The Outcomes of War
by: Cyndi Herrera
Japan had undergone a period of rapid industrial, technological and military modernization and growth. Because of this, the war with Japan proved a disaster for Russia’s military and humiliating for the tsar. In less than 18 months Russian ground forces were besieged and defeated, her ageing Baltic Fleet was annihilated at Tsushima and the international prestige of the tsar and his empire lay in tatters. The war also had a devastating impact on Russia’s economy, causing a spike in prices and considerable suffering, particularly among the industrial working class. As Russia plunged into recession and the tsar was exposed as a blundering imperialist, the forces of revolution began to take shape.
In 1904, Russia and Japan had suffered several years of disputes over control of Manchuria. Russia moved into the area and took control of Port Arthur, and the two nations’ divergent interest appeared more and more likely to clash. Which eventually lead the Japanese to attack the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. The russian fleet made a long trip to Northeast Asia only to be half destroyed. By 1905, the combination of these losses and the economic cost of the war led both countries to seek and end to the war. Where nowhere to go the Japanese asked U.S President Roosevelt to negotiate a peace agreement to help maintain the balance of power and equal economic opportunity in the region, Roosevelt preferred that the war end on terms that with help benefit one another and a role to play in Northeast China.
Not to mention, the negotiations opened access to ports and territories in Manchuria and Korea, but the only problem was who was responsible for paying war costs. The Russians wanted to maintain Sakhalin Islands but refused to pay war costs. When negotiations reached a dead-end, Roosevelt stepped in with the idea that Russia buy back the northern part of Sakhalin from Japanese control. After long internal debate, Japan agreed to take only the southern half of the island, without any kind of payment.
Furthermore, neither nation was in a strong financial position to continue the war easily, both were forced to compromise in the terms of peace. Still, the Japanese public felt they had won the war, and they considered the lack of an indemnity to be an affront. There was a brief outbreak of protest in Tokyo when the terms of the treaty were made public. Similarly, the Russian were also dissatisfied, angry about giving up half of Sakhalin.
In addition, Americans believed that the island nation was equally committed to the Open Door and the territorial integrity of China. The final decision of the Japanese to forgo an indemnity only served to strengthen U.S approval of Japan’s actions. The treaty of Portsmouth marked the last event in an era of U.S-Japanese cooperation that begin with the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Instead, competition between the two nations in the Pacific grew over the years. Conversely, Japanese relations with Russia improved in the wake of the treaty. Roosevelt’s mediation and personal pressure on leadership help him won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in moderating the talks and pushing toward peace.
Finally, the help of the Treaty of Portsmouth it ended the Russo-Japanese War. The deliberations took place in August in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and were brokered in part by U.S President Theodore Roosevelt. The final agreement was signed in September of 1905, and it affirmed the Japanese presence in south Manchuria and Korea and ceded the southern half of the island of Sakhalin to Japan. The catastrophic outcome of the war for Russia was one of the immediate cause of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Japan gained the position of a world power, becoming the first non-European and non-American imperialist modern state.
by: Cyndi Herrera
Japan had undergone a period of rapid industrial, technological and military modernization and growth. Because of this, the war with Japan proved a disaster for Russia’s military and humiliating for the tsar. In less than 18 months Russian ground forces were besieged and defeated, her ageing Baltic Fleet was annihilated at Tsushima and the international prestige of the tsar and his empire lay in tatters. The war also had a devastating impact on Russia’s economy, causing a spike in prices and considerable suffering, particularly among the industrial working class. As Russia plunged into recession and the tsar was exposed as a blundering imperialist, the forces of revolution began to take shape.
In 1904, Russia and Japan had suffered several years of disputes over control of Manchuria. Russia moved into the area and took control of Port Arthur, and the two nations’ divergent interest appeared more and more likely to clash. Which eventually lead the Japanese to attack the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. The russian fleet made a long trip to Northeast Asia only to be half destroyed. By 1905, the combination of these losses and the economic cost of the war led both countries to seek and end to the war. Where nowhere to go the Japanese asked U.S President Roosevelt to negotiate a peace agreement to help maintain the balance of power and equal economic opportunity in the region, Roosevelt preferred that the war end on terms that with help benefit one another and a role to play in Northeast China.
Not to mention, the negotiations opened access to ports and territories in Manchuria and Korea, but the only problem was who was responsible for paying war costs. The Russians wanted to maintain Sakhalin Islands but refused to pay war costs. When negotiations reached a dead-end, Roosevelt stepped in with the idea that Russia buy back the northern part of Sakhalin from Japanese control. After long internal debate, Japan agreed to take only the southern half of the island, without any kind of payment.
Furthermore, neither nation was in a strong financial position to continue the war easily, both were forced to compromise in the terms of peace. Still, the Japanese public felt they had won the war, and they considered the lack of an indemnity to be an affront. There was a brief outbreak of protest in Tokyo when the terms of the treaty were made public. Similarly, the Russian were also dissatisfied, angry about giving up half of Sakhalin.
In addition, Americans believed that the island nation was equally committed to the Open Door and the territorial integrity of China. The final decision of the Japanese to forgo an indemnity only served to strengthen U.S approval of Japan’s actions. The treaty of Portsmouth marked the last event in an era of U.S-Japanese cooperation that begin with the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Instead, competition between the two nations in the Pacific grew over the years. Conversely, Japanese relations with Russia improved in the wake of the treaty. Roosevelt’s mediation and personal pressure on leadership help him won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in moderating the talks and pushing toward peace.
Finally, the help of the Treaty of Portsmouth it ended the Russo-Japanese War. The deliberations took place in August in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and were brokered in part by U.S President Theodore Roosevelt. The final agreement was signed in September of 1905, and it affirmed the Japanese presence in south Manchuria and Korea and ceded the southern half of the island of Sakhalin to Japan. The catastrophic outcome of the war for Russia was one of the immediate cause of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Japan gained the position of a world power, becoming the first non-European and non-American imperialist modern state.