The Peace of Portsmouth is an agreement between the Russian Empire and Japan on the cessation of hostilities. It was this treaty that ended the senseless and destructive Russo-Japanese War that lasted from 1904 to 1905. This significant event happened on August 23, 1905 in Portsmouth, an American town, with the mediation of the US government. The agreement was signed by both parties. Because of him, Russia lost the right to lease the Liaodong Peninsula and terminated the alliance treaty with China, which provided for a military alliance between these states against Japan.
Reasons for the start of the Russian-Japanese war
Japan was a closed country for a long time, but in the second half of the 19th century it began to suddenly become liberated, opened up to foreigners, and its subjects began to actively visit European states. The progress was well marked. By the beginning of the 20th century, Japan had created a powerful fleet and army - this was helped by foreign experience, which the Japanese adopted in Europe.
Island nationneeded to expand the territory, which is why it launched a military aggression aimed at nearby countries. China became the first victim of Japan: the aggressor managed to capture several islands, but this was clearly not enough. The state laid eyes on the lands of Manchuria and Korea. Of course, the Russian Empire could not tolerate such impudence, because the country had its own plans for these territories, building railways in Korea. In 1903, Japan held repeated negotiations with Russia, hoping to resolve the conflict peacefully, but all in vain. Without agreeing on the division of the land, the Japanese side unexpectedly unleashed a war by attacking the empire.
The role of England and the United States in the war
In fact, Japan did not decide to attack Russia on its own. The United States and England pushed her to this, because it was they who provided financial support to the country. If not for the complicity of these states, then Japan would not have been able to defeat tsarist Russia, because at that time it did not represent an independent force. The peace of Portsmouth might not have been concluded if not for the decision of the sponsors to engage in military action.
After Tsushima, England realized that Japan had strengthened even too well, so they significantly reduced the cost of the war. The United States supported the aggressor in every possible way, and even forbade France and Germany to stand up for the Russian Empire, threatening with reprisal. President Theodore Roosevelt had his own cunning plan - to exhaust both sides of the conflict with prolonged hostilities. But herehe did not plan the unexpected strengthening of Japan and the defeat of the Russians. The conclusion of the Portsmouth peace would hardly have taken place without the mediation of America. Roosevelt worked hard to reconcile the two militant sides.
Failed attempts to make peace
Without the financial support of the US and England, Japan has noticeably weakened economically. Despite significant military achievements in the war with Russia, the country, under pressure from former sponsors, began to lean towards peace. Japan made several attempts to reconcile with the enemy. For the first time, the Japanese started talking about reconciliation in 1904, when in Great Britain the Russians were invited to conclude an agreement. The negotiations did not take place: Japan demanded that the Russian Empire admit that it initiated the cessation of hostilities.
In 1905, France acted as an intermediary between the warring countries. The war affected the interests of many European states, so they wanted to end it as soon as possible. France at that time was not in the best situation, a crisis was brewing, so she offered her help to Japan and took over mediation in concluding peace. This time, the aggressor demanded that the Russian Empire pay a capitulation indemnity, but Russian diplomats flatly refused such conditions.
U. S. Mediation
After the Japanese demanded a ransom of 1,200 million yen from Russia and the island of Sakhalin to boot, the US government unexpectedlysided with the empire. Roosevelt threatened Japan with withdrawal of all support. Perhaps the terms of the Portsmouth peace would have been different had it not been for US intervention. The American president, on the one hand, tried to influence the Russian Empire, unobtrusively giving advice to the tsar, and on the other hand, he put pressure on the Japanese, making them think about the deplorable state of the country's economy.
Japan's peace terms
The aggressor wanted to get the most out of the war. That is why Japan wanted to maintain its influence in Korea and South Manchuria, take the entire island of Sakhalin and receive a ransom of 1,200 million yen. Of course, for the Russian Empire, such conditions were unfavorable, so the signing of the Portsmouth Peace was postponed indefinitely. Witte, the representative of Russia, flatly refused to pay indemnity and cede Sakhalin.
Concessions to Japan
As Ishii later admitted in his memoirs, their country de alt with a Russia that never paid anyone anything. The firmness of Russian diplomacy and the deprivation of the support of sponsors baffled the Japanese. The Portsmouth peace was on the verge of collapse, the Japanese government gathered in a meeting that lasted a whole day. Decided whether to continue the war for Sakhalin. On August 27, 1905, a decision was made to abandon the island and not demand indemnity. The state was so exhausted that it was not possible to continue hostilities.
Russian oversight
Meanwhile, the President of the United States sent a telephone message to the Russian Tsar, inwhom he advised to give the island of Sakhalin. The Russian Empire wanted peace, because the government needed to suppress the impending revolution. However, the king agreed to cede only the southern part of the island. The Portsmouth peace could have been signed on other terms, because the Japanese had already decided to abandon encroachments on Sakhalin. On August 27, immediately after the end of the meeting, it became known about the decision of the king. The Japanese government, of course, did not miss the chance to seize new territory. True, the Japanese took risks, because if the information was not correct, then peace would not be concluded again. The official who handed it over would have had to do hara-kiri in case of failure.
Eventually, the Peace of Portsmouth was signed on September 5, 1905. The Russian ambassador gave in to Japanese demands, as the tsar told him to. As a result, the Tokyo government gained a sphere of influence in Korea, received leasehold rights to the Liaodong Peninsula, the South Manchurian Railway, and also the southern part of Sakhalin. True, Japan did not have the right to fortify the island.
What did the Peace of Portsmouth bring for both sides of the conflict?
The date of the signing of the peace treaty was supposed to be the last point in the conflict and the start to raise the economy from ruins. Unfortunately, neither Russia nor Japan won from the Russo-Japanese War. It was all a waste of time and money. The Japanese perceived the signing of the peace treaty as a personal insult, humiliation, and the country was actually ruined. In the Russian Empire and soa revolution was brewing, and losing the war was the last straw of popular anger. At the beginning of the 20th century, not the best times came for both states. A revolution has begun in Russia…
