The Russo-Japaneese War 1904-5

The foreign policy Nicholas II inherited was largely determined by the size of Russia. The protection of its frontiers was a constant worry and preoccupation. Russia had three motives for going to waw with Japan in 1904:

• To pusue an expansionist policy in the Far East, to make up for what it saw as its relative decline in Europe

• To obtain an ice free port- all Russia's key ports on its northern coastline were frozen for some part of the year

• To distract the Russians minds from the domestic struggle in order to focus on a pariotic struggle as a united nation.

What historians have now actually become aware of about the third motive clearly points out the corruption in politics at this time in Russia.

As it was actually though that Vyacheslav Plehve, the interior minister, was the main person pushing the plan for war. His words 'We need a small, victorious war to avert a revoluton' were often quoted.  Where in matter of fact it was actually Sergei Wiite who waned to pursue an expansionist policy in the Far East, in order to improve and expand the economy there and it was Plehve who was reluctant to go to war.

Recent reasearch now shows that Plehve's political opponent, Sergei Witte purposefully misrepresnted him.

At this point in time, Japan was viewed as an nation to Russia. Therefore, the Russians expected a simple and easy victory. The underestimation of Japan can be argued to lead to Russia's defeat.

Pretexts for wae were definitely not hard to find when territorial disputes between Russia and Japan over Korea and Manchuria were long-standing.

So, in 1904, the Russian government deliberately rejected Japaneese proposals for the settlemnt of the Korean question in the hope that this would provoke a militray response and it did. Japan opened hostilites by attacking the Russian fleet in Port Arthur.