This event historically marks the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War. Prior to the Russo-Japanese War however Russia and Japan were attempting to divide spheres of influence, but Russia demanded control over Korea and wanted to give Japan the short end of the stick, the Kuril Islands. This poor diplomacy on Russia's part lead to Port Arthur, Manchuria being surprise attacked by a Japanese fleet of ships. This battle was different from previous Japanese battle because it occured at sea and not on land. The Japanese also participated in a land attack to take control of previously Russian controlled Seoul in order to solidify their control of the Far East. They were successful in their military campaign and on February 10, 1904 Japan officially declared war on Russia. -ZL

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Shinohara Kiyooki

40.0922022, 122.79212370000005

The Trans-Siberian Railroad was constructed in 1890 under the rule of Tsar Nicholas II and was key to transportation for Russia. The railroad went one way to and from, which meant longer travels. In addition to the railroad the Russians used Port Arthur for commerce and transportation, which was more efficient. After the Japanese surprise attacked the Russian naval fleet and took control of the port Russians had to resort to the less efficient version of transportation, railroad. With the Russians scrambling to send troops and supplies to the eastern and western parts of the nation to fight, the Japanese were able to advance quickly and prepare to fight Russian forces. This poor construction decision on Russia's part lead to them not being able to respond to Japan's quick and precise attacks. -ZL

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Anton P. Chekhov

48.4833, 135.0667

British forces wanted to establish new links in China and Korea while also maintaining old ones, therefore they formed this alliance with Japan, against Russia. With Britiain claiming neutrality, but willing to jump in at any given moment along side Japan, Russia's ally France, was less likely to get involved in the war. This alliance was pushed heavily by the Japanese because Japan was going to enter into war with a "Super Power" and they needed assistance. The British Navy was influencial when it came to naval tactics as well as ships because most Japanese ships were British-made. -ZL

http://www.tobunken-archives.jp/DigitalArchives/image/91E3E6D6-8FCF-9D3A-272F-5708C850A629.jpg

Tohoku University

The battle of Mukden was the final land battle between Japanese and Russian forces. After three weeks of harsh fighting and many casualties on both sides, General Kuropatkin withdrew the Russian troops to Northen Manchuria. Although there were many casualties on both sides, this was a major victory for the Japanese and was one of the most decisive land battles of the war. -TB

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http://historum.com/war-military-history/25563-russo-japanese-war.html

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The naval battle of Tsushima, in the Tsushima Strait, was the final defeat of the Russian navy in the war. As the Russian Baltic Fleet made its way to Vladivostok, via the Tsushima Strait, the Japanese fleet laid in wait, and attacked as they approached. The Japanese ships were of higher quality, faster, and better armed, leading to two-thirds of the Russian fleet being sunk, and six ships captured. It was a definitive defeat and is what brought about peace negotiations between Russia and Japan. -TB

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This peace conference was mediated by President Theodore Roosevelt and officially ended the war with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth. Japan gained control of Port Arthur, the Liaotung Peninsula , and half of Sakhalin Island. Japan was also recognized as the dominant power in Korea, and It was mutually agreed upon by both sides that Manchuria would be restored to China. -TB

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Encyclopædia Britannica Online

44.0000° N, 71.5000° W

In the 1870's Japan was in the process of restructuring socially, politically and militarily. The rise of military recruitment brought about the creation of a Japanese intelligence branch which aimed to educate itself about foreign nations, specifically Russian and Korea. For several years this intelligence branch secretly surveryed and mapped out Eastern Russia and Manchuria. This tactic would enable Japan to have more accurate knowledge of the land so when war began they were able to attack the Russians more efficiently and effectively. -ZL

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In the 1850's Benjamin Hotchkiss, an inventor, was employed by some of the largest gun makers in the United States. Hotchkiss was well known for his revolving barrel machine gun, improved shell design, and his collaboration on new artillery. After moving to France he continued developing guns and started drawings on a new gas power machine gun. Hotchkiss died in 1885 but his workers kept developing his design and released the Hotchkiss machine gun after his death. The Japanese military used this gun on their ships, vehicles, and in field battle. The Russo-Japanese was different from other wars because this was the first modern war in which both sides had automatic rapid firing weapons. In addition this was the first war in which both sides were really able to fight a "clean war", meaning they couldn't destroy each other from a far using machine guns, grenades, and artillery. When Japan surprise attacked Russia these weapons were crucial to sink their ships quickly and with accuracy. Kijiro Nambu, a Japanese gun maker, made improvements to the Hotchkiss machine gun and also designed other guns used by the Japanese during the Russo-Japanese War. -ZL

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World Guns: Modern Fire Arms

In this major land battle, the Japanese First army managed to acquire Kosarei Peak and Hung-sha Pass, located to the southeast of Liaoyang city, after an intense battle. Russian General Kuropatkin accepted that his troops were defeated and withdrew, with the Japanese trailing closely behind. After a few days of ineffective attacks, Kuropatkin made the decision to leave Liaoyang and continue on to Mukden. The Japanese had greater casualties in this battle, but were ultimately the winners as the Russians had abandoned the battlefield. -TB

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Kuropatkin went to Nicholas Staff College where he graduated first in his class. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Manchurian Army of Operations in February 1904. He was then appointed as 'Commander of all the Fighting Forces opposing the Japanese by Land and Sea'. During Kuropatkin's command the Russian army suffered a series of defeats which culminated in the Battle of Mukden, the largest land battle in history at that time. After the loss at the Battle of Mukden, Kuropatkin was replaced as command and later retired from the army.

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Prior to the war against Japan, Rozhestvensky was commander of the Baltic Fleet, he was ordered by Nicholas II to take the Baltic Fleet to East Asia to protect the Russian naval base of Port Arthur. Rozhestvensky was known for his fiery temper and iron-fist. He lead the Battle of Tsushima against Japanese Admiral Togo Heihachiro where the he suffered a grueling defeat. He was wounded in the head during battle and was taken prisoner by the Imperial Japanese Navy. His fleet had lost nearly 5,000 sailors in the defeat. Rozhestvensky faced court-martial for the disaster of the battle.

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Rear Admiral in the Russian Navy. He was the commander of the Baltic Fleet Gunnery School. Moved to Commander in the Baltic Fleet at the time of the war. He was named to command the Third Pacific Squadron, which was a post that several other admirals had declined because the it was composed of ships that Admiral Rozhdestvenskii managed to leave behind. Many believed the ships were unfit for the long voyage and the battle with the Japanese. Several thousand sailors refused to embark on Nebogatov's ships because they felt they were obsolete. Nebogatov was described as a man with great common sense but not a great leader.

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Nicholas II was the last tsar of Russia under Romanov rule. Nicholas II was the emperor of Russia who's goal was to expand the Russian empire into Asia. He considered Japan an easy foe and entered the was overconfident. Nicholas II equated Imperial Expansion with succesful leadership and had a strong intererst in acquiring new land and expanding the Russian Empire. Nicholas II was interested in consolidating and increasing Russia's influence in Asia.

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Russian vice-admiral who was known as one of the most brilliant and versatile officers in the history of the Imperial Navy. Makarov was appointed commander of the Pacific Squadron. He began an intense training program to improve the fighting efficiency of his squadron. Makarov took defensive steps at first to slow down Japanese attacks and to get his troops ready. Right before Makarov was ready to attack a Japanese minelayer laid a field outside the harbor where Makarov was preparing. Before Makarov could assemble his fleet the Japanese mines went off and there were only 58 survivors, Makarov was not one of them.

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This document was issued by Nicholas II, it effectively marked the end of unlimited autocracy in Russia. The manifesto promised to guarantee civil liberties, to establish a broad franchise, and to create legislative body whose members would be popularly elected and whose approval would be necessary before the enactment of any legislation. The manifesto satisfied enough of the moderate participants in the revolution to weaken the forces against the government.

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During the Russo-Japanese War the Russian military leaders chose to adopt a very conservative approach to battle in which they repeatedly retreated when attacked by Japanese forces on land. This military decision came after Russian casualties were on the rise and Russian morale was decreasing. Citizens were more apt to not support the war if the military was losing men so quickly and soldiers were less likely to have their heart into the war if they were convinced they were going to lose. The main cause of Russian retreats was the fact that Japanese forces were so fanatical and sodliers were quick to die for their nation, which would be later seen in Kamikazes. By chosing to retreat the Russians were taking away Japan's ability execute their catastrophic attacks on Russian forces. Overall this was a military blunder for the Russians because, although it brought Japan bargaining table, Japan now had the upper hand for their demands. -ZL

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41.8000, 123.4000

Though the idea of Bushido, the way of the warrior, dates back to the Samurai there was a reinstatement of that idea heading into the Russo-Japanese war. Japan knew that they could not outnumber Russia or out-source them, so they brought in psychological thinking. This change in thought allowed the military to create a more equal battlefield using a change in mindset over pure force. This brought back the thinking of "Death before dishonor" and dying for the emperor. (RG)

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35.6833° N, 139.7667° E

The people of Japan were not only interested in going to war, but excited too. There was strong support from the people for the government to move toward the war. As Schoppa explains, "The Japanese nation is now worked up to a high pitch of excitement, and it is no exaggeration to say that if there is no war it will be a severe disappointment to the Japanese individual of every walk of life" (170). This kind of nationalism allowed the people of Japan to stick together and support the war in any way possible. (RG)

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35.6833° N, 139.7667° E

After the attack of Port Arthur, Japan was able to move their first troops to the mainland. They came into Korea led by General Kuroki which consisted of 42,500 men. This allowed the oportunity for a land war and allowed Japan to actually stand and fight in the mainland, not just at sea. (RG)

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UniversalImagesGroup

37.4833° N, 126.6333° E

The land warfare used by both Japan and Russia opened the door to new techniques used in this war and major wars to come (like World War I). These techniques included using new shrapnel shells, trenches, barbed wire, and machine guns. This marked a new style of war that ultimately allowed Japan to win the war. (RG)

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The Russian army had set up at Nanshan, a ring of hills that allowed them to make trenches and set up barbed wire. It was here that the Japanese had to send in several divisions, only to have to retreat again. However, "The 4th Division, on the right flank managed to move forward, due mainly to fire support from a nimble flotilla of Japanese gunboats in Chinchou Bay." This progress led to Japan winning the Battle of Nanshan, though not without losses, and gaining more standings to win the whole war. (RG)

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Kobayashi Kiyochika

22.5016° N, 113.9078° E

Vyacheslav von Plehve Assassinated

Vyacheslav von Plehve was the Minister of the Interior of Russia around the time of the war between Russia and Japan. He is distinguished as being the Minister of the Interior of Russia from 1902 until his eventual assassination by socialist revolutionaries on July 28th 1904.  His policies were noted for their aggressiveness and how they would play a part in pushing the conflict between Russia and Japan into final fruition. His policies had an imperialistic spin and involved Russia taking control of Manchuria. He would even be accused of sparking the war by fellow Russian Alexey Kuropatkin. He is a notable figure as he played a part in starting the war by pushing policies that would strain Russo-Japanese relations. His assassination also clearly shows a Russia slowly falling in on itself from inner struggle. – Dante

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59.9500, 30.3000

The war would never have wide popularity in Russia and a part of that was due to where the war was being fought and the social unrest at the time. The war had slow coverage thanks to its location in the east. Other political parties in Russia pushed against the war. This unpopularity and unrest led to a general lack of enthusiasm and thus did not contribute to the war effort which could help explain a Russian defeat. - Dante

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During a demonstration against Russian polices a group of civilians were gunned down and slaughtered. This definitively shows the cracks happening in Russia and the disunity which would tear at the heart of the Russian War effort. - Dante

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This meeting sanctioned by the government was brought out in an effort to cull support for Russian foreign policy and by extension the Russo-Japanese War. The Zemstvos were local governors in Russia and so the plan was likely hoping that gathering local officials would help citizens feel involved in their own government and so tide over the discontent that was growing across the country. Despite the effort this event would merely be a pre-courser to the events that would occur on Bloody Sunday as the reform that was being called for by the revolutionaries was hardly dealt with during the meetings and so it proved to be ineffectual in changing the hearts and minds of those against the war. It might be thought that the anti-war fervor may have just been a bullet point to gain support for a larger agenda that was being pushed by these revolutionaries who would march in St. Petersburg on the day of the Bloody Sunday Massacre. - Dante

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A Priest who would go onto lead the march that resulted in the Bloody Sunday Massacre. His main goal was to push reforms that would benefit the average worker with the hope of easing the burden of long work days and poor pay. His philosophy focused on workers’ rights, even hoping to establish expanded voting rights and end the war with Japan. He would eventually join the socialist party in Russia after the massacre and then end up being murdered as he was suspected of being a spy. - Dante

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Russian Weapons: Putilov M-1903

The Russo-Japanese war was also significant for its extensive use of a more “modern” arsenal. While the Japanese maintained far better tactics which made better use of these weapons of destruction the Russians did have a quality arsenal.  The Putilov M-1903 was a part of this arsenal and was a field gun, essentially a piece of artillery. It is worth noting that the Russians had more firepower and better positions then the Japanese. Given this information it seems that the Russian should have been able to pull off a victory. As was said earlier though the Japanese forces were far better at managing their equipment and so the disadvantage ended up mattering little but it did likely play a role in the heavy amount of Japanese causalities as the Russian were dug in and defending from the assault. - Dante

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