Russo-japanese War

Question 1

Why was there a war with Japan?

Answer 1

-Japanese response to expansion trans-Siberian railway into port Arthur where Japanese had held peninsula 1895
-Plehve encouraged tsar respond to Japanese assault on Russia eastern naval base port Arthur Jan 1904
-believed would be a shirt swift + victorious war

Question 2

Why was the war not a swift victory?

Answer 2

-Russian shad little idea of their enemy or inadequacies of won forces
-running war 6000 miles away from capital never easy
-series of defeats turned initial anti Japanese patriotism into opposition to govt

Question 3

What happened after Plehve was assassinated?

Answer 3

-crowds in Warsaw turned to celebrate on streets
-renewed cries for representative National Assembly (Duma)
-Nov 1904 moderate Mirsky replaced Plehve + agreed invite zemstvo to St P for discussions

Question 4

What was Nicholas II view on representative govt?

Answer 4

-said he would ‘never agree’ to it
-felt it was harmful to the people whom him entrusted him with
-he would only concede to expansion of rights of zemstva