American Involvement In The Russo-Japanese War

Examine the role of foreign involvement in the Russo-Japanese War. On July 5th, 1853, Commodore Perry’s steamers and vessels sailed into Tokyo harbor and demanded Western Trade in Japan. Only three years later, The treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed and Japan was fully immersed in the world of gunboat diplomacy, unfair treaties and western dominance. Gunboat diplomacy is a form of foreign policy in which a country supports the aforementioned policy with a threat, or use of military force, hence the term, gunboat. Much of Russia’s foreign interactions were in search of capturing a warm water port because of their extreme northern location and proximity to the Arctic Ocean and North Pole, which froze the water nearly, if not year round for most of their potential ports, and thus restricting Russia’s economic endeavors. In the Russo-Japanese War, American involvement was fueled by Theodore Roosevelt’s desire for a balance of power in East Asia and China. Roosevelt’s foreign policy relied heavily on a balance of power, which is a an ideology that when military powers of certain nations are somewhat equally distributed, national security is enhanced as no one of the countries in question can militarily dominate over one another. Implementing this policy in Asia allowed for added American security as he avoided Russian dominance in

Peacemaking negotiations began in January 1905, but were not finalized until April 24th 1905 when Japan agreed to Roosevelt’s terms, which included continued support of the Open Door in Manchuria, as well as for the restoration of the province to China. However, it was not until September 5th 1905 when the treaty was signed, as Russia was reluctant to sign the treaty. The treaty gave Japan control of Korea and a substantial amount of