On February 8, the Japanese fleet attacked Russian warships that were in Port Arthur. As a result of such an unexpected move by the Japanese army, the most powerful and powerful ships of the Russian fleet were completely destroyed. After this, Japan officially declared war. The military announcement was made on February 10. According to historical data from Japan, the main reason for the unexpected war was the appropriation of the east by Russia, as well as the seizure of the Japanese Liaodong Peninsula. The unexpected attack of Japan and the announcement of military action against Russia caused a wave of indignation in Russian, but not in world society. England and the United States of America immediately sided with Japan, and sharp anti-Russian attacks appeared in their magazines and newspapers. Russia's ally, France, took a friendly neutral position, the reason for this was fear of a rising Germany. However, this did not last long: France switched sides to England on April 12, 1905, thereby cooling its relations with the Russian government. At the same time, Germany, taking advantage of the situation, declared warm, friendly neutrality regarding Russia.
Despite the initial victorious actions and many allies, the Japanese failed to capture the fortress. A second attempt was made on August 26 - General Oyama, commanding an army with 46 thousand soldiers, attacked the fortress of Port Arthur, but, having met worthy resistance on August 11 and suffering huge losses, he was forced to retreat. On December 2, Russian General Kondratenko died, the commanders signed an act, and the fortress, despite the remaining forces and the ability to hold on, was given to the Japanese along with 30 thousand prisoners and the Russian fleet. 
Victory was almost on the side of the Japanese, but, having exhausted the economy by a long and grueling war, the Emperor of Japan was forced to sign a peace treaty with Russia. On August 9, the Russian and Japanese governments began peace negotiations. In Tokyo, this agreement was received coldly and with protest.
This war showed many gaps in Russian politics that needed to be filled. Many soldiers and officers betrayed the country and deserted, and the Russian army was unprepared for a sudden war. The weakness of the tsarist power was also revealed, on the basis of which the revolution was subsequently organized in 1906. However, there was also a good consequence of the war: thanks to previous mistakes revealed during the Russo-Japanese War, Russia stopped exploring the east and actively began to transform and carry out reforms of the old order, which subsequently increased both the internal and external political power of the country.
Shang Dynasty and State
The Shang or Shang-Yin Dynasty (1600 - 1650 BC) is the only prehistoric Chinese dynasty that formed a state that was officially recognized as existing: actual archaeological excavations have proven this. As a result of excavations, stone slabs with ancient hieroglyphs were found describing the life and government of the emperors of that era.
There is an opinion that the Shang-Yin clan descended from the imperial son Xuan-Xiao, who overthrew his father Huang Di from the throne with the help of his minister I-Yin. After this incident, the ancient Chinese astrologer, historian and writer, famous for writing the Shi Ji, a historical record from the mythical ages to his time, fled the capital five times, only to be brought back by the Shang rulers.
The Shan state was small - only about 200 thousand people. They lived in the basin of the Chinese Yellow River, which influenced the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the Shang-Yin state. Since there were practically no wars in this state (there were only rare raids by nomads from neighboring countries), some men were mainly engaged in farming and hunting, others made tools and weapons. Women were engaged in gathering, looked after the house and taught children. Basically, men took boys to study, and girls were taught at home by their mothers all the worldly wisdom of women.
The people of the Shan State were very religious. Their main deity was Sky or Shandi, who was identified with the home of the souls of the supreme rulers and emperors. The emperor who accepted gifts and offerings, as well as performed the rituals of worshiping the spirits of the dead, was popularly called the Son of Heaven and was considered sacred. An attempt on the life of the Son of Heaven was considered blasphemy and was punishable by death.
The palace of the emperors of the Shang-Yin dynasty was richly decorated with frescoes and paintings on the walls. Under the ceilings were tall gilded columns that depicted scenes from ancient Chinese mythology and history. The paintings depicted moments from wars and foreign campaigns in oil.
Unlike the rich palaces of the emperors, ordinary residents lived in dugouts built from dried wooden “bricks”, which were held together with clay.
The Shang-Yin dynasty was interrupted when, following a rebellion, Emperor Xia Jie Shang was assassinated and Tang Zhou, the next emperor of China and founder of the Zhou dynasty, took the throne. A new era began in the history of the Ancient Chinese Empire.
Elizabeth II
The eldest daughter of King George VI (originally Prince Albert), Elizabeth (Alexandra Maria) of York (abbreviated Elizabeth II) holds the title of "Britain's longest-living reigning monarch". Elizabeth II turned exactly 92 on April 21, 2018; she has ruled the country since she was twenty-five, that is, she has been on the throne for 67 years, which is a record in the history of England. In addition to Great Britain, she is also the queen of 15 states. The ruler of Great Britain is a descendant of many kings of England, which means she is of the purest royal origin.
Basically, Elizabeth carries out foreign policy actions, with virtually no influence on the internal governance of Britain. Her royal duties include receiving foreign ministers and ambassadors, presenting awards, visiting countries on diplomatic affairs, etc. However, she does her role well. It is with her, thanks to developed computer technology, that the queen can communicate with people outside the castle. Thus, the ruler of Great Britain has been a participant and user of such social networks as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even YouTube for many years now.
Despite her high status, the monarch loves gardening and breeding dogs (she mainly breeds spaniels, Great Danes and Labradors). Recently she has also become interested in photography. She photographs the places she has visited in her life. You should know that the Queen has visited 130 countries, and has made more than 300 foreign trips - in addition to her native English, she knows French perfectly. She is also very punctual, but this does not make her any less polite and kind.
But, despite all these good qualities, the Queen of England strictly observes the royal ceremony: articles sometimes appeared in newspapers about how the Queen, when visiting hospitals, was extremely polite and courteous to everyone, but did not allow anyone to touch her and did not even take off her gloves . This will probably seem strange, but even when receiving especially important guests at a tea party (for example, officials and important persons from other countries), a separate tent is set up especially for Elizabeth, her family and associates, into which no outsiders are allowed.
According to surveys of the population of Great Britain, all residents are satisfied with their ruler and value and respect her very much, which accurately assures her of her good-natured and hospitable character traits, which were so loved by all her royal subjects.
The policy of Imperial Russia in the Far East and East Asia at the beginning of the 20th century was aimed at establishing dominance in this region. At that time, the only serious opponent in the implementation of the so-called “Great Asian Program” of Nicholas II was the Empire of Japan, which over the past decades had seriously strengthened its military potential and began active expansion into Korea and China. A military clash between the two empires was only a matter of time.
Prerequisites for the war
The Russian ruling circles, for some inexplicable reason, considered Japan to be a rather weak adversary, having little idea of the state of the armed forces of this state. In the winter of 1903, at a meeting on Far Eastern affairs, most of Nicholas II’s advisers were inclined to the need for war with the Japanese Empire. Only Sergei Yurievich Witte spoke out against military expansion and worsening relations with the Japanese. Perhaps his position was influenced by his trip to the Far East in 1902. Witte argued that Russia was not ready for war in the Far East, which in fact was true, at least taking into account the state of communications, which could not ensure the timely and rapid delivery of reinforcements, ammunition and equipment. Witte's proposal was to abandon military action and focus on the broad economic development of the Far East, but his opinion was not heeded.
Meanwhile, Japan was not going to wait for the concentration and deployment of Russian armies in China and Korea. The forces of the imperial fleet and army hoped to be the first to strike the Russians. England and the United States, who were not interested in strengthening Russia in the Far Eastern territories, provided active support to the Japanese. The British and Americans supplied Japan with raw materials, weapons, ready-made warships, and issued preferential loans for military purposes. Ultimately, this became one of the determining factors that pushed the Japanese imperial government to attack Russian troops located in China, which became the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, which lasted from January 27, 1904 to August 23, 1905.
Progress of hostilities in 1904
On the night of January 27, 1904, destroyers of the Japanese Imperial Navy secretly approached the outer perimeter of the sea defense of Port Arthur, occupied by Russian military forces, and fired at the Russian ships stationed in the outer roadstead, damaging two battleships. And at dawn, 14 ships of the Japanese fleet immediately attacked 2 Russian ships (the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets"), occupying positions in the area of the neutral port of Icheon (Chemulpo). During a surprise attack, Russian ships received heavy damage and the sailors, not wanting to surrender to the enemy, blew up their ships themselves.
The Japanese command considered the main task of the entire upcoming campaign to be the capture of the waters around the Korean Peninsula, which ensured the achievement of the main goals set for the ground army - the occupation of Manchuria, as well as the Primorsky and Ussuri territories, that is, the seizure of not only Chinese, but also Russian territories was expected. The main forces of the Russian fleet were concentrated in Port Arthur, some of them were located in Vladivostok. Most of the flotilla behaved extremely passively, limiting themselves to the defense of the coastline. 
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Manchurian Army Alexei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin and Commander of the Japanese Army Oyama Iwao
Three times the Japanese fleet tried to block the enemy in Port Arthur and at the end of April 1904 they succeeded in doing so, as a result of which the Russian ships were locked in for some time, and the Japanese landed the ground forces of their 2nd Army numbering almost 40 thousand people on the Liaodong Peninsula and moved to Port Arthur, with difficulty overcoming the defense of just one Russian regiment, well fortified on the isthmus connecting the Kwantung and Liaodong Peninsulas. After breaking through the Russian positions on the isthmus, the Japanese took the port of Dalny, seizing a bridgehead and launching a blockade of the Port Arthur garrison from land and sea.
After capturing the bridgeheads on the Kwantung Peninsula, the Japanese troops split up - the formation of the 3rd Army began, the main task of which was to storm Port Arthur, while the 2nd Army went north. At the beginning of June, she dealt a strong blow to the 30 thousand-strong group of Russian troops of General Stackelberg, who had advanced to break the blockade of Port Arthur and forced him to retreat. At this time, the 3rd Japanese Army finally pushed back the advanced defending units of Port Arthur inside the fortress, completely blocking it from land. At the end of May, the Russian fleet managed to intercept Japanese transports, the purpose of which was to deliver 280-mm mortars for the siege of Port Arthur. This greatly helped the defenders, prolonging the siege for several months, but in general the fleet behaved passively, making no attempt to recapture the initiative from the enemy.
While the siege of Port Arthur was going on, the 1st Japanese Army, which consisted of approximately 45 thousand people, landed in Korea back in February, was able to push back the Russian troops, defeating them near the city of Tyuryunchen on the Korean-Chinese border. The main forces of the Russian troops retreated to Liaoyang. Japanese troops continued the offensive with the forces of three armies (1st, 2nd and 4th) with a total number of approximately 130 thousand people and in early August attacked Russian troops under the command of General Kuropatkin near Liaoyang.
The battle was very difficult and there were serious losses on both sides - 23 thousand soldiers from Japan, up to 19 thousand from Russia. The Russian commander-in-chief, despite the uncertain outcome of the battle, gave the order for a further retreat to the city of Mukden even further north. Later, the Russians gave another battle to the Japanese troops, attacking their positions on the Shahe River in the fall. However, the assault on the Japanese positions did not bring decisive success; losses on both sides were again heavy.
At the end of December 1904, the fortress city of Port Arthur fell, having fettered the forces of the Japanese 3rd Army for almost a year. All Japanese units from the Kwantung Peninsula were hastily transferred north to the city of Mukden.
Progress of hostilities in 1905
With the approach of reinforcements from the 3rd Army from Port Arthur to Mukden, the initiative finally passed into the hands of the Japanese command. On a wide front, about 100 km long, the largest battle before the First World War took place, in which everything again turned out not in favor of the Russian army. After a long battle, one of the Japanese armies was able to bypass Mukden from the north, practically cutting off Manchuria from European Russia. If this could be completely done, then the entire Russian army in China would be lost. Kuropatkin correctly assessed the situation, ordering an urgent retreat along the entire front, not giving the enemy the opportunity to surround himself.
The Japanese continued to press along the front, forcing the Russian units to roll back further to the north, but soon stopped the pursuit. Despite the successful operation to capture the large city of Mukden, they suffered huge losses, which the Japanese historian Shumpei Okamoto estimates at 72 thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, the main forces of the Russian army could not be defeated; it retreated in perfect order, without panic and maintaining its combat effectiveness. At the same time, reinforcements continued to arrive.
Meanwhile, at sea, the 2nd Pacific squadron of the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Rozhestvensky, which came to the aid of Port Arthur back in October 1904, arrived in the combat area. In April 1905, her ships appeared in the Tsushima Strait, where they were met by fire from the Japanese fleet, which had been completely repaired by the time of their arrival. The entire squadron was almost completely destroyed, only a few ships broke through to Vladivostok. The defeat at sea for Russia was final. 
Russian infantry marches along Liaoyang (above) and Japanese soldiers near Chemulpo
In mid-July 1905, Japan, which despite its high-profile victories was already on the verge of economic exhaustion, carried out its last major operation, driving Russian troops out of Sakhalin Island. Meanwhile, the main Russian army under the command of Kuropatkin, located near the village of Sypingai, reached a strength of about half a million soldiers, it received a large number of machine guns and howitzer batteries. The Japanese command, seeing the serious strengthening of the enemy and feeling their own weakening (the country's human resources were practically exhausted by that time), did not dare to continue the offensive, on the contrary, expecting that large Russian forces would launch a counteroffensive.
The Japanese twice proposed peace negotiations, feeling that the enemy would be able to wage war for a long time and was not going to give up. However, a revolution was breaking out in Russia, one of the reasons for which was the defeats that the army and navy suffered in the Far East. Therefore, in the end, Nicholas II was forced to negotiate with Japan through the mediation of the United States. The Americans, as well as many European powers, were now concerned about the excessive strengthening of Japan against the backdrop of the weakening of Russia. The peace treaty turned out to be not so difficult for Russia - thanks to the talent of S.Yu. Witte, who headed the Russian delegation, the conditions were softened.
Results of the war
The Russo-Japanese War was certainly unsuccessful for Russia. The defeat of the 2nd Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima hit the national pride of the people especially hard. However, territorial losses turned out to be not very significant - the main problem was the loss of the ice-free base of Port Arthur. As a result of the agreements, both Russian and Japanese forces evacuated from Manchuria, and Korea became Japan's sphere of influence. The Japanese also received the southern part of Sakhalin Island
The defeat of Russian troops in the war was primarily due to the difficulty of transporting troops, ammunition and equipment to the Far East. Other, no less important reasons were a significant underestimation of the enemy’s military potential and poor organization of troop control on the part of the command. As a result, the enemy was able to push the Russian army deep into the continent, inflicting a number of defeats on it and capturing vast territories. Defeat in the war also led to the fact that the imperial government paid closer attention to the state of the armed forces and was able to strengthen them by the beginning of the First World War, which, however, did not save the outdated empire from defeats, revolutions and collapse.
Attack of Japanese destroyers of the Russian squadron.
On the night of February 8 to 9 (January 26 to 27), 1904, 10 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. The squadron battleships Tsesarevich, Retvizan and the cruiser Pallada received heavy damage from the explosions of Japanese torpedoes and ran aground to avoid sinking. Japanese destroyers were damaged by return fire from the artillery of the Russian squadron IJN Akatsuki And IJN Shirakumo. Thus began the Russo-Japanese War.
On the same day, Japanese troops began landing troops in the area of the port of Chemulpo. While trying to leave the port and head to Port Arthur, the gunboat Koreets was attacked by Japanese destroyers, forcing it to return.
On February 9 (January 27), 1904, the battle of Chemulpo took place. As a result, due to the impossibility of a breakthrough, the cruiser “Varyag” was scuttled by their crews and the gunboat “Koreets” was blown up.
On the same day, February 9 (January 27), 1904, Admiral Jessen headed out to sea at the head of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers to begin military operations to disrupt transport links between Japan and Korea.
On February 11 (January 29), 1904, near Port Arthur, near the San Shan-tao Islands, the Russian cruiser Boyarin was blown up by a Japanese mine.
On February 24 (February 11), 1904, the Japanese fleet tried to close the exit from Port Arthur by sinking 5 ships loaded with stone. The attempt was unsuccessful.
On February 25 (February 12), 1904, two Russian destroyers “Besstrashny” and “Impressive”, while going out for reconnaissance, came across 4 Japanese cruisers. The first managed to escape, but the second was driven into Blue Bay, where it was scuttled by order of Captain M. Podushkin.
On March 2 (February 18), 1904, by order of the Naval General Staff, the Mediterranean squadron of Admiral A. Virenius (battleship Oslyabya, cruisers Aurora and Dmitry Donskoy and 7 destroyers), heading to Port Arthur, was recalled to the Baltic Sea .
On March 6 (February 22), 1904, a Japanese squadron shelled Vladivostok. The damage was minor. The fortress was placed in a state of siege.
On March 8 (February 24), 1904, the new commander of the Russian Pacific squadron, Vice Admiral S. Makarov, arrived in Port Arthur, replacing Admiral O. Stark in this post.
On March 10 (February 26), 1904, in the Yellow Sea, while returning from reconnaissance in Port Arthur, he was sunk by four Japanese destroyers ( IJN Usugumo , IJN Shinonome , IJN Akebono , IJN Sazanami) Russian destroyer "Steregushchy", and "Resolute" managed to return to port.
Russian fleet in Port Arthur.
On March 27 (March 14), 1904, the second Japanese attempt to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor by flooding fire ships was thwarted.
April 4 (March 22), 1904 Japanese battleships IJN Fuji And IJN Yashima Port Arthur was bombarded with fire from Golubina Bay. In total, they fired 200 shots and main caliber guns. But the effect was minimal.
On April 12 (March 30), 1904, the Russian destroyer Strashny was sunk by Japanese destroyers.
On April 13 (March 31), 1904, the battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up by a mine and sank with almost its entire crew while going to sea. Among the dead was Admiral S. O. Makarov. Also on this day, the battleship Pobeda was damaged by a mine explosion and was out of action for several weeks.
April 15 (April 2), 1904 Japanese cruisers IJN Kasuga And IJN Nisshin fired at the inner roadstead of Port Arthur with throwing fire.
On April 25 (April 12), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers sank a Japanese steamer off the coast of Korea IJN Goyo-Maru, coaster IJN Haginura-Maru and Japanese military transport IJN Kinsu-Maru, after which he headed to Vladivostok.
May 2 (April 19), 1904 by the Japanese, with the support of gunboats IJN Akagi And IJN Chōkai, destroyers of the 9th, 14th and 16th destroyer flotillas, a third and final attempt was made to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor, this time using 10 transports ( IJN Mikasha-Maru, IJN Sakura-Maru, IJN Totomi-Maru, IJN Otaru-Maru, IJN Sagami-Maru, IJN Aikoku-Maru, IJN Omi-Maru, IJN Asagao-Maru, IJN Iedo-Maru, IJN Kokura-Maru, IJN Fuzan-Maru) As a result, they managed to partially block the passage and temporarily make it impossible for large Russian ships to exit. This facilitated the unhindered landing of the Japanese 2nd Army in Manchuria.
On May 5 (April 22), 1904, the 2nd Japanese Army under the command of General Yasukata Oku, numbering about 38.5 thousand people, began landing on the Liaodong Peninsula, about 100 kilometers from Port Arthur.
On May 12 (April 29), 1904, four Japanese destroyers of the 2nd flotilla of Admiral I. Miyako began sweeping Russian mines in Kerr Bay. While performing its assigned task, destroyer No. 48 hit a mine and sank. On the same day, Japanese troops finally cut off Port Arthur from Manchuria. The siege of Port Arthur began.
Death IJN Hatsuse on Russian mines.
On May 15 (May 2), 1904, two Japanese battleships were blown up and sank at a minefield laid the day before by the minelayer Amur. IJN Yashima And IJN Hatsuse .
Also on this day, a collision of Japanese cruisers occurred near Elliot Island. IJN Kasuga And IJN Yoshino, in which the second sank from the damage received. And off the southeastern coast of Kanglu Island, the advice note ran aground IJN Tatsuta .
On May 16 (May 3), 1904, two Japanese gunboats collided during an amphibious operation southeast of the city of Yingkou. The boat sank as a result of the collision IJN Oshima .
On May 17 (May 4), 1904, a Japanese destroyer was hit by a mine and sank IJN Akatsuki .
On May 27 (May 14), 1904, not far from the city of Dalniy, the Russian destroyer Attentive hit rocks and was blown up by its crew. On the same day, Japanese advice note IJN Miyako hit a Russian mine and sank in Kerr Bay.
On June 12 (May 30), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers entered the Korea Strait to disrupt Japan's sea communications.
On June 15 (June 2), 1904, the cruiser Gromoboy sank two Japanese transports: IJN Izuma-Maru And IJN Hitachi-Maru, and the cruiser "Rurik" sank a Japanese transport with two torpedoes IJN Sado-Maru. In total, the three transports carried 2,445 Japanese soldiers and officers, 320 horses and 18 heavy 11-inch howitzers.
On June 23 (June 10), 1904, the Pacific squadron of Rear Admiral V. Vitgoft made the first attempt to break through to Vladivostok. But when the Japanese fleet of Admiral H. Togo was discovered, she returned to Port Arthur without engaging in battle. At night of the same day, Japanese destroyers launched an unsuccessful attack on the Russian squadron.
On June 28 (June 15), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers of Admiral Jessen again went to sea to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications.
On July 17 (July 4), 1904, near Skrypleva Island, the Russian destroyer No. 208 was blown up and sank in a Japanese minefield.
On July 18 (July 5), 1904, the Russian minelayer Yenisei hit a mine in Talienwan Bay and the Japanese cruiser sank IJN Kaimon .
On July 20 (July 7), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers entered the Pacific Ocean through the Sangar Strait.
On July 22 (July 9), 1904, the detachment was detained with smuggled cargo and sent to Vladivostok with a prize crew of the English steamer Arabia.
On July 23 (July 10), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers approached the entrance to Tokyo Bay. Here an English steamer with smuggled cargo was searched and sunk Night Commander. Also on this day, several Japanese schooners and a German steamer were sunk Tea, traveling with smuggled cargo to Japan. And the English steamer captured later Kalhas, after inspection, was sent to Vladivostok. The cruisers of the detachment also headed to their port.
On July 25 (July 12), 1904, a squadron of Japanese destroyers approached the mouth of the Liaohe River from the sea. The crew of the Russian gunboat "Sivuch", due to the impossibility of a breakthrough, after landing on the shore, blew up their ship.
On August 7 (July 25), 1904, Japanese troops fired at Port Arthur and its harbors for the first time from land. As a result of the shelling, the battleship Tsesarevich was damaged, and the squadron commander, Rear Admiral V. Vitgeft, was slightly wounded. The battleship Retvizan was also damaged.
On August 8 (July 26), 1904, a detachment of ships consisting of the cruiser Novik, the gunboat Beaver and 15 destroyers took part in Tahe Bay in shelling of the advancing Japanese troops, causing heavy losses.
Battle in the Yellow Sea.
On August 10 (July 28), 1904, during an attempt to break through the Russian squadron from Port Arthur to Vladivostok, a battle took place in the Yellow Sea. During the battle, Rear Admiral V. Vitgeft was killed, and the Russian squadron, having lost control, disintegrated. 5 Russian battleships, the cruiser Bayan and 2 destroyers began to retreat to Port Arthur in disarray. Only the battleship Tsesarevich, the cruisers Novik, Askold, Diana and 6 destroyers broke through the Japanese blockade. The battleship "Tsarevich", the cruiser "Novik" and 3 destroyers headed to Qingdao, the cruiser "Askold" and the destroyer "Grozovoy" - to Shanghai, the cruiser "Diana" - to Saigon.
On August 11 (July 29), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment set out to meet the Russian squadron, which was supposed to break out from Port Arthur. The battleship "Tsesarevich", the cruiser "Novik", the destroyers "Besshumny", "Besposhchadny" and "Besstrashny" arrived in Qingdao. The cruiser Novik, having loaded 250 tons of coal into bunkers, set out to sea with the goal of breaking through to Vladivostok. On the same day, the Russian destroyer Resolute was interned by the Chinese authorities in Chifoo. Also on August 11, the team scuttled the damaged destroyer Burny.
On August 12 (July 30), 1904, the previously interned destroyer Resolute was captured in Chifoo by two Japanese destroyers.
On August 13 (July 31), 1904, the damaged Russian cruiser Askold was interned and disarmed in Shanghai.
August 14 (August 1), 1904, four Japanese cruisers ( IJN Izumo , IJN Tokiwa , IJN Azuma And IJN Iwate) intercepted three Russian cruisers (Russia, Rurik and Gromoboy) heading towards the First Pacific Squadron. A battle took place between them, which went down in history as the Battle of the Korea Strait. As a result of the battle, the Rurik was sunk, and the other two Russian cruisers returned to Vladivostok with damage.
On August 15 (August 2), 1904, in Qingdao, German authorities interned the Russian battleship Tsarevich.
On August 16 (August 3), 1904, the damaged cruisers Gromoboy and Rossiya returned to Vladivostok. In Port Arthur, the proposal of the Japanese general M. Nogi to surrender the fortress was rejected. On the same day, in the Pacific Ocean, the Russian cruiser Novik stopped and inspected an English steamer Celtic.
On August 20 (August 7), 1904, a battle took place near Sakhalin Island between the Russian cruiser Novik and Japanese IJN Tsushima And IJN Chitose. As a result of the battle "Novik" and IJN Tsushima received serious damage. Due to the impossibility of repairs and the danger of the ship being captured by the enemy, the commander of the Novik, M. Schultz, decided to scuttle the ship.
On August 24 (August 11), 1904, the Russian cruiser Diana was interned by the French authorities in Saigon.
On September 7 (August 25), 1904, the submarine Forel was sent from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.
On October 1 (September 18), 1904, a Japanese gunboat was blown up by a Russian mine and sank near Iron Island. IJN Heiyen.
On October 15 (October 2), 1904, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky left Libau for the Far East.
On November 3 (October 21), a Japanese destroyer was blown up by a mine placed by the Russian destroyer Skory and sank near Cape Lun-Wan-Tan IJN Hayatori .
On November 5 (October 23), 1904, in the inner roadstead of Port Arthur, after being hit by a Japanese shell, the ammunition of the Russian battleship Poltava detonated. As a result of this, the ship sank.
On November 6 (October 24), 1904, a Japanese gunboat hit a rock in the fog and sank near Port Arthur IJN Atago .
On November 28 (November 15), 1904, the submarine Dolphin was sent from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.
On December 6 (November 23), 1904, Japanese artillery, installed on the previously captured height No. 206, began a massive shelling of Russian ships stationed in the internal roadstead of Port Arthur. By the end of the day, they sunk the battleship Retvizan and suffered heavy damage to the battleship Peresvet. To remain intact, the battleship Sevastopol, the gunboat Brave and destroyers were taken out from under Japanese fire to the outer roadstead.
On December 7 (November 24), 1904, due to the impossibility of repairs after damage received from Japanese shelling, the battleship Peresvet was sunk by its crew in the western basin of Port Arthur harbor.
On December 8 (November 25), 1904, Japanese artillery sunk Russian ships in the internal roadstead of Port Arthur - the battleship Pobeda and the cruiser Pallada.
On December 9 (November 26), 1904, Japanese heavy artillery sank the cruiser Bayan, the minelayer Amur and the gunboat Gilyak.
December 25 (December 12), 1904 IJN Takasago During a patrol, she hit a mine laid by the Russian destroyer "Angry" and sank in the Yellow Sea between Port Arthur and Chieffo.
On December 26 (December 13), 1904, in the Port Arthur roadstead, the gunboat Beaver was sunk by Japanese artillery fire.
Submarines of the Siberian flotilla in Vladivostok.
On December 31 (December 18), 1904, the first four Kasatka-class submarines arrived in Vladivostok from St. Petersburg by rail.
On January 1, 1905 (December 19, 1904), in Port Arthur, by order of the crew command, the battleships Poltava and Peresvet, half-sunk in the internal roadstead, were blown up, and the battleship Sevastopol was sunk in the outer roadstead.
On January 2, 1905 (December 20, 1904), the commander of the defense of Port Arthur, General A. Stessel, gave the order to surrender the fortress. The siege of Port Arthur is over.
On the same day, before the surrender of the fortress, the clippers “Dzhigit” and “Robber” were sunk. The 1st Pacific Squadron was completely destroyed.
On January 5, 1905 (December 23, 1904), the submarine "Dolphin" arrived from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.
January 14 (January 1), 1905, by order of the commander of the Vladivostok port from the Forel submarines.
On March 20 (March 7), 1905, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhdestvensky passed the Strait of Malacca and entered the Pacific Ocean.
On March 26 (March 13), 1905, the submarine "Dolphin" left Vladivostok for a combat position on Askold Island.
On March 29 (March 16), 1905, the submarine "Dolphin" returned to Vladivostok from combat duty near Askold Island.
On April 11 (March 29), 1905, torpedoes were delivered to Russian submarines in Vladivostok.
On April 13 (March 31), 1905, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhdestvensky arrived at Cam Ranh Bay in Indochina.
On April 22 (April 9), 1905, the submarine “Kasatka” set out on a combat mission from Vladivostok to the shores of Korea.
On May 7 (April 24), 1905, the cruisers Rossiya and Gromoboy left Vladivostok to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications.
On May 9 (April 26), 1905, the 1st detachment of the 3rd Pacific squadron of Rear Admiral N. Nebogatov and the 2nd Pacific squadron of Vice Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky united in Cam Ranh Bay.
On May 11 (April 28), 1905, the cruisers Rossiya and Gromoboy returned to Vladivostok. During the raid they sank four Japanese transport ships.
On May 12 (April 29), 1905, three submarines - "Dolphin", "Kasatka" and "Som" - were sent to Preobrazheniya Bay to intercept the Japanese detachment. At 10 o'clock in the morning, near Vladivostok, near Cape Povorotny, the first battle involving a submarine took place. "Som" attacked the Japanese destroyers, but the attack ended in vain.
On May 14 (May 1), 1905, the Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron under Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky left for Vladivostok from Indochina.
On May 18 (May 5), 1905, the submarine Dolphin sank near the quay wall in Vladivostok due to an explosion of gasoline vapors.
On May 29 (May 16), 1905, the battleship Dmitry Donskoy was scuttled by his crew in the Sea of Japan near the island of Dazhelet.
On May 30 (May 17), 1905, the Russian cruiser Izumrud landed on rocks near Cape Orekhov in St. Vladimir Bay and was blown up by its crew.
On June 3 (May 21), 1905, in the Philippines in Manila, American authorities interned the Russian cruiser Zhemchug.
On June 9 (May 27), 1905, the Russian cruiser Aurora was interned by the American authorities in the Philippines in Manila.
On June 29 (June 16), 1905, in Port Arthur, Japanese rescuers raised the Russian battleship Peresvet from the bottom.
On July 7 (June 24), 1905, Japanese troops began the Sakhalin landing operation to land troops of 14 thousand people. While Russian troops numbered only 7.2 thousand people on the island.
On July 8 (July 25), 1905, in Port Arthur, Japanese rescuers raised the sunken Russian battleship Poltava.
On July 29 (July 16), 1905, the Japanese Sakhalin landing operation ended with the surrender of Russian troops.
On August 14 (August 1), 1905, in the Tatar Strait, the Keta submarine launched an unsuccessful attack on two Japanese destroyers.
On August 22 (August 9), 1905, negotiations began in Portsmouth between Japan and Russia through the mediation of the United States.
On September 5 (August 23) in the USA in Portsmouth, a peace treaty was signed between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire. According to the agreement, Japan received the Liaodong Peninsula, part of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Port Arthur to the city of Changchun and South Sakhalin, Russia recognized the predominant interests of Japan in Korea and agreed to the conclusion of a Russian-Japanese fishing convention. Russia and Japan pledged to withdraw their troops from Manchuria. Japan's demand for reparations was rejected.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a fierce clash occurred between the Russian and Japanese empires. In what year did war with Japan await our country? It began in the winter of 1904 and lasted more than 12 months until 1905, becoming a real a blow to the whole world. It stood out not only as a subject of dispute between the two powers, but also as the latest weapon used in battles.
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Prerequisites
Basic events unfolded in the Far East, in one of the most contested regions in the world. At the same time, it was claimed by the Russian and Japanese empires, each with its own political strategies regarding this area, ambitions and plans. Specifically, there was talk of establishing control over the Chinese region of Manchuria, as well as over Korea and the Yellow Sea.
Note! At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia and Japan were not just the strongest countries in the world, but also actively developing. Oddly enough, this became the first prerequisite for the Russo-Japanese War.
The Russian Empire actively expanded its borders, touching Persia and Afghanistan in the southeast.
British interests were affected, so the Russian map continued to expand in the Far East.
The first to stand in the way was China, which had become impoverished from numerous wars and was forced give Russia part of its territories in order to gain support and funds. Thus, new lands came into the possession of our empire: Primorye, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
The reasons also lay in Japanese politics. The new Emperor Meiji considered self-isolation a relic of the past and actively began to develop his country, promoting it on the international stage. After numerous successful reforms, the Japanese Empire reached a new, modernized level. The next step was the expansion of other states.
Even before the start of the 1904 war Meiji conquered China, which gave him the right to dispose of Korean lands. Later, the island of Taiwan and other nearby territories were conquered. Here were the prerequisites for future confrontation, since the interests of two empires that contradicted each other met. So, on January 27 (February 9), 1904, the war between Russia and Japan officially began.
Causes
The Russo-Japanese War became one of the most striking examples of “cockfighting”. There were no racist, religious or ideological disputes between the two warring countries. Nor did the essence of the conflict lie in increasing one’s own territory for significant reasons. It’s just that each state had a goal: to prove to itself and others that it was powerful, strong and invincible.
Let's first consider reasons for the emergence of the Russo-Japanese War within the Russian Empire:
- The king wanted to assert himself through victory and show all his people that his army and military power were the strongest in the world.
- It was possible to suppress once and for all the revolution that broke out, into which peasants, workers and even the urban intelligentsia were drawn.
Let us briefly consider how this war could be useful to Japan. The Japanese had only one goal: to demonstrate their new weapons, which had been improved. It was necessary to test the latest military equipment, and where could this be done if not in battle.
Note! If the participants in the armed confrontation had won, they would have settled their internal political differences. The economy of the victorious country would have improved significantly and new lands would have been acquired - Manchuria, Korea and the entire Yellow Sea.
Military operations on land
At the beginning of 1904, the 23rd artillery brigade was sent to the eastern front from Russia.
The troops were distributed among strategically important sites - Vladivostok, Manchuria and Port Arthur. There was also a special corral of engineering troops, and a very impressive number of people guarded the CER (railway).
The fact is that all food and ammunition were delivered to the soldiers from the European part of the country by train, which is why they required additional protection.
By the way, this became one of the reasons for Russia's defeat. The distance from the industrial centers of our country to the Far East is unrealistically large. It took a lot of time to deliver everything necessary, and it was not possible to transport much.
As for the Japanese troops, they were outnumbered by the Russian ones. Moreover, having left their native and very small islands, they found themselves literally scattered over a vast territory. But in the ill-fated 1904-1905 they were saved by military power. The latest weapons and armored vehicles, destroyers, and improved artillery have done their job. It is worth noting the very tactics of warfare and combat that the Japanese learned from the British. In a word, they took it not by quantity, but by quality and cunning.
Naval battles
The Russo-Japanese War became real fiasco for the Russian fleet.
Shipbuilding in the Far Eastern region at that time was not very developed, and delivering the “gifts” of the Black Sea to such a distance was extremely difficult.
In the land of the rising sun, the fleet was always powerful, Meiji was well prepared, knew the enemy’s weaknesses very well, and therefore managed not only to hold back the enemy’s onslaught, but also to completely defeat our fleet.
He won the battle thanks to the same military tactics that he learned from the British.
Main events
For a long time, the troops of the Russian Empire did not improve their potential and did not conduct tactical exercises. Their entry to the Far Eastern front in 1904 made it clear that they were simply not ready to fight and fight. This can be clearly seen in the chronology of the main events of the Russo-Japanese War. Let's look at them in order.
- February 9, 1904 – Battle of Chemulpo. The Russian cruiser "Varyag" and the steamer "Koreets", under the command of Vsevolod Rudnev, were surrounded by a Japanese squadron. In an unequal battle, both ships were lost, and the remaining crew members were evacuated to Sevastopol and Odessa. In the future, they were prohibited from enlisting in the Pacific Fleet;
- On February 27 of the same year, using the latest torpedoes, the Japanese disabled more than 90% of the Russian fleet by attacking it in Port Arthur;
- spring 1904 - defeat of the Russian Empire in numerous battles on land. In addition to difficulties with transporting ammunition and supplies, our soldiers simply did not have a normal map. The Russo-Japanese War had clear patterns and certain strategic objects. But without proper navigation it was impossible to cope with the task;
- 1904, August – The Russians were able to defend Port Arthur;
- 1905, January - Admiral Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese;
- May of the same year - another unequal naval battle. After the battle of Tsushima, one Russian ship returned to the port, but the entire Japanese squadron remained safe and sound;
- July 1905 - Japanese troops invaded Sakhalin.
Probably the answer to the question of who won the war is obvious. But in fact, numerous battles on land and water caused the exhaustion of both countries. Japan, although considered the winner, was forced to enlist the support of countries such as Great Britain. The results were disappointing: the economy and domestic politics of both countries were completely undermined. The countries signed a peace treaty, and the whole world began to help them.
Outcome of hostilities
At the time of the end of hostilities in the Russian Empire, preparations for revolution were in full swing. The enemy knew this, so he set a condition: Japan agreed to sign a peace treaty only on condition of complete surrender. At the same time, it had to be observed the following items:
- half of the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were to pass into the possession of the land of the rising sun;
- renunciation of claims to Manchuria;
- Japan was to have the right to lease Port Arthur;
- the Japanese get all the rights to Korea;
- Russia had to pay its enemy an indemnity for the maintenance of prisoners.
And these were not the only negative consequences of the Russian-Japanese War for our people. The economy began to stagnate for a long time, as factories and factories became impoverished.
Unemployment began in the country, prices for food and other goods rose. Russia began to be denied loans many foreign banks, during which business activities were also suspended.
But there were also positive moments. By signing the Portsmouth Peace Agreement, Russia received support from the European powers - England and France.
This became the seed for the emergence of a new alliance called the Entente. It is worth noting that Europe was also frightened by the brewing revolution, so it tried to provide all possible support to our country so that these events would not go beyond its borders, but would only subside. But, as we know, it was not possible to restrain the people, and the revolution became a vivid protest of the population against the current government.
But in Japan, despite numerous losses, things got better. The Land of the Rising Sun proved to the whole world that it can defeat the Europeans. The victory brought this state to the international level.
Why did everything turn out this way?
Let us list the reasons for Russia's defeat in this armed confrontation.
- Considerable distance from industrial centers. The railway could not cope with transporting everything necessary to the front.
- The Russian army and navy lack proper training and skill. The Japanese had more advanced technology possession of weapons and combat.
- Our enemy developed fundamentally new military equipment, which was difficult to cope with.
- Betrayal by the tsarist generals. For example, the surrender of Port Arthur, which had previously been taken.
- The war was not popular among ordinary people, and many of the soldiers who were sent to the front were not interested in victory. But the Japanese soldiers were ready to die for the sake of the emperor.
Analysis of the Russo-Japanese War by historians
Russo-Japanese War, reasons for defeat
Conclusion
After the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the old regime completely collapsed in Russia. Just a few years later, our ancestors became citizens of a completely new country. And most importantly, many who died on the Far Eastern Front were not remembered for a long time.
0 The Russo-Japanese War began on February 8, old style, or January 26, new style, 1904. The Japanese unexpectedly, without declaring war on us, attacked warships that were located on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. Due to the unexpected attack and the bungling of our intelligence, most of the ships were destroyed and sunk. Official declaration of war happened 2 days later, namely February 10, old style.
Before you continue, I would like to recommend you a couple more educational news on the topics of Education and Science. For example, the Abolition of serfdom; Decembrist revolt ; what is Melancholy, how to understand the word Deja Vu.
So let's continue Russian-Japanese War briefly.
Today, historians are confident that one of the reasons for the Japanese attack on Russia was its active expansion of zones of influence in the east. Another important reason is the so-called triple intervention(April 23, 1895 Russia, Germany and France simultaneously appealed to the Japanese government demanding that they abandon the annexation Liaodong peninsula, which was later carried out by the Japanese). It was this event that caused the increased militarization of Japan and provoked serious military reform.
Of course, Russian society reacted extremely negatively to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. But Western countries welcomed the Japanese aggression, and the USA and England began openly to provide military assistance to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Moreover, France, which at that time was supposedly an ally of Russia, took a cowardly neutrality, especially since it desperately needed an alliance with the Russian Empire in order to restrain Germany, which was growing stronger every year. However, on the initiative of the British, an agreement was concluded between them and France agreement, which immediately caused a noticeable cooling in Russian-French relations. In Germany, they decided to simply observe the development of the situation, so they formed friendly neutrality towards the Russian Empire.
Thanks to the courage of the Russian soldiers, the Japanese were unable to break the resistance of the defenders of Port Arthur and capture this fortress at the beginning of the war. The next attack they launched on August 6 was carried out very poorly. To storm the fortress, the Japanese gathered an army of 45,000, commanded by Oyama Iwao(Japanese military leader, Marshal of Japan (1898), he played a significant role in the creation of the modern Japanese army). The invaders met strong resistance, and having lost almost half of the soldiers, they were forced to retreat (August 11).
Unfortunately, after his death Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko On December 2 (15), 1904, Russian soldiers were left without a commander, and the fortress was surrendered. Although in fact, this fortified bastion could quite successfully repel Japanese attacks for at least two more months. As a result, a shameful act of surrender of the fortress was signed by the commandant of Port Arthur, Baron Anatoly Mikhailovich Stessel and Reis Viktor Alexandrovich (Major General). After this, 32 thousand Russian soldiers were captured, and the entire fleet was destroyed.
A slight retreat, on April 7, 1907, a report was presented in which it was argued that the main those responsible for the surrender of Port Arthur are generals Reis, Fock and Stoessel. By the way, please note, not a single Russian surname. These are the types of leaders we had in the army: as soon as they go straight into the bushes, they’ll take them out like crazy.
The main events of the Russian-Japanese War of 1905 are considered:
Battle of Mukden(February 19, 1905) - Russian soldiers killed 8,705 people, Japanese losses amounted to about 15,892 people killed. This battle is considered the bloodiest in the entire history of mankind, before the outbreak of the First World War. Shocked by such losses, the Japanese were never able to recover until the end of the war, and stopped taking any active actions, especially since there was simply no one to replenish the losses.
Battle of Tsushima(May 14 (27) - May 15 (28), 1905) - this naval battle took place near the island of Tsushima, and was the final battle during which the Russian Baltic squadron was completely destroyed by the enemy fleet 6 times larger in number.
And although Japan won the war on all fronts, its economy was clearly not ready for such a development of events. There was a noticeable economic decline, and this forced Japan to enter into peace negotiations. A peace conference was organized ( Treaty of Portsmouth), which was signed on August 23 (September 5), 1905 in the city of Portsmouth. At the same time, Russian diplomats led by Witte rose to the occasion, squeezing out maximum concessions from Japan.
Although the consequences of the Russian-Japanese War were very painful. After all, almost the entire Russian Pacific Fleet was flooded, killing more than 100 thousand soldiers who fought to the death defending their land. At the same time, the expansion of the sphere of influence of the Russian Empire in the east was stopped. In addition, it became clear to the whole world that the Russian army was very poorly prepared and armed with outdated weapons, which significantly reduced its authority on the world stage. The revolutionaries noticeably intensified their agitation, which resulted in revolution of 1905 - 1907.
Reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War:
obsolete weapons and Japanese superiority in technology;
Unpreparedness of Russian soldiers for war in difficult climatic conditions;
Diplomatic isolation of Russia;
The mediocrity and outright betrayal of the interests of the Motherland by most high-ranking generals.
