War Russo-Japanese woman - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

The Guerre Russo-Japanese woman was held February 8th, 1904 with the September 5th, 1905. She puts at the catches the imperial Russia on a side, and the Japanese Empire of the other.

On the military level, this conflict precedes the wars of the 20th century per its duration (1 year and half), by the committed forces (undoubtedly more than 2 million men on the whole) and the losses (: 156000 died: 280000 wounded: 77000 prisoners) like by the use of the most modern techniques of the art of the war (logistic, lines of communications and information; terrestrial and maritime combined operations; duration of preparation of engagements).

On the political plan, the confrontation finds its origin in triple interaction:

direct opposition of two imperialisms: Japanese and Russian. This last has as an strategic objective to obtain a permanent access to the Pacific Ocean.
the clean step of the consistent Japanese Empire:

initially to preserve its independence and its interests vis-a-vis the European imperialisms increasingly present in the area since second half of the 19th century
then being affirmed and being made recognize as a regional power with whole share, i.e. like an actor developing his own imperial and colonial strategy with equal and identical of the others.

Origins

The Russian presence in the Siberian Far East

The imperial Russia continues its continental expansion beyond the lake Baïkal in the Siberian Far East by reaching the Bering Strait in 1648. However, this expansion is partly stopped in 1689 by the Traité of Nertchinsk which is signed with the China of the dynasty of Qing. This treaty fixes the border between the two countries on the Monts Stanovoï and the river Argoun. Of 1689 with 1725, Russia takes possession of the peninsula of the Kamtchatka and then controls all the continental shores of the Mer of Okhotsk. However, the maximum extension of the winter oceanic ices blocks its shores during several months each year and thus does not allow Russia to have an free access permanently with the Pacific Ocean.

To produce this traditional strategic objective of its diplomacy, Russia must imperatively have one access to the Mer of Japan, access which is refused to him during two centuries by the Treaty of Nertchinsk which sanctuarisé the basin of the river Amour. At the end of the Napoleonean Wars (1815), the Russian push includes in all this zone: installation of military outposts, colonists and tradesmen, traders and trappers, etc in an area slightly controlled by China, in periphery of the principal Manchu territory . This period (1st half of the 19th century) also corresponds to the beginning of the weakening of China of Qing.

Russia carries out its objective to obtain an access to the sea of Japan (and thus to have a maritime frontage at sea free on the Pacific Ocean) by the treaty of Aigun (1858) and the 1st Convention of Beijing (1860) concluded with China. In parallel, Russia negotiates with Japan about the Îles Kouriles and of Sakhaline by concluding the treaties from Shimoda (1855) and from Saint-Pétersbourg (1875), Russia thus obtaining the control of Sakhaline and Japan that of the Kouriles islands.

The European presence in the Far East at the beginning of the XIXe century

The European expansion in the Far East was initially exerted in direction:

of the Filipino with Spanish,
of the Indonesia with Dutch, ,
of the the Indies with English and French, then only English, ,
of French with the conquest of the Cochinchine, the Tonkin and the Ass,
of the Siberia with Russian,
and in the manner " essaimée" who characterizes the colonial Empire Portuguese with his chains of counters installed on the circumference of the Indian Sous-continent, and through the archipelago indonésien.

The European presence in the area was thus summarized primarily at the beginning of the 19th century with:

with Macao since 1513, (and in some other Chinese ports of which Canton),
strictly confined in the island of Dejima starting from 1641, in Japan, since the beginning of the 17th century. , ,

Japan and the year 1854

At the end of the 19th century, the fast penetration of the European powers in Asia and in the Pacific is perceived like a threat by the Japanese.

The weakness of China of Qing

With the dynasty of Qing (1644-1911), Jamais the Chinese empire was not so vast, so prosperous, if populated: it is the pax sinica , of 1683 to approximately 1830. Then corruption, the eunuques ones, the secret societies, the foreigners (English, French, Russian initially - German, Japanese, then) mine bases of the dynasty. The Traité of Nankin (opening of five ports and transfer of Hong-Kong in the United Kingdom, 1842) inaugurates the era of the unequal Traités. But especially, the civil war known as of Taiping because of its duration (1851-1864) and especially of the extent of the losses (a score of million deaths , ) the Empire weakens considerably. Lastly, Two lost wars, against France (1883-1885) and Japan (1894-1895), the defeat of the Boxers (1899-1901) show the true situation of weakness of China of the end of Qing.

Context

The general context of this war is a speed race between two empires for the control of Mandchourie (Chinese area) and Korea, independent state.

The construction of Trans-Siberian until Vladivostock will allow the imperial Armée Russian to quickly convey troops in Mandchourie, to have a permanently open port on the Pacific and to weigh immediately on China and Korea in order to obtain advantages and concessions. Starting from the Years 1880, the Japanese want to prevent at all costs that Korea falls under the domination from a European power or China. The treaty of Tianjin (April 18th 1885) signed between China and Japan guarantees the independence of Korea.

In 1894 and 1895, a war is held between China and Japan on the subject precisely of the safeguarding of Korean independence. The treaty of Shimonoseki (April 17th, 1895) devotes the Japanese victory. This treaty reiterates the guarantee of Korean independence but also grants Japan the peninsula of the Liaodong (which includes/understands Port-Arthur), Chinese territory in the south of Mandchourie.

The Russians dissatisfied with this projection of the Japanese influence, then make pressure on Japan so that it reassigns this territorial profit. The other western powers, auprès whose Japan seeks a support, either approve the Russian step or recommend prudence to Tōkyō. Finally, Japan must not only yield, but notes in the months and years which follow an continuous increase of the Russian presence both to Korea and in Mandchourie (construction of the “Transmandchourien” of Irkoustk to Vladivostok (1896), patent of mining claims of the peninsula of Liaodang granted by China to Russia (1898), protectorate of Mandchourie obtained by Russia after the crushing of the Révolte of the Boxers Chinese (1900), crushing to which the Japanese had also strongly contributed.

To face so that they regard as a dangerous threat, Japan decides to multiply by 4 to 5 its military budget in order to double its manpower and to make its fleet the first of the Asian zone of the Pacifique. In October 1903, the Russians require of the Chinese of new advantages to respect the terms of an agreement concluded on April 8th, 1902 between Saint-Pétersbourg and Beijing. The violation of the commitment entered into by Russia within the framework of this agreement, and which envisaged the progressive evacuation of the Russian troops stationed in Mandchourie, puts fire at the powders.

Unfolding

The immediate reasons of this conflict were the control of the Korea and the Mandchourie, therefore their many mining resources, as well as the construction of Transmandchourien which allowed the Russian to shorten the way of Irkoutsk to Vladivostok.

In 1904, the Transsibérien circulates, but the communications are defective in the the Far East of the Russian Empire. The Russian armed forces find of number lower vis-a-vis the growing terrestrial forces of the imperial Japan in the zone. The Russian forces which are on the spot, moreover, badly are supplied, isolated and moved away from their back bases or their forces, as well as from/to each other.

January 13rd, 1904, Japan addresses an ultimatum to Russia about Mandchourie. Not having obtained an answer, Japan attacks by surprised the naval squadron of Port-Arthur the February 8th 1904. The emperor of Japan declares the war in Russia on February 10th. In March, the armed forces of Japan unload in Korea and conquer the country quickly. They exploit their projection and put the seat in front of Port-Arthur in August 1904. The Russians, as for them, fold up themselves on Moukden (current Shenyang). They take again the initiative in October thanks to the reinforcements come by the Trans-Siberian one, but an inefficient command ruins the attacks. Port-Arthur capitulates in January 1905. The town of Moukden falls in March. The terrestrial combat, which were baited and extremely murderers of share and others (85 000 dead Russian and 71 000 dead Japanese) is then finished: the Russians do not have any more reserves to forward to the Far East.

It is however on sea that the Japanese will carry the thrust to the Russian military forces at the time of the Bataille of Tsushima in May 1905, battles during which the Russian fleet of the Baltique, made up of 45 ships and who was to help Port-Arthur, is sent by the bottom.

Outcome

The unpopularity of the war in Russia obliges the Tsar to sit down with the negotiation table. They are held with Portsmouth with the the United States, in the presence of the President of the United States of then, Theodore Roosevelt. Serge Witte is negotiator for Russia there. Japan adapts Korea, the area of Port-Arthur and part of the islands Sakhaline (in the north of Hokkaidō). The Russians must as for them evacuate Mandchourie of the South, which is returned to the China.

In modern times, this conflict is the first defeat of a European power vis-a-vis an Asian power: it is from there that the expression is resulting the Yellow peril.

Consequences

It is the first time since the abandonment of the head office of Vienna by the Turks in 1683 (second war austro-Othoman, 1683-1697), within the framework of a conflict where the part which is not resulting from the Western civilization opens the hostilities, that this confrontation leads to a military defeat without call of the western power; defeat having strategic consequences of great width for all the actors of the event , & .

This conflict, excentré and exotic compared to the direct competitions between European nations, appear large consequences for the future:

the simultaneous entry of the United States and Japan like great powers in Asia, from the point of view of their later competition,
first signs of wavering of Russia tsarist,
the report of the weakness of the Russian military apparatus from the point of view of European alliances, in particular for the Franco-Russian Alliance,
Japan of “yellow race” like first “nonwhite” nation to enter the circle of the great powers known as modern (to employ the vocabulary of the time),
Japan being perceived henceforth like belonging to the great powers and the only one which is “nonwhite”. This will enable him to use with its advantage the resentment of the colonized people of Asia while developing its own colonial policy and imperialist.

Outlines

From the strictly and only chronological point of view, the short one and small war Russo-Japanese woman (1905) opens this chapter of the wars of the 20th century for first half of this century, as well on the plans tactic and strategic as on the political plan. The accelerated modernization of Japan offers the means to him of playing " weapons égales" with the western powers deploying its own policy of the colonial type on the European model. The prelude of this development occurred at the time of its participation in the interventions in China then with the Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895) which enabled him to annex Formosa (today Taiwan).

The war Russo-Japanese woman was done through two battles: the naval battle of Tsushima where the Russian squadron of the Baltic seeking to reach Vladivostok was destroyed in a few hours (27- May 28th, 1905) and the terrestrial battle of Port-Arthur (port and Chinese territory yielded to lease in Russia in 1898, like HongKong with the the United Kingdom in 1897). This strategy consists in destroying the spearhead of the opposing fleet to obtain the control of the seas and then to proceed to operations amphibians and to establish heads of bridge to engage of the terrestrial combat. This strategy and this battle order were in force for the two world wars with the replacement of the Cuirassé S by Porte-avions which made control of the seas the control of the air without which the terrestrial and naval combat are dedicated to the failure.

The competition between Japan and Russia for the annexation of Mandchourie led to this first war of the 20th century which was a preview of the First World War (1914-1918). The tactics were perfectly Japanese that one finds in the sports of combat like the Kendo (literally the “way of the saber” or the fencing with the Japanese manner) and the Judo (the “way of the flexibility”) where long and slow observation leads to the supplemented very fast execution of a fulgurating attack and final of the light weights, of those which have a very low capacity of resistance and which thus seeks the decisive battle at the first times (always in the direction of moment and power struggle) of a war. It was the case for the Second world war in the Pacific and the South-East Asia of the Burma-China-India countryside.

The technological innovation in the terrestrial and naval combat of the war Russo-Japanese woman is employment by the Japanese of the TSF or radiotelefony (at sea) and of the telephone (in the terrestrial combat) to coordinate the operations of the combat units. The war Russo-Japanese woman precedes the First World War in the use of the Mitrailleuse S with ground and of the battleships at sea. Each machine-gun was worth of density and firepower a few tens of repeating rifles and the machine-guns were used by the Japanese in mobile stations to follow the progression of the infantry like a support of fire by softening unfavourable defenses in the offensive and by breaking the dash of the unfavourable attack in the defensive. The Japanese machine-guns were used as fire support and protection of the infantry, in contrast with the German military doctrines where a machine-gun is regarded as a piece of artillery protected by the infantry.

See too

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