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 Russias military might.
This was a gross underestimation of the Japanese and their industrial and military development, which for several decades had outpaced Russias 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/|