: these people can't do without me!

From all sides it is possible to hear deaf rumors about unrest and resistance to the authorities in Rus'. Where they happened, how - no one can explain. In the Kingdom of Poland, it was said, there were even refusals of soldiers to go to war, etc.

I note the newly awakened expectation of something from within Russia; By the time of the war, the public had already cooled somewhat; leaflets with telegrams began to find buyers much less, and now newspapermen are asking for indifferent passers-by. The first, acute stage has passed ... Will there be something when everyone is fed up and tired of the war? ..

5th of March. Today I was reading a letter from a sailor-officer Sergei Dmitrievich Bodisko from Port Arthur, describing the mess that occurred there from an unexpected attack by the Japanese; All this is known from the newspapers, so I will not repeat it.

The rumor that the second Russian ship exploded - the letter confirmed: only it was not the Bayan that died, as they said, but the Boyar, which twice ran into its own mines. Newspapers and government reports are silent about this - they hide the awl in a bag!

March, 6. Yesterday evening and today in various places I heard that a certain quartermaster Ivkov had been hanged, having sold Japan a plan for the location of food points in the theater of war.

March 15th. Two bookstores told me that N. A. Rubakin was offered a choice: either resettlement in Eastern Siberia, or abroad forever. Why this attack fell on him - no one himself knows. Probably for the January convention, where, although he kept himself relatively modest, he nevertheless fell under the all-seeing eye ... U. N. A. severe asthma; "Abroad" and local compatriots, he does not particularly like; it will be hard for him there! The last time I saw him was shortly after the closing of the congress and the search at his place; he took me to bed. N.A. was amazed that the police, who caught him in the moment of an asthma attack, did not start inspecting the apartment due to his illness, and the bailiff, having asked his superiors by phone, apologized for the trouble and left with his team, postponing the search so as not to disturb sick.

March 19 At about 8 pm, going out into the street, I saw in a cloudless sky either a cloud or a column of smoke; I reached Nevsky - three lanterns flicker on the tower and above them one red one, which means that somewhere there is a fire and a strong one. The fire, as it turned out, was inside the Apraksin yard; beyond Ekaterininsky Square stood over the houses like a huge northern light: tongues of fire stood out and sparks flew high up. Sadovaya Street was crowded with cabs; Black rivers of people and carriages poured from all over into the fire.

K. Bulla. Fire in Apraksin Yard

The building of the State Bank stood lit up as in daylight; no one was allowed past him; through the bars of the Corps of Pages one could see how at the end of the lane, closer to the Fontanka, the flames were raging near the Ministry of Public Education. We barely managed to squeeze through to the Ekaterininsky Canal and go past the bank to Gorokhovaya and from there to the Fontanka. Sparks flying up to extraordinary heights flickered for a long time in the sky and fell on the channel panel - the distance from the place of fire is huge. The tightness was such that the lines of carriages moved at a pace; there were rumors in the crowd that the warehouse of rubber and celluloid products "Provodnik" was on fire, and that there were human casualties; others claimed that a hundred people died. Illuminated by the red glow of the fire, the Fontanka was an extraordinary sight. On the darker right bank of it was a row of steam engines pumping water; the steam engines roared, threw out clouds of smoke and sparks; all around bustled, shining with copper helmets, firefighters; barrels of water rushed at full speed, rattling and ringing, and behind the buildings of the ministries a sea of ​​fire rose and spun.

20th of March. Today, newspapers count 12 victims of yesterday's fire, but so far many clerks of the burnt warehouses - Klochkova and "Provodnik" - have not been found yet. The fire lasted all night; the duty unit extinguished it in the morning. Yesterday and today in terms of fire, some fatal days; Today I am walking along Gogol Street and I see that in the house on the corner of Gorokhovaya glass is broken into the second floor; I read a signboard smoky and writhing at one end: "Editorial office of the Znamya newspaper." Yesterday, it turns out, a fire broke out in it and destroyed it, although unfortunately, it seems, only partly.

I go further - firemen and crowds of people are in Brick Lane: it is burning somewhere in the yard. I got on an omnibus, I was driving along Nevsky - at the Anichsky bridge I met a team flying to a new fire; the horses, apparently, had not yet been harnessed from the evening and bore traces of soap; people looked tired - they had to keep up with fire to fire without resting.

What kind of holidays of the Red Rooster, however, have come??

21 March. They stubbornly repeat that Gershuni and others were hanged, meanwhile I know from reliable sources that they were pardoned. The gallows is replaced by Gershuni with life solitary confinement... damn it, the gallows is much more humane! At the trial, they say, an incident broke out that made a strong impression. The defender of one of the accused, officer Grigoriev, Musin-Pushkin built his defense on the thunderous accusation of Gershuni. “These people,” he said, pointing to Gershuni, “take away portraits and various written testimonies from people like Grigoriev so that they cannot get away from them and, shaking their laurels, then force them to go to their deaths” ... etc. ., etc.

When he finished, Gershuni got up and calmly but expressively said the following: “History has not preserved for us what the judges who sentenced Hus to be burned, nor who they were. But the old woman who brought “her” log to his fire remained in the memory of people. History will remember you, Mr. Advocate, and your dirty stone, thrown by you at a man standing in a shroud and with a rope around his neck!

Everyone was exactly crushed to the ground by these words.

This morning I received a letter from I. A. Rubakin, where he writes that he is going abroad tomorrow, although he “hopes not forever” and says goodbye to me.

March 31. From all sides it is reported that the battleship "Petropavlovsk" with the crew and Admiral Makarov was lost; according to some versions, it was blown up by the Japanese, according to others, it ran into its own mines. The commotion is strong, one by one our best ships are perishing!

Unexpectedly this morning a snow blizzard broke out and the streets that had dried up were again covered with mud; the days are warm, grey; The Neva is just about ready to open up, and Finnish steamboats have been running along the Fontanka for two weeks now, looking like rats scurrying under bridges.

April 1st. Memorial services are held in many churches: the rumor, unfortunately, turned out to be true, Makarov and almost the entire crew of the battleship Petropavlovsk died; Yakovlev and Grand Duke Kirill are wounded but saved. There is a strong blizzard in the yard; the day is like a winter, rainy, and, despite this, whole crowds of people crowd around the corners and run through the posted news from the Far East with their eyes. The impression is terrible.

This morning the police confiscated from all the newspapermen No. Petersburg Leaflet and some other newspapers; those who resisted were dragged to the station; the police also came to the newspaper expedition of the post office and confiscated all the named nos. Nevertheless, I got hold of the "Petersburg leaflet" and managed to hastily skim through it; did not notice anything special; in the accident department I came across only a note that that night there was a strong explosion in the Northern Hotel, which deformed many rooms, floors and ceilings; in one of the rooms, pieces of a human body torn apart by a bomb were found. What kind of bomb it is, and who was the owner of it, is a mystery; in all likelihood, something anarchic is hidden here, the detectives sensed traces and therefore hastened to withdraw any information about what had happened.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Petersburg leaflet was again being sold on the streets; I bought the number - in place of the note about the explosion there is a white stripe. The note was thrown away, and the newspaper was printed again.

April 3rd. There is vague talk of an incident at the Northern Hotel; as if soon the opening of the monument to Alexander III on the square in front of this hotel was coming - of course, in the Highest presence; the anarchists occupied the building overlooking the square and prepared bombs for the assassination attempt, which ended in an unexpected disaster for them. Well, it's not just the Port Arthurs who run into their own mines!

Went to look at the hotel; seven windows on the second floor (counting from the top) were mutilated and scorched; glass and frames are broken; no one is allowed inside the premises. The gendarmes are already on the trail and are actively looking for participants; the post office received a secret paper about the detention and delivery to the police of any correspondence and parcels that could come in the name of a certain Raevsky and some other persons.

There is a split among the police itself. I know for certain that Lopukhin, the current director of her department, is tearing up and torn and openly expresses his displeasure at the arbitrariness and order, which, upon his admission, promised to eliminate Plehve and which, having "lured" Lopukhin, of course, he did not alter.

Annensky, treasurer of the Literary Fund, was sent to Revel for several years ... for his "way of thinking", probably, since he did not have any other sins. They tried their best to convince him that he was making "uncomfortable" speeches at Mikhailovsky's grave, but it did not burn out, because he did not even open his mouth, which was confirmed by witnesses - Korolenko and others. Plehve actively took up the cleansing of St. Petersburg, only , oh, he wouldn’t run into his own mine! Annensky and people like him of language, but not of action, but the “purge” can also awaken combat elements!

I heard that Plehve declared that he would not send anyone to central Russia - “enough to spread sedition everywhere” - but would send them to the Baltic provinces. It's witty. Indeed, the Baltic provinces are Deutschland and they have absolutely nothing to do with Russland; a propagandist exiled there will feel completely free with his hands tied. Annensky, it seems, is the first to open a company in new dining lands!

Skrydlov was appointed commander of the fleet to the Far East; they killed the pots, and then they send a man to take care of them! Cyril, it turns out, is alive and well ... the water did not accept! I forgot to mention that Annensky was expelled so hastily that they were not even allowed to go home and hand over the keys to the cash box, in which 60,000 rubles. O<бщест>-va. It's already fun! The good-natured Annensky seemed so terrible that it was necessary to take him out urgently ... for this it would be necessary to demand a free battleship to the Liteiny Bridge and deliver such a dangerous person to Revel on this reliable vessel!

5th of April. Today I deliberately looked behind the dirty fence that adorns Znamenskaya Square: the wasteland continues to show off in all its integrity, with piles of garbage, a wooden cap over the plinth of the future monument, in a word, complete desolation and, obviously, there can be no talk of any “close” opening. Therefore, the talk about the purpose of renting a room in the "Northern Hotel" by anarchists is fiction.

There are other rumors circulating around the city; by the way, they say that this bomb was intended for Plehve at a memorial service for Sipyagin; others assure that several mines for the ships themselves were found yesterday to explode during the descent of new battleships being built on boathouses, and even in the Neva; the last nonsense is repeated strenuously; the whole city knows and talks about the explosion in the hotel. Here is the result of an "emergency" and clever measure - the confiscation of the newspaper; if she had come out with this note, no one would have paid attention to her - you never know how many accidents happen in a day!

15 April. Time recklessly; whatever the house, the new rumors! And Kuropatkin was wounded by the Grand Duke Boris (according to other sources, he was poisoned), Wilhelm sold us five cruisers, for which we make concessions to him in the customs tariff, that is, we are enslaved for another ten years and more. etc., etc. without end.

Tomorrow the sailors from the Varyag and the Koreyets are coming; grandiose demonstrations are being prepared.

Kirill Vladimirovich returns from the Far East; fought, enough of him! The second child, Boris, they say, will also be removed from there soon: the devil knows what is doing there.

16 April. At nine o'clock in the morning I went in the direction of the Nikolayevsky railway station with my daughter; along Suvorovsky, Ligovka, strings of people hurried there from all sides. It turned out to be impossible to get close to Nevsky; I entered the Church of the Sign and, for a fee, the watchman escorted me to the bell tower, from where a beautiful view opened. Not only the cast-iron fence - the trees around the church, lampposts - everything was completely black with people. The day was grey, cold; along the panels of the Nevsky, along which all movement was stopped from 8 o'clock in the morning, red, blue and crimson ranks of dismounted Cossack regiments stretched. The crowd below kept coming and coming; the mouth of Znamenskaya Street dammed up completely.

On cabbies that happened to be there, and on two carts with crates of beer, ladies and children stood on seats, on trellises and on crates; two of some subjects even climbed on horseback; balconies and windows were open everywhere, people were exhibited from everywhere and endlessly people; they were molded both on the cornices and on the lower signboards.

The crowd from below was sticking out and sticking out the Cossack tapestries closer to the middle of the Nevsky. The right side soon found itself at the very rails; then the Cossacks turned around and went on the attack, pushing and beating, without ceremony, anyone with their hands; it was possible to besiege the people for a short time, then the crowd advanced again with a roar; they attacked her again, and a minute later the crimson uniforms and shaggy black hats broke into heaps and were lost like weeds in a field. Mounted police galloped to the rescue and began to push the crowd back with horses; there were shouts, squeals, fists flashed in places; the crowd shied back, and the Cossacks lined up again; whistling and a cat concert rose from all sides. I saw several hats torn off and thrown into the crowd, Cossack dads and two galoshes. From above, I noticed that the Cossack colonel was talking passionately about something with the bailiff in charge of calling for riots and then ordered the Cossacks to go forward. They retreated almost to the rails, the crowd breathed more freely, and the confusion stopped. The roar on the Nevsky was like over the sea. General attention was attracted by the dogs, which now and then ran at a trot to the station: finally, about half past eleven, those who met us began to leave the station; when two sailors of some kind passed in a carriage, the crowd, who had become unaware, greeted them with an unfriendly, immediately stopped "cheers", and cheered; the dog who ran then also shouted “Hurrah” from a dozen throats; this caused general laughter. A little later, from the direction of the station came the spontaneous roar of thousands of voices; the whole Nevsky buzzed with cries; hats, scarves, flags flashed in the air, an orchestra of sea musicians appeared; behind them, epaulette gleaming with gold, walked Rudnev, Belyaev, and the officers; a little further away, all with St. George's crosses on their chests, blue-black rows of sailors from the Varyag and the Koreyets swam.

Gorelik E.

1903-1904 Meanwhile, everything was moving along a well-established track: a boarding house - a factory, a factory - a boarding house. The blisters on my hands no longer swelled, my palms became calloused and blackened from stubborn soot. Now I confidently understood the mysteries of a wrench and a sledgehammer. I was transferred to the workshop,

From the book Anton Pavlovich Chekhov author Ermilov Vladimir Vladimirovich

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From the book Near Tolstoy. (Notes for fifteen years) author Goldenveizer Alexander Borisovich

1904 224. Aleksandrov NN LORD BYRON: HIS LIFE AND LITERATURAL ACTIVITY. - 2nd ed. - 1904. - 96 p. 225. Karyagin K.M. SAKIA-MOUNI (FUTURE): HIS LIFE AND PHILOSOPHICAL ACTIVITY. - 3rd ed. - 1904. - 80 p. 226. Soloviev E.A.I.S. TURGENEV: HIS LIFE AND LITERATURAL ACTIVITY. - 2nd ed. - 1904. - 96

From the book About Experienced. 1862-1917 Memories author Nesterov Mikhail Vasilievich

In 1904, “For the first time since we played Chekhov,” recalls K. S. Stanislavsky, “the premiere of his play (“The Cherry Orchard.” - V. E.) coincided with his stay in Moscow. This gave us the idea to arrange a celebration of our beloved poet. Chekhov was very stubborn, threatening that

From the book Diary author Renard Jules

April 14, 1904 At Christmas, Alexandra Lvovna arranged a Christmas tree in the wing for the peasant children. I don’t know by what choice, but due to the insufficiency of the premises, not everyone was allowed in. L.N. was with me and, I don’t remember, a third one came later, when the Christmas tree was already in full swing. At the door of the wing

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From the book Three Last Autocrats author Bogdanovich Alexandra Viktorovna

1904 January 6th. On January 4, the congress on technical education was closed. The congress met in the building of the university, and every day, incidents played out there. Only members had the right to enter meetings; then, in order to allow everyone to pass, the members stopped presenting their

From the book Notes of a Naturalist author Vodyanitsky Vladimir Alekseevich

February 22, 1904. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge, a lot has changed. "Rus" is published well. The war helped her and will help her. With New. Vr." constant controversy and attacks. Lelya himself printed an admonition to me for calling the Japanese devils with green eyes. “This is a lubok,” he said. Let

From the author's book

From the author's book

1900-1904 In a large garden, which seemed to be the remnant of a primeval forest with mighty oaks and lindens, with various shrubs and a carpet of wild flowers, miraculously preserved in the middle of the city of Kharkov, a girl hangs multi-colored uniforms, black, green, on ropes.

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. 1 - 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, Kuropatkin, 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.

Historical 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, during 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 gave the order to attack after Liaoyang, and with a high degree of probability the Japanese army would cease 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 from the post of prime minister by Nicholas II. 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 II had recognized Japan's dominance in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's positions in Manchuria. 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.

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 the role of 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.

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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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