In Our Time: History Episode: The Russo-Japanese War (Aired April 1, 2021) Host: Melvyn Bragg | Guests: Simon Dixon, Naoko Shimazu, Oleg Benesh

Overview

This episode explores the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, analyzing its origins, course, and profound impacts on both Russia and Japan, as well as wider global consequences. Through expert discussion, the show demystifies the modernization of Japan, Russia’s eastern ambitions, evolving national identities, the conduct and outcome of the war, and its ripple effects—social, political, and ideological—across the world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: Modernization and National Identity in Japan

• Japan's rapid transformation post-1853, following Commodore Perry's arrival, included the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration (1868).
• Modernization was equated with Westernization: new institutions, railway networks, a conscript army, and adoption of Western military advisors, first French, then German.
• Quote:

  "Japan realizes that the country needs to modernize, which at this time means really Westernizing."
  – Simon Dixon, [02:28]

• By the late 1880s, there was a movement to cultivate a unique Japanese identity, partially in reaction to sweeping foreign influences.

2. Russian Ambitions & Expansion in East Asia

• After the Crimean War (1850s), Russia turned its attention eastward, expanding into Central Asia and ultimately Manchuria.
• The occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula and construction of Port Arthur (1898) escalated tensions with Japan.
• Internal Russian debates existed between cautious ministers and a pro-expansionist court faction.
• Quote:

  "This is the Russians moving way beyond the kind of interest in foreign trade with Japan ... to a much more imperialist adventurism."
  – Melvyn Bragg, [07:31]

3. Ignition of War & Early Stages

• The Russian court underestimated Japanese opposition to further eastward expansion, particularly in Korea.
• Japan’s decisive attack on Port Arthur in 1904 initiated the war; Russia’s confidence led to shock at early failures, fueling dissent at home.
• Defeats became linked with political opposition to the Tsar, paving the way for the 1905 Revolution.

4. Nationalism and Identity During Wartime Japan

• The myth of a united Japan was, in reality, challenged by localism and societal contradictions—“half myth,” as described by Naoko Shimazu.
• Most soldiers were rural conscripts concerned more with family welfare than abstract notions of sacrifice.
• Quote:

  "They really want to return home uninjured ... so that they can carry on looking after their families."
  – Naoko Shimazu, [13:21]

• Notions of “honourable war death” were at odds with many soldiers’ desires and needs.

5. Strategic Aims and the Course of the War

• Japan sought a limited, quick war—destroying the Russian fleet and forcing peace before being stretched.
• Korea was at the heart of Japanese aims; ensuring no other power controlled it was paramount.
• The Russians, recognizing setbacks, dispatched their Baltic Fleet, which after a perilous global voyage was decisively destroyed at the Battle of Tsushima.
• Memorable Moment:

  "(The Baltic Fleet) were destroyed by the Japanese fleet in very rapid order. And it was that destruction that persuaded Nicholas II to sue for peace."
  – Melvyn Bragg, [19:43]

6. Global Perceptions and Racial Discourse

• Japan’s victory was both lauded (in British and colonial circles) and feared (as the “yellow peril”).
• Quote:

  "We have the celebration of Japan, but then we also see this ... perception of Japan as a threat."
  – Oleg Benesh, [23:03]

• Japan engaged in wartime diplomacy and public relations, striving to present itself as civilized and modern to the West.

7. Russia’s Domestic Crisis and the 1905 Revolution

• Military failure exacerbated internal unrest; returning, disaffected soldiers were a flashpoint for revolt.
• Russia’s eventual halt to war enabled some stabilization but at the cost of political concessions (October Manifesto and limited parliament).
• Quote:

  "It became a very strong priority for the Russian government...to bring the war to an end, to stop that."
  – Melvyn Bragg, [24:30]

8. Home Front and Social Change in Japan

• Initially, home front mobilization was driven by local elites, with parochial identities slowly giving way to a broader national consciousness as soldiers traversed the country en route to war.
• Quote:

  "They began to acquire the sense of the national self ... a transformative experience."
  – Naoko Shimazu, [29:10]

9. Wider Impacts: Geopolitics, Global Inspiration, and Treaty Terms

• Russia’s defeat reconfigured regional alliances and influenced the Anglo-Russian Convention (1907).

• Fears of Russian reprisal elsewhere (e.g., India, the Balkans) shaped British and European diplomatic calculations.

• Japan’s victory was an inspiration to colonized and reformist movements worldwide (e.g., Indian, Egyptian poets).

  • Quote:

    "This war was a bit of a wake-up call for the colonized world." – Naoko Shimazu, [32:28]

• At Portsmouth (Sept 1905), despite victory, Japan was disappointed with the treaty’s limited reward; resentment was directed at the US mediators rather than Russia.

10. Cultural and Ideological Legacies

• The war catalyzed the rise of Bushido and samurai-warrior values, later intensified in the 1930s–1940s.
• The concept of dying in battle and "never surrender" became central, reverberating into WWII.
• Quote:

  "An identification with an idealized samurai heritage... is quite a new concept actually, in a lot of ways."
  – Oleg Benesh, [33:39]

• Significant changes in commemoration and treatment of the war dead took root.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Japan’s Modernization:
  "The idea of catching up on 400 years of Europe in 40 years." – (Host), [04:38]

• On Russian Overreach:
  "The threat, if there was a threat, it was a cultural threat. The Russians regarded the Japanese as degenerate descendants of the Mongol hordes..." – Melvyn Bragg, [09:49]

• On Filial Piety Over Martial Glory:
  "Most importantly, all these soldiers basically say that they really want to return home uninjured..." – Naoko Shimazu, [13:21]

• On the Baltic Fleet’s Ordeal:
  "They opened fire on what was, of course, a fleet of British trawlers just off Hull and Grimsby, and three British fishermen were killed." – Melvyn Bragg, [17:25]

• On Colonized World Reaction:
  "Rabindranath Tagore ... celebrated the Japanese victory, dancing in rain and composing a Japanese style poem about it." – Naoko Shimazu, [32:28]

Important Timestamps

• 02:28: Modernization of Japan and new military structures
• 07:31: Russian expansion strategy in East Asia
• 13:21: Japanese soldiers’ motivations and the myth of Meiji unity
• 19:43: Destruction of the Baltic Fleet and end of the war
• 24:30: The war’s role in sparking the 1905 Russian Revolution
• 32:28: The war’s inspirational effect on global anti-colonial movements
• 33:39: Rise of Bushido and the martial spirit in Japan
• 36:43: Treaty of Portsmouth and long-term geopolitical consequences

Later Legacy and Remembrance

• By the 1930s, the Russo-Japanese War was already seen as a “grandfather’s war” in Japan, with great cultural but diminishing practical resonance.
• Its centenary (2005) was commemorated more actively abroad (e.g., Portsmouth, NH) than in Japan itself, though earlier periods saw more significant commemoration, especially after WWII.
• The war’s shaping of international norms, such as POW treatment, was notable, with Japan adopting and even influencing early international agreements (the Hague Conventions).

Final Reflections

• The Russo-Japanese War marked a historical turning point—not just as the first major defeat of a European power by an East Asian country, but as a trigger for sweeping change in global perceptions, colonial resistance, and ideological contests that would echo into the world wars and beyond.
• The war’s memory, its interpretations, and even its mythologies continue to evolve, revealing much about both Japanese and international society.