Treaty of Portsmouth

The Treaty of Portsmouth of 1905, which ended the Russo-Japanese War, gave President Theodore Roosevelt the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations. Its background is in the Russo-Japanese War from 1904 to 1905.

The dispute dates back until 1894, during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, where the industrialized Japan went to war with the less less technologically advanced China over control of Korea. Germany, France, and Russia forced Japan to withdraw from the Liaodong Peninsula . Russia subsequently built the Port Arthur fortress and based its navy in the Peninsula, which was intended to be against the British, but Japan perceived it as an attack on them. Russia soon was able to consolidate their position in Port Arthur. After the Boxer Rebellion, Russian troops further fortified their position in Manchuria.

In 1904, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Port Arthur, which was victorious. The British and Japanese intelligence had cooperated with the Japanese against the Russians. After a series of Japanese victories, with casualties and military costs high on both sides. In 1905, both sides wanted to end the war due to the high costs.

The Japanese asked President Roosevelt to negotiate a peace treaty, which was to be accomplished at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Roosevelt was concerned about the long-term impacts of Japan becoming too powerful as a military empire, so he wanted to maintain the balance of power in Asia. Consequently, he proposed that Russia “buy back” northern Sakhalin from Japan; however, Japan ended up not being paid. To Japan’s benefit, Japan attained control of Korea and some of Manchuria, significantly reducing Russian influence. Since both were in a difficult financial situation, Japan and Russia had to both compromise, leading to dissatisfaction on both sides. In Japan itself, many protests were held against the treaty and even sometimes America’s role in the terms.

Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating peace between the two countries; however, the extent of his influence is ambiguous, and it may have even been negative. Although American public opinion was in favor of the Japanese at the time, Japanese dissatisfaction with the treaty’s terms led to later hunger to further expand into Asia. Roosevelt’s terms temporarily stopped Japanese pursuits for a brief period; however, it may have been these very restrictions which led to further Japanese aggression and ultimately its role in World War II. On the other hand, the negotiation did establish the United States as a strong power in foreign relations, giving it the leverage to make significant decisions in the future.

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/portsmouth-treaty

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06bradley.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Portsmouth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War