Exercises on the Russo-Japanese War

About the Russo-Japanese War, tick T or F for the following statements:

( ) The war began with a surprise attack carried out by the Russians against the Japanese navy at Port Arthur.

( ) Defeat in the war was the prelude to the decline of Russian tsarism and a sign of this were the uprisings of 1905.

( ) England took a bad look at the Japanese imperialist project, so it allied itself with the Russians.

Now mark the correct alternative according to the statements:

a) V-V-V

b) F-F-V

c) V-F-F

d) F-V-F

e) V-V-F

The Russo-Japanese War was fought between Japan and Russia for approximately 18 months and had a death toll of about 150,000. What were the reasons that led the two nations to war?

a) The interest of both nations in securing control of the Silk Road.

b) The Russian attack on Beijing in 1903.

c) The interest of the two nations in Manchuria and in Port Arthur.

d) A Sino-Russian agreement stipulated that Russia would defend China if any country attacked it.

e) The war was motivated by the interests of England, interested in destabilizing Japan to gain access to its consumer market.

The Russo-Japanese War ended after the two countries signed the Treaty of Portsmouth. This agreement guaranteed:

a) the territorial division between the two nations, in which Russia took Manchuria, and Japan, Korea. Port Arthur was handed over to English control.

b) Japan's full sovereignty over part of Manchuria, Korea and Port Arthur. Russian troops withdrew from Manchuria.

c) Russian full sovereignty over part of Manchuria, Korea and Port Arthur. Japanese troops withdrew from Manchuria.

d) China's full sovereignty over its territories. Japan and Russia were not entitled to keep their possessions.

e) British control over the region, since neither of the two countries in conflict won the war.

Before the Russo-Japanese War, Japan had already demonstrated its imperialist intentions on China from a war. We're talking about:

a) Opium War.

b) Boshin War.

c) First Boer War.

d) Meiji Restoration.

e) First Sino-Japanese War.

Letter D

The first statement is false, as the war began with a surprise attack organized by the Imperial Japanese Navy against a Russian fleet that was near Port Arthur, on February 8, 1904. The second is true, for, with the conflict between Russians and Japanese in progress, rebellions began to break out in certain parts of Russia because of the unpopularity of the war. The third statement is also false, as England allied with Japan from 1902 onwards because it feared the advance of Russian influence in the region.

Letter C

The Russo-Japanese War was motivated by the interests of these two nations for control of Manchuria and Port Arthur. Japan had made this intention clear from the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) by winning and making heavy demands on China. The rivalry between Russia and Japan arose just when the first country diplomatically intervened and forced Japan to give up its territorial conquests obtained in the war of 1894-1895. With the Russian presence in the region continuing, Japan mobilized and attacked Russia in February 1904.

Letter B

The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed by the two countries in September 1905 and stipulated Japan's control over part of Manchuria (Liaotung Peninsula), Korea and Port Arthur. The agreement did not stipulate the payment of war indemnity to Japan. Furthermore, this agreement was viewed negatively in Japan, with public opinion considering the Japanese demands to be small.

Letter E

Japan's imperialist interests in the region led that country to go to war with China from 1894 onwards. The war between the two nations was mainly a result of the Japanese interest in the Korean Peninsula, Chinese possession until then. Japan won the conflict and imposed heavy conditions on defeated China.