Russian Japanese war 1904 1905 table. Reasons for the start and defeat of the Russo-Japanese War: briefly. Battle of Chemulpo

(1904-1905) - the war between Russia and Japan, which was fought for control of Manchuria, Korea and the ports of Port Arthur and Dalniy.

The most important object of the struggle for the final division of the world at the end of the 19th century was economically backward and militarily weak China. It was to the Far East that the center of gravity of the foreign policy activity of Russian diplomacy was shifted from the mid-1890s. The close interest of the tsarist government in the affairs of this region was largely due to the appearance here by the end of the 19th century of a strong and very aggressive neighbor in the face of Japan, which had embarked on the path of expansion.

By decision of the Japanese commander-in-chief, Marshal Iwao Oyama, Maresuke Nogi's army began the siege of Port Arthur, while the 1st, 2nd and 4th armies, which landed at Dagushan, moved to Liaoyang from the southeast, south and southwest. In mid-June, Kuroki's army occupied the passes southeast of the city, and in July repulsed an attempted Russian counteroffensive. The army of Yasukata Oku, after the battle at Dashichao in July, captured the port of Yingkou, cutting off the connection of the Manchurian army with Port Arthur by sea. In the second half of July, three Japanese armies joined at Liaoyang; their total number was more than 120 thousand against 152 thousand Russians. In the battle of Liaoyang on August 24 - September 3, 1904 (August 11-21, O.S.), both sides suffered huge losses: the Russians lost more than 16 thousand killed, and the Japanese - 24 thousand. The Japanese were unable to encircle the army of Alexei Kuropatkin, which withdrew to Mukden in perfect order, but they captured Liaoyang and the Yantai coal mines.

The retreat to Mukden meant for the defenders of Port Arthur the collapse of hopes for any effective assistance from the ground forces. The Japanese 3rd Army captured the Wolf Mountains and began an intense bombardment of the city and the internal raid. Despite this, several of her assaults in August were repulsed by the garrison under the command of Major General Roman Kondratenko; the besiegers lost 16,000 dead. At the same time, the Japanese succeeded at sea. An attempt to break through the Pacific Fleet to Vladivostok at the end of July failed, Rear Admiral Witgeft died. In August, the squadron of Vice Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura managed to overtake and defeat the cruiser detachment of Rear Admiral Jessen.

By the beginning of October 1904, thanks to reinforcements, the number of the Manchurian army reached 210 thousand, and the Japanese troops near Liaoyang - 170 thousand.

Fearing that in the event of the fall of Port Arthur, the Japanese forces would increase significantly due to the liberated 3rd Army, Kuropatkin launched an offensive to the south at the end of September, but was defeated in the battle on the Shahe River, losing 46 thousand killed (the enemy - only 16 thousand) and went on the defensive. The four-month "Shahei Sitting" began.

In September-November, the defenders of Port Arthur repulsed three Japanese assaults, but the 3rd Japanese Army managed to capture Mount Vysokaya, which dominates Port Arthur. On January 2, 1905 (December 20, 1904, O.S.), the head of the Kwantung Fortified Region, Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel, without exhausting all possibilities for resistance, surrendered Port Arthur (in the spring of 1908, a military court sentenced him to death penalty commuted to ten years in prison).

The fall of Port Arthur sharply worsened the strategic position of the Russian troops and the command tried to turn the tide. However, the successfully launched offensive of the 2nd Manchurian army on the village of Sandepa was not supported by other armies. After joining the main forces of the Japanese 3rd Army

Feet their number was equal to the number of Russian troops. In February, Tamemoto Kuroki's army attacked the 1st Manchurian Army southeast of Mukden, and Nogi's army began bypassing the Russian right flank. Kuroki's army broke through the front of Nikolai Linevich's army. On March 10 (February 25 O.S.), 1905, the Japanese occupied Mukden. Having lost more than 90 thousand killed and captured, the Russian troops retreated north to Telin in disarray. The largest defeat at Mukden meant the loss of the campaign in Manchuria by the Russian command, although he managed to save a significant part of the army.

Trying to achieve a turning point in the war, the Russian government sent the 2nd Pacific squadron of Admiral Zinovy ​​​​Rozhestvensky, created from part of the Baltic Fleet, to the Far East, but on May 27-28 (May 14-15, O.S.) in the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese fleet destroyed the Russian squadron . Only one cruiser and two destroyers reached Vladivostok. At the beginning of the summer, the Japanese completely ousted the Russian detachments from North Korea, and by July 8 (June 25, O.S.) captured Sakhalin.

Despite the victories, Japan's forces were exhausted, and at the end of May, through the intermediary of US President Theodore Roosevelt, she invited Russia to enter into peace negotiations. Russia, which found itself in a difficult domestic political situation, agreed. On August 7 (July 25, O.S.), a diplomatic conference opened in Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA), which ended on September 5 (August 23, O.S.), 1905, with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth. According to its terms, Russia ceded to Japan the southern part of Sakhalin, the rights to lease Port Arthur and the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and the southern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway from the Changchun station to Port Arthur, allowed its fishing fleet to fish off the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, recognized Korea as a zone of Japanese influence and gave up its political, military and trade advantages in Manchuria. At the same time, Russia was exempted from paying any indemnities.

Japan, which as a result of the victory took a leading place among the powers of the Far East, until the end of World War II celebrated the day of the victory at Mukden as the Day of the Ground Forces, and the date of the victory at Tsushima as the Day of the Naval Forces.

The Russo-Japanese War was the first major war of the 20th century. Russia lost about 270 thousand people (including over 50 thousand killed), Japan - 270 thousand people (including over 86 thousand killed).

In the Russo-Japanese War, for the first time, machine guns, rapid-fire artillery, mortars, hand grenades, radiotelegraph, searchlights, wire fences, including those under current, were used on a large scale. high voltage, naval mines and torpedoes, etc.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Synopsis on the history of Russia

The nature of war: imperialistic, unjust on both sides. The forces of the parties: Russia - 1 million 135 thousand people (total), actually 100 thousand people, Japan - 143 thousand people + navy+ reserve (about 200 thousand). Japan's quantitative and qualitative superiority at sea (80:63).

Side Plans:
Japan- an offensive strategy, the goal of which is dominance at sea, the capture of Korea, the possession of Port Arthur, the defeat of the Russian group.
Russia- there was no general war plan that would ensure the interaction of the army and navy. defensive strategy.

Dates. Events. Notes

January 27, 1904 - A surprise attack by a Japanese squadron of Russian ships off Port Arthur. Heroic battle between Varangian and Korean. Attack repulsed. Russian losses: Varyag is flooded. Korean is blown up. Japan ensured superiority at sea.
January 28 - Re-bombardment of the city and Port Arthur. Attack repulsed.
February 24 - Arrival in Port Arthur of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov. Makarov's active actions in preparation for the general battle with Japan at sea (offensive tactics).
March 31 - The death of Makarov. The inaction of the fleet, the rejection of offensive tactics.
April 1904 - Landing of the Japanese armies in Korea, forcing the river. Yaly and entry into Manchuria. The initiative in actions on land belongs to the Japanese.
May 1904 - The Japanese began to lay siege to Port Arthur. Port Arthur was cut off from the Russian army. An attempt to release it in June 1904 was unsuccessful.
August 13-21 - Battle of Liaoyang. The forces are approximately equal (160 thousand each). Japanese attacks were repulsed. Kuropatkin's indecisiveness prevented him from building on his success. On August 24, Russian troops retreated to the Shahe River.
October 5 - The battle on the Shahe River began. Fog and mountainous terrain interfered, as well as Kuropatkin's lack of initiative (he acted only with part of the forces he had).
December 2 - The death of General Kondratenko. R.I. Kondratenko led the defense of the fortress.
July 28 - December 20, 1904 - The besieged Port Arthur heroically defended itself. December 20 Stesil gives the order to surrender the fortress. The defenders withstood 6 assaults on the fortress. The fall of Port Arthur was a turning point in the Russo-Japanese War.
February 1905 - Battle of Mukden. 550 thousand people participated from both sides. Kuropatkin's passivity. Losses: Russians -90 thousand, Japanese - 70 thousand. The battle was lost by the Russians.
May 14-15, 1905 - Naval battle at about. Tsushima in the Sea of ​​Japan.
Tactical mistakes of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. Our losses - 19 ships sunk, 5,000 killed, 5,000 captured. The defeat of the Russian fleet
August 5, 1905 – Peace of Portsmouth
By the summer of 1905, Japan began to clearly feel the lack of material and human resources and turned to the United States, Germany, and France for help. The US stands for peace. Peace was signed in Portsmouth, our delegation was headed by S.Yu. Witte.

Peace terms: Korea is Japan's sphere of interest, both sides withdraw their troops from Manchuria, Russia cedes to Japan Liaodong and Port Arthur, half of Sakhalin and railways. This treaty lost its force after the surrender of Japan in 1914.

Reasons for the defeat: the technical, economic and military superiority of Japan, the military-political and diplomatic isolation of Russia, the operational-tactical and strategic unpreparedness of the Russian army to conduct combat operations in difficult conditions, the mediocrity and betrayal of the tsarist generals, the unpopularity of the war among all segments of the population.

The more a person is able to respond to the historical and universal, the wider his nature, the richer his life and the more capable such a person is of progress and development.

F. M. Dostoevsky

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which we will briefly discuss today, is one of the most important pages in the history of the Russian Empire. In the war, Russia was defeated, demonstrating a military lag behind the leading world countries. Another important event of the war - following its results, the Entente was finally formed, and the world began to slowly, but steadily, roll towards the First World War.

Background of the war

In 1894-1895, Japan defeated China, as a result of which Japan had to cross the Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula along with Port Arthur and Farmosa Island (the current name is Taiwan). Germany, France and Russia intervened in the course of the negotiations, insisting that the Liaodong Peninsula remain in the use of China.

In 1896, the government of Nicholas II signed a treaty of friendship with China. As a result, China allows Russia to build a railroad to Vladivostok through Northern Manchuria (China Eastern Railway).

In 1898, Russia, within the framework of a friendship agreement with China, leases the Liaodong Peninsula from the latter for 25 years. This move drew sharp criticism from Japan, which also laid claim to these lands. But this did not lead to serious consequences at that time. In 1902, the tsarist army enters Manchuria. Formally, Japan was ready to recognize this territory for Russia if the latter recognized Japan's dominance in Korea. But the Russian government made a mistake. They did not take Japan seriously, and did not even think of entering into negotiations with it.

Causes and nature of the war

The reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are as follows:

• Lease of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur by Russia.
• Economic expansion of Russia in Manchuria.
• Distribution of spheres of influence in China and Korea.

The nature of hostilities can be defined as follows

• Russia planned to conduct defense and pull up reserves. The transfer of troops was planned to be completed in August 1904, after which it was planned to go on the offensive, up to the landing in Japan.
• Japan planned to wage an offensive war. The first strike was planned at sea with the destruction of the Russian fleet, so that nothing would interfere with the transfer of the landing force. The plans included the capture of Manchuria, the Ussuri and Primorsky Territories.

The balance of power at the beginning of the war

Japan in the war could put up about 175 thousand people (another 100 thousand in reserve) and 1140 field guns. The Russian army consisted of 1 million people and 3.5 million in reserve (reserve). But in the Far East, Russia had 100,000 men and 148 field guns. Also at the disposal of the Russian army were the border guards, who were 24 thousand people with 26 guns. The problem was that these forces, inferior in number to the Japanese, were widely scattered geographically: from Chita to Vladivostok and from Blagoveshchensk to Port Arthur. During 1904-1905, Russia carried out 9 mobilizations, calling for military service about 1 million people.

The Russian fleet consisted of 69 warships. 55 of these ships were in Port Arthur, which was very poorly fortified. To demonstrate that Port Arthur was not completed and ready for war, it is enough to cite the following figures. The fortress was supposed to have 542 guns, but in fact there were only 375, but even of these only 108 guns were usable. That is, the gun supply of Port Arthur at the time of the outbreak of the war was 20%!

It is obvious that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 began with a clear superiority of Japan on land and at sea.

The course of hostilities

Map of military operations

rice. 1 - Map of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Events of 1904

In January 1904, Japan breaks off diplomatic relations with Russia and on January 27, 1904 attacks warships near Port Arthur. This was the beginning of the war.

Russia began to transfer the army to the Far East, but this happened very slowly. A distance of 8 thousand kilometers and an unfinished section of the Siberian railway- all this interfered with the transfer of the army. The capacity of the road was 3 echelons per day, which is extremely small.

On January 27, 1904, Japan attacked Russian ships in Port Arthur. At the same time, in the Korean port of Chemulpo, an attack was made on the Varyag cruiser and the Korean escort boat. After an unequal battle, the "Korean" was blown up, and the "Varyag" was flooded by the Russian sailors themselves, so that the enemy would not get it. After that, the strategic initiative at sea passed to Japan. The situation at sea worsened after the battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up on a Japanese mine on March 31, on board of which was the commander of the fleet, S. Makarov. In addition to the commander, his entire staff, 29 officers and 652 sailors perished.

In February 1904, Japan landed an army of 60,000 in Korea, which moved towards the Yalu River (the river separated Korea and Manchuria). There were no significant battles at that time, and in mid-April the Japanese army crossed the border of Manchuria.

Fall of Port Arthur

In May, the second Japanese army (50 thousand people) landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and headed for Port Arthur, creating a bridgehead for the offensive. By this time, the Russian army had partially managed to complete the transfer of troops and its strength was 160 thousand people. One of the most important events of the war was the Battle of Liaoyang in August 1904. This battle still raises many questions among historians. The fact is that in this battle (and it was practically a general one), the Japanese army was defeated. And so much so that the command of the Japanese army declared the impossibility of continuing the conduct of hostilities. The Russo-Japanese War could have ended there if the Russian army went on the offensive. But the commander, Koropatkin, gives an absolutely absurd order - to retreat. In the course of further events of the war in the Russian army there will be several opportunities to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, but each time Kuropatkin either gave absurd orders or hesitated to act, giving the enemy the right time.

After the battle at Liaoyang, the Russian army retreated to the Shahe River, where a new battle took place in September, which did not reveal a winner. After that, there was a lull, and the war moved into a positional phase. In December, General R.I. Kondratenko, who commanded the land defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The new commander of the troops A.M. Stessel, despite the categorical refusal of the soldiers and sailors, decided to surrender the fortress. On December 20, 1904, Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese. On this, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 passed into a passive phase, continuing active operations already in 1905.

Later, under public pressure, General Stessel was put on trial and sentenced to death. The sentence was not carried out. Nicholas 2 pardoned the general.

Historical reference

Defense map of Port Arthur

rice. 2- Defense map of Port Arthur

Events of 1905

The Russian command demanded active actions from Kuropatkin. It was decided to start the offensive in February. But the Japanese preempted him by going on the offensive on Mukden (Shenyang) on ​​February 5, 1905. From February 6 to 25, the largest battle of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 continued. From the Russian side, 280 thousand people took part in it, from the Japanese side - 270 thousand people. There are many interpretations of the Mukden battle in terms of who won the victory in it. In fact, it was a draw. The Russian army lost 90 thousand soldiers, the Japanese - 70 thousand. Smaller losses on the part of Japan are a frequent argument in favor of her victory, but this battle did not give the Japanese army any advantage or gain. Moreover, the losses were so severe that Japan made no further attempts to organize major land battles until the end of the war.

Much more important is the fact that the population of Japan is much smaller than the population of Russia, and after Mukden, the island country has exhausted its human resources. Russia could and should have gone on the offensive in order to win, but 2 factors played against this:

• Kuropatkin factor
• Factor in the Revolution of 1905

On May 14-15, 1905, the Tsushima naval battle took place, in which the Russian squadrons were defeated. The losses of the Russian army amounted to 19 ships and 10 thousand killed and captured.

Kuropatkin factor

Kuropatkin, commanding the ground forces, during the entire Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 did not use a single chance for a favorable offensive in order to inflict great damage on the enemy. There were several such chances, and we talked about them above. Why did the Russian general and commander refuse active actions and did not seek to end the war? After all, if he gave the order to attack after Liaoyang, and with a high degree of probability the Japanese army would cease to exist.

Of course, it is impossible to answer this question directly, but a number of historians put forward the following opinion (I cite it for the reason that it is well-reasoned and extremely similar to the truth). Kuropatkin was closely associated with Witte, who, let me remind you, by the time of the war was removed from the post of prime minister by Nicholas II. Kuropatkin's plan was to create conditions under which the tsar would return Witte. The latter was considered an excellent negotiator, so it was necessary to reduce the war with Japan to a stage where the parties would sit down at the negotiating table. For this, the war could not be ended with the help of the army (the defeat of Japan is a direct surrender without any negotiations). Therefore, the commander did everything to bring the war to a draw. He successfully coped with this task, and indeed Nicholas 2 called on Witte by the end of the war.

Revolution Factor

There are many sources pointing to Japanese financing of the 1905 revolution. The real facts of the transfer of money, of course. No. But there are 2 facts that I find extremely curious:

• The peak of the revolution and movement fell on the Battle of Tsushima. Nicholas 2 needed an army to fight the revolution and he decided to start peace negotiations with Japan.
• Immediately after the signing of the Peace of Portsmouth, the revolution in Russia began to wane.

Reasons for the defeat of Russia

Why was Russia defeated in the war with Japan? The reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War are as follows:

• The weakness of the grouping of Russian troops on Far East.
• The unfinished Trans-Siberian Railway, which did not allow the transfer of troops in full.
• Mistakes of the army command. I already wrote above about the Kuropatkin factor.
• Japan's superiority in military equipment.

The last point is extremely important. He is often forgotten, but undeservedly. In terms of technical equipment, primarily in the navy, Japan was far ahead of Russia.

Portsmouth Peace

To conclude peace between countries, Japan demanded that Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, act as an intermediary. Negotiations began and the Russian delegation was headed by Witte. Nicholas 2 returned him to his post and entrusted him with negotiating, knowing the talents of this man. And Witte really took a very tough position, not allowing Japan to get significant gains from the war.

The terms of the Peace of Portsmouth were as follows:

• Russia recognized Japan's right to dominate Korea.
• Russia ceded part of the territory of Sakhalin Island (the Japanese wanted to get the entire island, but Witte was against it).
• Russia transferred the Kwantung Peninsula to Japan along with Port Arthur.
• No one paid indemnities to anyone, but Russia had to pay a reward to the enemy for the maintenance of Russian prisoners of war.

Consequences of the war

During the war, Russia and Japan lost about 300 thousand people each, but in view of the population for Japan, these were almost catastrophic losses. The losses were due to the fact that this was the first major war in which automatic weapons were used. At sea, there was a big bias towards the use of mines.

An important fact that many bypass, it was after the Russo-Japanese War that the Entente (Russia, France and England) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) were finally formed. The fact of the formation of the Entente draws upon itself. Before the war, Europe had an alliance between Russia and France. The latter did not want its expansion. But the events of the Russian war against Japan showed that the Russian army had many problems (it really was), so France signed agreements with England.

Positions of world powers during the war

During the Russo-Japanese War, the world powers occupied the following positions:

• England and USA. Traditionally, the interests of these countries were extremely similar. They supported Japan, but mostly financially. Approximately 40% of Japan's costs of the war were covered by Anglo-Saxon money.
• France declared neutrality. Although, in fact, she had an allied agreement with Russia, she did not fulfill her allied obligations.
• Germany from the first days of the war declared its neutrality.

The Russian-Japanese war was practically not analyzed by tsarist historians, since they simply did not have enough time. After the end of the war Russian empire existed for almost 12 years, which included the revolution, economic problems and world war. Therefore, the main study took place already in Soviet time. But it is important to understand that for Soviet historians it was a war against the backdrop of a revolution. That is, "the tsarist regime strove for aggression, and the people prevented this with all their might." That is why it is written in Soviet textbooks that, for example, the Liaoyang operation ended in the defeat of Russia. Although technically it was a draw.

The end of the war is also seen as the complete defeat of the Russian army on land and in the navy. If at sea the situation was indeed close to defeat, then on land Japan was on the brink of an abyss, since they no longer had the manpower to continue the war. I propose to look at this question even a little wider. How did the wars of that era end after the unconditional defeat (and this is what Soviet historians often talked about) of one of the parties? Large indemnities, large territorial concessions, partial economic and political dependence of the loser on the winner. But there is nothing like it in the Portsmouth world. Russia did not pay anything, lost only the southern part of Sakhalin (an insignificant territory) and refused the land leased from China. The argument is often made that Japan won the fight for dominance in Korea. But Russia has never seriously fought for this territory. She was only interested in Manchuria. And if we go back to the origins of the war, we will see that the Japanese government would never have started a war if Nicholas II had recognized Japan's dominance in Korea, just as the Japanese government would have recognized Russia's positions in Manbchuria. Therefore, at the end of the war, Russia did what it should have done back in 1903, without bringing matters to a war. But this is a question for the personality of Nicholas 2, who today is extremely fashionable to call a martyr and hero of Russia, but it was his actions that provoked the war.

On the eve of the war, Japan had a relatively small, but well-trained and equipped with the latest weapons personnel army and navy. Russia kept only 100 thousand people in the Far East. on the territory from Lake Baikal to Port Arthur. The Russian fleet had 63 ships, many of which were obsolete.

The Russian war plan was based on the idea of ​​gaining time for the concentration and deployment of forces in the Liaoyang region. To do this, part of the troops was supposed to restrain the advance of the Japanese army, gradually retreating to the north, and also to hold the fortress of Port Arthur. Subsequently, it was planned to go on the general offensive, defeat the Japanese army and land on the Japanese islands. The fleet was tasked with seizing dominance at sea and preventing the landing of Japanese troops on the mainland.

The Japanese strategic plan provided for seizing supremacy at sea by a surprise attack and destruction of the Port Arthur squadron, then landing troops in Korea and South Manchuria, capturing Port Arthur and defeating the main forces of the Russian army in the Liaoyang area. In the future, it was supposed to occupy Manchuria, the Ussuri and Primorsky Territories.

Japan, despite concessions to Russia, January 24, 1904 severed diplomatic relations. On the night of January 27, Japanese destroyers, taking advantage of the carelessness of the Russian command, suddenly attacked the Russian squadron, stationed on the outer roads of Port Arthur. Japan declared war on Russia. japanese war cause portsmouth

In the afternoon of the same date, a large group of Japanese cruisers and destroyers blocked the Russian cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" in the Korean port. Our ships, in battle with superior enemy forces, still could not make their way into the ocean. Not wanting to surrender to the enemy, the cruiser "Varyag" was flooded, and the "Korean" was blown up.

Only with the arrival in February 1904 in Port Arthur of Admiral S.O. Makarov's defense of the naval base was thoroughly strengthened, and the remaining ships of the squadron greatly increased their combat capability. But, on March 31, the battleship "Petropavlovsk", on which Makarov S.O. was, was blown up by a mine and sank in a matter of minutes. The fleet remaining in Port Arthur switched to passive defense.

In early February, units of the 60,000th Japanese 1st Army landed in Korea and in mid-April started fighting in southern Manchuria with the Russians of the 20,000th eastern detachment of the Manchurian army. Under the onslaught of superior enemy forces, our troops retreated, which gave the Japanese the opportunity, having landed another landing, already in southern Manchuria, to attack the Russian fortifications and capture Jingzhou, thereby cutting off Port Arthur from the land army. And in mid-May, the 3rd Japanese army, created to capture Port Arthur, landed in Talienvan Bay.

The 1st Siberian Corps, sent to help Port Arthur, after an unsuccessful battle at Vafangou with superior forces of the 2nd Japanese Army, was forced to retreat to the north.

In July, the Russian squadron attempted to break through from Port Arthur to Vladivostok. In the Yellow Sea there was a battle with the squadron of Admiral Togo. Both squadrons suffered serious damage. During the battle, Rear Admiral Witteft and almost his entire staff were killed. As a result of the ensuing confusion of orders, the Russian ships randomly retreated, some broke into the ports of foreign states and were interned there.

The ships of the Vladivostok squadron were active throughout the war, made daring raids on the coast of Japan, and sank ships with strategic military cargo. The cruisers of the Vladivostok detachment were sent to meet the breaking through 1st Pacific squadron, but in the Korean Strait they engaged in battle with the squadron of Admiral Kamimura. In a fierce battle, the cruiser Rurik was sunk.

The Japanese navy fulfilled its task and secured dominance at sea and the unhindered transfer of troops to the mainland.

In August 1904, General Kuropatkin began to pull his strike units back to Liaoyang - to where the 3 Japanese armies were to meet, advancing from the coast, Vyfangou and from Korea. On August 25, 1904, a major battle began at Liaoyang, which was notable for its particular bloodshed. The forces of the Japanese army amounted to 125 thousand against 158 ​​thousand Russians. No decisive results were ultimately achieved; the Japanese lost 23 thousand, and the Russians - 19 thousand people, and despite the successful actions of the Russian troops, Kuropatkin considered himself defeated and began a systematic, well-organized retreat north to the Shahe River.

Having increased his army to 200 thousand people, General Kuropatkin, not having a sufficiently clear plan of action, launched an offensive against the 170 thousandth troops of Marshal Oyama. On October 5-17, 1904, a counter battle took place on the Shahe River, which ended in vain. Both sides suffered heavy losses and, having exhausted their offensive capabilities, went on the defensive. Here, for the first time, a continuous front over 60 km long was formed.

Strategically, Oyama won the decisive operation, thwarting the last Russian attempt to relieve Port Arthur. But still, the balance of power began to take shape in favor of the Russians and the position of the Japanese army became difficult. In this regard, the Japanese made attempts to capture Port Arthur as soon as possible.

The struggle for Port Arthur began at the end of July 1904, when the Japanese army, which landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, approached the outer contours of the fortress. On August 6, the first assault began, lasting 5 days, ending in the defeat of the Japanese. The Japanese army was forced to proceed to a long-term siege of the fortress. Until September, when the second assault began, siege work was carried out and the enemy artillery regiment was replenished with siege howitzers. In turn, the defenders of Port Arthur improved defensive structures.

A stubborn struggle unfolded for the dominant heights that had importance in the defense system of the fortress. After fierce fighting, the Japanese managed to capture Mount Long. Attacks on Mount Vysokaya ended in vain. This ended the second assault on the fortress. On October 17, after a 3-day artillery preparation, the Japanese carried out the third assault on the fortress, which lasted 3 days. All enemy attacks were repulsed by Russian troops with huge losses for him. On November 13, Japanese troops (over 50 thousand people) launched a fourth assault. They were courageously resisted by the Russian garrison, which by this time numbered 18 thousand people. Especially heavy fighting took place behind the High Mountain, which fell on November 22. Having occupied Mount Vysokaya, the enemy began shelling the city and the harbor with howitzers. In November, most of the battleships and cruisers sank.

The siege of the fortress lasted almost eight months. The combat-ready units still held the defense, 610 guns could fire, there were enough shells and products, no more than 20 out of 59 fortified knots of the fortress were lost. But the general strategic situation in other sectors of the front by this time was clearly not in favor of the Russian troops. And due to the cowardice of General Stessel and the new head of the land defense, General A.V. Fock December 20, 1904 Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.

Conclusion: As a result of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.

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 that, Japan officially declared war. The military announcement was made on 10 February. 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 by Japan and the announcement of hostilities against Russia caused a wave of indignation in Russian, but not in world societies. England and the United States of America immediately took the side of Japan, sharp anti-Russian attacks appeared in their magazines and newspapers. Russia's ally, France, took a friendly neutral position, the reason for this was the fear of a rising Germany. However, this did not last long: France went over to the side of England on April 12, 1905, thereby cooling its relations with the Russian government. At the same time, Germany, taking advantage of the situation, declared a warm friendly neutrality towards 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 decent resistance on August 11 and suffered huge losses, he was forced to retreat. On December 2, Russian General Kondratenko died, an act was signed by the commanders, 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.
The victory was almost on the side of the Japanese, but, having exhausted the economy with a long and exhausting war, the emperor of Japan was forced to sign a peace treaty with Russia. On August 9, the Russian and Japanese governments began peace talks. In Tokyo, this treaty was accepted coldly and with protest.

In Russian politics, this war showed many gaps 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 government 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 the previous mistakes revealed during the Russo-Japanese War, Russia stopped exploring the east and actively began to transform and reform the old order, which then 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 established a state that was officially recognized as existing: real archaeological excavations have proven this. As a result of excavations, stone slabs were found with ancient hieroglyphs 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 minister Yi-Yin close to him. After this incident, the ancient Chinese astrologer, historian and writer, known 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 Shang state was not numerous - only about 200 thousand people. They lived in the basin of the Chinese Yellow River, which influenced the way of life 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 agriculture and hunting, others made tools and weapons. Women were engaged in gathering, looked after the house and taught children. Basically, boys were taken for training by men, and girls at home were taught by their mothers all the worldly wisdom of women.

The Shang people were very religious. Their main deity was Sky or Shandi, which 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 holy immunity. An attempt on the life of the Son of Heaven was considered blasphemy and punishable by death.

The palace of the emperors of the Shang-Yin dynasty was richly decorated with frescoes and wall paintings. Under the ceilings there were high gilded columns that depicted scenes from ancient Chinese mythology and history. The paintings were painted in oil moments from wars and foreign campaigns.

Unlike the rich palaces of the emperors, ordinary residents lived in dugouts built from dried wooden “bricks” that were held together with clay.

The Shang-Yin dynasty was interrupted when, after a rebellion, Emperor Xia Jie Shang was killed and Tang Zhou, the next emperor of China and founder of the Zhou dynasty, ascended the throne. started new era in the history of the ancient Chinese Empire.

Elizabeth II

The eldest daughter of King George VI (originally Prince Albert), Elizabeth (Alexandra Mary) of York (abbreviated as Elizabeth II) is the holder of the title of "Britain's longest-lived reigning monarch". Elizabeth II on April 21, 2018 turned exactly 92 years old, she rules the country from 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 that she is of the purest royal lineage.

Basically, Elizabeth performs foreign policy actions, with little or no influence on the internal government of Britain. Her royal duties include receiving foreign ministers and ambassadors, presenting awards, visiting countries on diplomatic business, etc. However, she plays her part well. It is with her, thanks to advanced computer technology, that the queen can communicate with the people outside the castle. So, 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.

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 on her account more than 300 foreign trips - in addition to her native English, she is fluent in French. She is also very punctual, but this does not make her less polite and kind.

But, despite all these good qualities, the Queen of England strictly observes royal ceremonial: newspapers sometimes published articles about how the queen, visiting hospitals, was extremely polite and courteous with everyone, but did not allow anyone to touch her and did not even take off her gloves . Surely this will 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 those close to her, in which no outsider is allowed.

According to surveys of the population of Great Britain, all residents are satisfied with their ruler and appreciate and respect her very much, which definitely assures her good-natured and hospitable character traits, which are so loved by all her royal subjects.