Treaty of Portsmouth

File:TreatyOfPortsmouth.jpeg

The Russian and Japanese delegates around the negotiating table at the Portsmouth Navy Yard St

The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the United States, by Sergius Witte and Roman Rosen for Russia, and by Komura Jutaro and Takahira Kogoro for Japan. Fyodor Martens and other diplomats from both nations stayed in New Castle, New Hampshire, at the grand Hotel Wentworth by the Sea, and were ferried to negotiations held across the Piscataqua River on the base located in Kittery, Maine.

In accordance with the Treaty, both Japan and Russia agreed to evacuate Manchuria and return its sovereignty to China, but Japan was leased the Liaodong Peninsula (containing Port Arthur and Talien) and the Russian rail system in southern Manchuria with access to strategic resources. Japan also received the southern half of the Island of Sakhalin from Russia. Although Japan gained a great deal from the Treaty, it was not nearly as much as the Japanese public had been led to expect, since Japan's initial negotiating position had demanded all of Sakhalin and a monetary indemnity as well. The frustration caused the Hibiya riots and the collapse of Katsura Taro's cabinet on January 7, 1906.

Negotiations

File:Peace Conference Building, Treaty of Portsmouth.jpg

Peace Conference Building, 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

The negotiations for the treaty were taken under the mediation of Theodore Roosevelt (for which he won the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize), both sides were seeking a peace — the Russians had been repeatedly defeated, but the Japanese were in considerable financial difficulties. Negotiations lasted through August. Prior to the beginning of the negotiations, the Japanese had signed the Taft-Katsura agreement with the US in July 1905, agreeing to Japanese control in Korea in return for American dominance in the Philippines.

Also, the Japanese agreed with Britain to extend the Anglo-Japanese treaty to cover all of Eastern Asia in return for Britain also agreeing to Japanese control over Korea. The treaty confirmed Japan's emergence as the pre-eminent power in East Asia and forced Russia to abandon its expansionist policies there, but it was not well received by the Japanese public.

File:PortsmouthTreatyReception.jpg

Peace Treaty Reception of Japan-Russia Envoys

File:PortsmouthTreatyReceptionKey.jpg

Key to photo - Reception of Japan-Russia Envoys

In 2005, a summer-long series of events was held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of this treaty, including a visit by a U.S. Navy destroyer, a parade and a re-enactment of the arrival of diplomats from the two warring nations. The treaty was signed at 3:47 p.m. on September 5, 1905, marked by an honor guard, the firing of a 19-gun salute and the ringing of area church bells. Those sounds were duplicated on the same date in 2005, when the signing was re-enacted. [1], [2]

The Treaty of Portsmouth ending the Russo-Japanese War was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Base, New Hampshire, on Sept. 5, 1905.

Signficance of treaty

The significance of the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was enormous. It affected not only the two belligerent nations, but many other countries as well. In particular, the political situation in the Far East was changed.

Treaty of Portsmouth - after more than a year of fighting, both Russian and Japan were exhausted. Russia was shaken by the 1905 Revolution which gravely weakened her foundations of absolute monarchy. Japan was strained financially and in terms of trained military manpower. Thus President Theodore Roosevelt was asked (by Japan) to mediate for peace between them. On September 5, 1905, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed. Russia agreed to recognize Japan’s “special interests” in Korea. She agreed to transfer to Japan the lease of the Liaodong Peninsula as well as economic rights in South Manchuria including the railroads. Finally, Russia ceded to Japan the southern half of Sakhalin together with special fishing rights.

The terms of the Treaty were extremely unpopular in Japan. Her people had been fed with success stories for eighteen months. To them, the victory had seemed so decisive that the peace terms seemed not to have given the victor all she had justly earned by her success. They resented particularly the absence of a large Russian indemnity. Led by extreme nationalist groups, there were riots in Tokyo against the Katsura government. Troops were brought in and martial law was imposed before order was restored.

Effects on Japan

Internally, a wave of complacent pride filled Japanese minds though many were not satisfied with the peace terms. They were flattered by the whole world because such a rapid rise to international power had not been seen for centuries. The success of the Meiji modernization was beyond doubt. A direct consequence of Japan’s victory was the growing influence of the militarists. They had again brought victory and material gains to Japan. Apparently, many Japanese learnt the lesson that “war pays high dividends” and was an effective means to solve diplomatic impasse. Japan’s victory gave her control of South Manchuria. In economic terms, the region was useful as a market for Japanese products and as a source of raw materials required by Japanese industries. As such, Japan was able to further her industrialization, especially in heavy industries. Thus began the so-called second phase of Industrial Revolution in Meiji Japan.

Externally, the international status of Japan rose tremendously with her defeat of Russia. Ten years ago, by defeating China, she had become the leading Asian power. Now, by defeating Russia, a major western power, she became a world power. Moreover, Japan’s relation with other countries improved. At the first instance, negotiations for the restoration of tariff autonomy started, and by 1911 Japan was able to get rid of this last vestige of unequal treaties. Next, Japan’s victory was heralded all through the East and gave heart to the nationalist and reform movements in China, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Far Eastern peoples looked to Japan as a model and as a prophecy of independence from the yoke of European control. Japan had demonstrated by her victory that the “westerners were not invincible and could be defeated with her own weapons.” In one colony after another since 1905, there were the beginnings of organized independence movement. Finally, the war resulted in a second advance of Japan’s position in the Far East. This time Japan gained footholds on the mainland - Korea and South Manchuria. These were to become bridgeheads for further imperial advances in the coming years, especially during the First World War.

Japan’s relation with the western powers was affected as well by the Russo-Japanese War.

Relation with Britain

Japan’s victory over Russia delighted Britain. In August 1905, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was renewed, two years before its termination. Japan wanted renewal to prevent Russian revenge, and wanted British recognition of her special interests in Korea. Britain wanted in return Japan’s recognition of her interests in the Yangtze area, Southeast Asia, and India. Thus the scope of the renewed Alliance was extended to cover the Far East and Asia (India) in general. In 1911, the Alliance was renewed for another ten years. It was now turned against Germany and enabled Japan to enter World War One. As we shall see in Question 28, the Alliance became more and more an embarrassment to Britain for she stood in between the conflict between Japan and the United States in the late 1910s. Finally, the Alliance was replaced by the Four Power Treaty in 1922. Nonetheless, Anglo-Japanese relation continued to be friendly and Japan was regarded by Britain as an important ally in the Far East in the 1920s.

Relation with Russia

In the first place, Japan had blocked the Russian advance and had effectively displaced a first class western power in Korea and South Manchuria, leaving Russia only with a foothold in North Manchuria. With the removal of Russian threat in Korea, the way was open for a Russo-Japanese rapprochement. On the one hand, a Russian revenge was impossible because of the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. On the other hand, Russia turned her interest away from the Far East to focus on the Balkans. The two recent enemies soon made friends with each other. In 1907, a Russo-Japanese convention was signed which, by its secret clauses, divided Manchuria into a Russian and Japanese sphere of influence. This, in effect, was the “Exchange Policy” in another form, with South Manchuria, together with Korea, in Japan’s pocket.

Relation with the United States and France

The spectacular rise of Japan as an imperial power in the Far East alarmed the United States. America was unhappy with the Japanese gains in South Manchuria which was a violation of the Open Door Policy. She also worried about the security of her Pacific possession — the Philippines. Consequently, in 1905 and 1908, two agreements were reached between Japan and the United States. Each promised to respect the other’s possessions in the Far East. Yet Japanese-American relation gradually worsened and mutual conflicts increased in the 1910s. In 1907, France and Japan agreed by treaty to respect each other’s situation on the Asian continent, especially with respect to their spheres of influence in China.

Relation with China

The Russo-Japanese War was fought on Chinese soil, but China was helpless to do more than recognized Manchuria as a zone of neutrality. At the end of the war, China (the Qing Dynasty) - was not even consulted about the peace terms. The transfer from Russia to Japan of the Liaodong leasehold and the railway rights in South Manchuria was only reluctantly agreed upon by the Qing government.

Effects on China

That the Qing government had to accept this humiliation was a reflection of her decadence. This directly stimulated the Chinese revolutionary movement. In 1905, the Tung Meng-hui was founded under the leadership of Sun Yat.sen to overthrow the Manchus. At the same time, in an eleventh hour attempt to save herself, the Qing government speeded up her reforms. Since the success of Japan’s modernization was beyond doubt, it was natural that reformers in China strongly advocated the following of Japan’s example in reform practice. In 1905, the Manchus abolished the century-old civil service examination and promised the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. 1905 was perhaps a turning point in Chinese history.

Effects on Korea

Quite obviously, Japan fought the Russo-Japanese War mainly to protect her interests in Korea. Now with Russia defeated and Britain allied, Japan tightened her grip on Korea. In November 1905, Japan forced the Korean king to accept a Japanese Resident-General who would have control over Korean foreign affairs. In 1907, Japanese advisers had control over Korean legislative and executive affairs, thus reducing Korea into a virtual colony of Japan. In 1909, Ito was assassinated by a Korean and this gave the Tokyo government a pretext for annexation which took place in August 1910. There followed 35 years of Japanese rule in Korea.

External links

Retrieved November 10, 2007.

• The Treaty of Portsmouth, 1905, Russo-Japanese War www.lib.byu.edu.
• Actual wording of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.com.

The article incorporates text from OpenHistory.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Treaty of Portsmouth  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Treaty of Portsmouth"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.