Echoes of history: The Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)
"The war with Japan was triggered by Tsar Nicholas II and his desire to expand the Russian empire in Asia. Nicholas entered the war overconfident and haughty. He viewed Japan an easy foe, a semi-feudal nation of barefooted samurai and daimyo, incapable of matching Russia’s military might.
This was a gross underestimation of the Japanese and their industrial and military development, which for several decades had outpaced Russia’s own. Within 18 months, Russian forces had been besieged and defeated, her ageing Baltic navy humiliated and the prestige of the empire humiliated on the world stage.
The war would also have a significant impact on the Russian economy. This, along with the zealous ambitious and blundering of the tsarist regime, fanned the flames of revolution in 1905."
[link:https://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/russo-japanese-war/|
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Japanese soldiers defending a trench during the Russo-Japanese War, Manchuria, 1905
Russian artillery in action at Mukden, 1905
Russian officers at Battle of Sandepu
The Japanese Fleet steams into battle at Tsushima
Russian howitzer battery during the defense of Port Arthur
Japanese artillery battery outside Port Arthur
