Russo-Japan War Research Paper

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The Russo-Japan War the beginning of the end of The Tsarists Russia Empire The Russo-Japan War acted as a sign of the decline and later collapse of the Russian Empire. The war displayed the inability for Russia to defend itself, showed the incompetence of the Russian leadership, and added to the Russian people's lack of faith in the Tsar. These factors, as well as the humiliating losses for the Russian at Battle of Port Arthur and the battle of Tsushima, would lay the groundwork for the inevitable fall of the Tsar. In this paper I will be arguing that the Russian Empire did not start to collapse in The February Revolution of 1917 or the Revolution of 1905; but it began with the events of the Russo-Japan War in 1904 Kowner, Rotem. The A to …show more content…

Russia had been seeking a new warm water port in the Yellow sea both for their navy and to expand their ability to trade in the Pacific. At the time, Russia's only reliable naval hub in the region was Vladivostok, which was only in operations during the summer months The A to Z of the Russo-Japanese War.
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Russia's main reason for a port in the Pacific was to fortify and consolidate its hold on the Pacific region The A to Z of the Russo-Japanese War.
. Port Arthur was a key asset to the empire, but Russia's poor infrastructure would leave Port Arthur isolated and would spur Russia to build the trans-Siberian railroad to connect the empire from west to east Kowner, Rotem. The Impact of the Russo-Japanese War. New York: Routledge, 2007.
. The railway would provide Russia with fast access to a year-round warm water port The Impact of the Russo-Japanese War
. This port would enable them to be able to launch a year-round presence compared to the Black Sea Port which had been frozen for parts of the year The Impact of the Russo-Japanese War
. The value of a year-round warm water port leads Russia to build the railroad in contested land with Japan, who Russia did not acknowledge and viewed as inferior in the eyes of the European and American spheres The Impact of the Russo-Japanese …show more content…

The negations had broken down between the two powers, and would only provide to increasing tensions; the Japanese admiralty would carry out a plan to swiftly knock out Russia's Pacific fleet to ensure their unchecked power grab in the Pacific Nish, Ian Hill. The Origins of the Russo-Japanese War. London: Longman, 1985.
. The surprise attack at the Russian-controlled Port Arthur 8th of February 1904 of the coast of mainland China in the province of Manchuria only after the assault on Port Arthur would there be a formal declaration of war from Japan The Origins of the Russo-Japanese War.
. Russia had been caught off guard and had been slow to mobilize for war The Origins of the Russo-Japanese War.
. The attacked came at night with the Japanese fleet of destroyers opening fire at the Russian Pacific Fleet that had been at the time anchored in the harbor with the vast majority of the crew asleep The Origins of the Russo-Japanese War.
. During this attacked the battleships Tsarevich and Retvizan would suffer heavy damages both taking torpedoes to their hulls. The Pallada a cruiser had been among the ships mentioned in a Los Angeles Times paper covering the attack and the war itself The Origins of the Russo-Japanese

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