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Russian Imperialism in Asia and the Russo-Japanese War
describes
Russia's aggressive moves in
Asia which led to the
Russo-Japanese War of
1904-1905.
At the turn of the century, Russia gained room to maneuver in Asia
because of its alliance with
France and the growing rivalry between
Britain and
Germany.
Tsar
Nicholas failed to orchestrate a coherent Far Eastern policy because
of ministerial conflicts, however. Russia's uncoordinated and aggressive
moves in the region ultimately led to the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).
By
1895 Germany was competing with France for Russia's favor, and British
statesmen hoped to negotiate with the Russians to demarcate spheres of
influence in Asia. This situation enabled Russia to intervene in
northeastern Asia after
Japan's victory over China in
1895. In the negotiations that followed, Japan was forced to make
concessions in the
Liaotung Peninsula and
Port Arthur (Lushun) in southern
Manchuria. The next year, Witte used French capital to establish the
Russo-Chinese Bank. The goal of the bank was to finance the construction
of a railroad across northern Manchuria and thus shorten the
Trans-Siberian Railroad. Within two years, Russia had acquired leases
on the Liaotung Peninsula and Port Arthur and had begun building a trunk
line from
Harbin in central Manchuria to Port Arthur on the coast.
In
1900 China reacted to foreign encroachments on its territory with an
armed popular uprising, the
Boxer Rebellion. Russian military contingents joined forces from
Europe, Japan, and the
United States to restore order in northern China. A force of 180,000
Russian troops fought to pacify part of Manchuria and to secure its
railroads. The Japanese were backed by Britain and the United States,
however, and insisted that Russia evacuate Manchuria.
Witte and some Russian diplomats wanted to compromise with Japan and
trade Manchuria for
Korea, but a group of Witte's reactionary enemies, courtiers, and
military and naval leaders refused to compromise. The tsar favored their
viewpoint, and, disdaining Japan's threats--despite the latter's formal
alliance with Britain--the Russian government equivocated until Japan
declared war in early
1904.
In the war that followed, Japan's location, technological superiority,
and superior morale gave it command of the seas, and Russia's sluggishness
and incompetent commanders caused continuous setbacks on land. In January
1905, after an eight-month siege, Russia surrendered Port Arthur, and
in March the Japanese forced the Russians to withdraw north of
Mukden. In May, at the
Tsushima Straits, the Japanese destroyed Russia's last hope in the
war, a fleet assembled from the navy's Baltic and Mediterranean squadrons.
Theoretically, Russian army reinforcements could have driven the Japanese
from the Asian mainland, but
revolution at home and diplomatic pressure forced the tsar to seek
peace. Russia accepted mediation by United States president Theodore
Roosevelt, ceded southern
Sakhalin Island to Japan, and acknowledged Japan's ascendancy in Korea
and southern Manchuria.
The Last Years of the Autocracy
The Russo-Japanese War was a turning point in Russian history. It led
to a popular uprising against the government that forced the regime to
respond with domestic economic and political reforms. In the same period,
however, counterreform and special-interest groups exerted increasing
influence on the regime's policies. In foreign affairs, Russia again
became an intrusive participant in
Balkan affairs and in the international political intrigues of the
major European powers. As a consequence of its foreign policies, Russia
was drawn into a world war for which its domestic policies rendered it
unprepared. Severely weakened by internal turmoil and lacking leadership,
the regime ultimately was unable to overcome the traumatic events that
would lead to the fall of
tsarism and initiate a new era in Russian and world history.
Related Articles
This article is part of
Imperial Russia, which is part of
History of Russia.
External links and references
The first draft of this article was taken with little editing from the
Library of Congress Federal Research Division's Country Studies
series. As their home page at
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html says, "Information
contained in the Country Studies On-Line is not copyrighted and thus is
available for free and unrestricted use by researchers. As a courtesy,
however, appropriate credit should be given to the series." Please
leave this statement intact so that credit can be given.
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