Northern Eurasia 1904: Outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War
Late Tsarist Russia
1816–1914 Late Tsarist Russia
1914–1918 The Great War and the Revolution
1918–1921 The Russian Civil War: The White Phase
1921–1927 The Russian Civil War: The Green Phase
1927–1941 The Soviet Union under Stalin
1941–1943 The Great Patriotic War: Germany Invades
1943–1945 The Great Patriotic War: Germany at Bay
1945–1991 Soviet Superpower
1991–pres Successors of the Soviet Union
Outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War
7 Feb 1904 Outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War
27 May 1905 Battle of Tsushima
4 Sep 1905 1905 Revolution
1 Sep 1912 Chinese Revolution
Russia's tightening influence in Manchuria and Korea led to tensions with Japan. With the Russians also building the Trans-Siberian Railway to connect their European heartland to the Far East, the Japanese decided they had to act quickly to prevent total Russian domination of the region. On February 8, the Japanese launched a surprise torpedo attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet at Port Arthur, triggering war.
