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Chapter IV: Powers Rival, Powers Build, Powers Die
So sorry for the late upload life has hit me hard.
Chapter IV:
Powers rival, powers build, powers die.
1900’s:
The new age had begun and the powers of old who had yet to aligned with the new nations were quickly realising that the coming challenges that the new powers of Germany and Italy bring were far more threatening to their status than ever before. However, not all the nations of old were treating these new nations as a threat in this new era of industry. Russia who helped forge the League of emperors have placed themselves as a vital ally to the new and rising nations who share in Russia’s more reactionary nature even for nations so young. One such way is through the vast amount of supplies that is being sold to the ever-growing German industry as their own has begun to take off. especially with the construction of vast railway networks being placed into full force and with primary focus, this is while being assisted with the large influx of cash. One such example is the trans-Siberian railway which is far ahead of schedule with the only real struggle is the lack of labour forces to recruit in Siberia though with transportation of workers and with enough cash flow to start construction on the other side of the country this process has been greatly bolstered especially with the expansion of such plans with the Manchurian line to port Arthur which had been .
However, with such plans comes fears from rivals such as the British and Japanese in the far east. Both nations are seeing such expansion and growth and with Germany and Italy already posing such a perceived threat that the Russian bear needs to be removed before it becomes too powerful. For japan the fears where much closer to home and much more real of a threat to the empire. With its growing economy japans lack of resources are placing great strain on the country’s ability to compete with the other powers as such it has led to the demand for an empire of its own though with Russia’s growing might this has likely been placed in jeopardy so with great conviction japan sought their British allies assistance against the Russian bear. Though while Britain was willing to support japan, they stood unable to get involved in any direct means for risk of escalation. Japan sought to establish their sphere of influence in Korea and hoped to use this in Manchuria, though this required stepping into Russia’s expansion which had already seen bolstering of forces from the boxer rebellion which saw large deployment of Russian forces used to bolster their position in china. hoping to avoid a war the Japanese sent an offer though the powers that be new there was a good chance that the Russian’s would choose war. Which many in government did not believe was a viable option in the long term. Though this would not stop the negotiations which proposed that Russia accept Korea as under Japanese influence while Russia was permitted to remain in Manchuria with its forces removed.
Russia’s reaction is one of tremendous wrath as this was viewed as a complete encroachment onto their spheres of influence. They however, made one fundamental mistake in the Japanese behaviour and that is the assumption that they would not go to war against a power of such high status. This turned out to be the opposite as the Russian counteroffer was rejected though it was paramount to complete surrender of Japanese influence in northern Asia. As Russia demanded that the northern half of Korea would be turned into a neutral buffer state however, this would effectively remove Japanese proximity towards china and therefore limit their power base. The Japanese with indirect support of the British decided to declared war.
The early war saw significant Japanese success on the ground though the Germans allowed the Russians minor improvements on their military the sheer size and scale of Russia and its military meant that the reforms efforts were rather limited especially as many in the Russian military did not see the need for any large scale reform. This was the first of many major failures in the Russian states along with outdated training and tactics lead to a disaster on the front as the Russian forces were smashed by the Japanese forces who had been long preparing for this conflict with British assistance. The Japanese were able to roll up the large majority of Manchuria. The Japanese were able to reach and lay siege to the city of Vladivostok after the first few months of the war. Though at that point the Japanese had over stretched their lines meaning that they were unable to encapsulate the city allowing Russian access to it as well as unable to blockade it. They had better luck with port Arthur able to completely encapsulate the city as well as blockade it, though
their success in Manchuria had led to significant over confidence of how well prepared the improved defences of the city.
(art of the Japanese assault on port Arthur)
This resulted in horrendous casualties and complete stalemate of the front lines, the Japanese early success further bolstered by success at sea as they won several naval engagements though were unable to significantly eliminate the fleet. However, this success bred a greed that they would be able to extract vast concessions from the Russians. Though their inability to completely destroy Russian hold in the region would prove decisive in the long term though not many were realising at the time. As time past and the Japanese continued to burn resources in attempts to seize port Arthur the Russians improved rail system carried vast series of reinforcements and supplies to the front this would be the beginning of the war in earnest for Russia and the Japanese realisation that they have poked the wrong bear.
The war had been raging on for months now and the Russian counter offensives had begun with the railways continuously bring in reserves and supplies the Japanese were put into retreat as they faced defeat after defeat though they were still able to inflict significant damage onto the Russians. At the beginning of the year the Russians broke the siege of Vladivostok in the beginning of may they had broken the siege of port Arthur as the Russian counter attacks had pulled vast resources off the siege. Russian troops however, would find horror in the port as many soldiers were going hungry many skinny too the bones and eating rats for food. They were only kept going after hearing of the Russian push to break the siege. The Japanese would not only see defeat however, as they would win one of their greatest victories at the battle of Tsushima, the Russians in a hope to bolster their navy in the east brought over their baltic fleet with 9 proper battleships and 4 coastal battleships and a variety of other ships totalling 46 ships. Though outnumbered they held far more capital ships though this did not stop the Japanese destroying 8 of their battleships and a variety of over vessels leaving only 22 ships left in their fleet. It was a disaster of scale not seen before even though the Japanese took their fair share of losses it was nowhere near that of the Russians. The loss would incite unrest all over the empire as such a horrible loss leading to the sacking of most of the admirals blamed. On land the Japanese were able too stall the Russian offensive on the Korean border a few months later though both sides saw this as untenable though neither knew for how long.
View attachment 467126
(painting of the Destruction of the Russian fleet)
The Russians seeing such horrible defeat and the stall in the offensive destroyed support for the war and saw vast dissent with many anticipating revolution. Tsar Nicholas tried to keep the war going on for longer in the hopes of breaking into Korea but this could only go on for so long eventually public pressure and threat of revolution pushed his hand, many of his military advisers were pointing out that they were so close to breaking into Korea proper after slowly pushing through the north, if only they had a few more weeks but peace needed to be made. The Japanese were receiving reports of the failing defence along the front as they struggled to even slow the Russians. This would lead too them offering peace and armistice which the Russians accepted. They would spend two weeks drafting a treaty.
The treaty of Portsmouth was signed in 1906 the Japanese would claim all of Korea under Japanese influence however, had to keep the north demilitarised. The Russians were permitted full rights too Manchuria and Mongolia however, they required to keep all military confined too their personal investments the Russians also would recognise Japanese influence in Asia. There would be no transfer of territory or reparations paid to either side. Neither side was completely happy though it was something they could both go back to the people of their nations as some form of victory though it was more of a victory for Russia in the treaty. However, with the Russian fleet all but wiped out they were relatively free too act in Asia.
In Europe the turmoil of European rivalries were taking there toll for Italy it was a period of expansion as they were able to force china into transferring the city of Haikou into Italian control. The entente did not take the aggressive foreign policy lightly especially after the Italian refusal to remove themselves from Kassala which nearly sparked a conflict however, the spin doctors were able to portray the Italians in the position of right. This antagonistic actions towards the entente only grew as Germany continued its expansion of its navy. A navy that was still unable to surpass the British in size leading to Germany abandoning that hope though they would still wish to place themselves as a close contender. While it started too become clear the Germany and Italy were unable to surpass Britain and France in the naval arms race without sacrificing their armies strength. It was still believed by the British that no chances were to be taken. this especially became apparent after the Russo-Japanese war which had nearly every major power with observers of the front lines. one such thing that was noticed by the empires was the sheer loss of materials and lives the war took on both powers. this however, while certainly noticed by the European powers did not believe that it would of effected their own major conflicts as it was assumed that Russian incompetence and Japanese underestimation of the Russians were too blame for the high loss of material and manpower. The end of the decade would mark the beginning of troubles for the ottomans. It also would be a time of troubles as the kingdom of Spain would face a series of crippling of revolts that were seemingly very well supplied.
Powers rival, powers build, powers die.
1900’s:
The new age had begun and the powers of old who had yet to aligned with the new nations were quickly realising that the coming challenges that the new powers of Germany and Italy bring were far more threatening to their status than ever before. However, not all the nations of old were treating these new nations as a threat in this new era of industry. Russia who helped forge the League of emperors have placed themselves as a vital ally to the new and rising nations who share in Russia’s more reactionary nature even for nations so young. One such way is through the vast amount of supplies that is being sold to the ever-growing German industry as their own has begun to take off. especially with the construction of vast railway networks being placed into full force and with primary focus, this is while being assisted with the large influx of cash. One such example is the trans-Siberian railway which is far ahead of schedule with the only real struggle is the lack of labour forces to recruit in Siberia though with transportation of workers and with enough cash flow to start construction on the other side of the country this process has been greatly bolstered especially with the expansion of such plans with the Manchurian line to port Arthur which had been .
However, with such plans comes fears from rivals such as the British and Japanese in the far east. Both nations are seeing such expansion and growth and with Germany and Italy already posing such a perceived threat that the Russian bear needs to be removed before it becomes too powerful. For japan the fears where much closer to home and much more real of a threat to the empire. With its growing economy japans lack of resources are placing great strain on the country’s ability to compete with the other powers as such it has led to the demand for an empire of its own though with Russia’s growing might this has likely been placed in jeopardy so with great conviction japan sought their British allies assistance against the Russian bear. Though while Britain was willing to support japan, they stood unable to get involved in any direct means for risk of escalation. Japan sought to establish their sphere of influence in Korea and hoped to use this in Manchuria, though this required stepping into Russia’s expansion which had already seen bolstering of forces from the boxer rebellion which saw large deployment of Russian forces used to bolster their position in china. hoping to avoid a war the Japanese sent an offer though the powers that be new there was a good chance that the Russian’s would choose war. Which many in government did not believe was a viable option in the long term. Though this would not stop the negotiations which proposed that Russia accept Korea as under Japanese influence while Russia was permitted to remain in Manchuria with its forces removed.
Russia’s reaction is one of tremendous wrath as this was viewed as a complete encroachment onto their spheres of influence. They however, made one fundamental mistake in the Japanese behaviour and that is the assumption that they would not go to war against a power of such high status. This turned out to be the opposite as the Russian counteroffer was rejected though it was paramount to complete surrender of Japanese influence in northern Asia. As Russia demanded that the northern half of Korea would be turned into a neutral buffer state however, this would effectively remove Japanese proximity towards china and therefore limit their power base. The Japanese with indirect support of the British decided to declared war.
The early war saw significant Japanese success on the ground though the Germans allowed the Russians minor improvements on their military the sheer size and scale of Russia and its military meant that the reforms efforts were rather limited especially as many in the Russian military did not see the need for any large scale reform. This was the first of many major failures in the Russian states along with outdated training and tactics lead to a disaster on the front as the Russian forces were smashed by the Japanese forces who had been long preparing for this conflict with British assistance. The Japanese were able to roll up the large majority of Manchuria. The Japanese were able to reach and lay siege to the city of Vladivostok after the first few months of the war. Though at that point the Japanese had over stretched their lines meaning that they were unable to encapsulate the city allowing Russian access to it as well as unable to blockade it. They had better luck with port Arthur able to completely encapsulate the city as well as blockade it, though
their success in Manchuria had led to significant over confidence of how well prepared the improved defences of the city.
(art of the Japanese assault on port Arthur)
This resulted in horrendous casualties and complete stalemate of the front lines, the Japanese early success further bolstered by success at sea as they won several naval engagements though were unable to significantly eliminate the fleet. However, this success bred a greed that they would be able to extract vast concessions from the Russians. Though their inability to completely destroy Russian hold in the region would prove decisive in the long term though not many were realising at the time. As time past and the Japanese continued to burn resources in attempts to seize port Arthur the Russians improved rail system carried vast series of reinforcements and supplies to the front this would be the beginning of the war in earnest for Russia and the Japanese realisation that they have poked the wrong bear.
The war had been raging on for months now and the Russian counter offensives had begun with the railways continuously bring in reserves and supplies the Japanese were put into retreat as they faced defeat after defeat though they were still able to inflict significant damage onto the Russians. At the beginning of the year the Russians broke the siege of Vladivostok in the beginning of may they had broken the siege of port Arthur as the Russian counter attacks had pulled vast resources off the siege. Russian troops however, would find horror in the port as many soldiers were going hungry many skinny too the bones and eating rats for food. They were only kept going after hearing of the Russian push to break the siege. The Japanese would not only see defeat however, as they would win one of their greatest victories at the battle of Tsushima, the Russians in a hope to bolster their navy in the east brought over their baltic fleet with 9 proper battleships and 4 coastal battleships and a variety of other ships totalling 46 ships. Though outnumbered they held far more capital ships though this did not stop the Japanese destroying 8 of their battleships and a variety of over vessels leaving only 22 ships left in their fleet. It was a disaster of scale not seen before even though the Japanese took their fair share of losses it was nowhere near that of the Russians. The loss would incite unrest all over the empire as such a horrible loss leading to the sacking of most of the admirals blamed. On land the Japanese were able too stall the Russian offensive on the Korean border a few months later though both sides saw this as untenable though neither knew for how long.
View attachment 467126
(painting of the Destruction of the Russian fleet)
The Russians seeing such horrible defeat and the stall in the offensive destroyed support for the war and saw vast dissent with many anticipating revolution. Tsar Nicholas tried to keep the war going on for longer in the hopes of breaking into Korea but this could only go on for so long eventually public pressure and threat of revolution pushed his hand, many of his military advisers were pointing out that they were so close to breaking into Korea proper after slowly pushing through the north, if only they had a few more weeks but peace needed to be made. The Japanese were receiving reports of the failing defence along the front as they struggled to even slow the Russians. This would lead too them offering peace and armistice which the Russians accepted. They would spend two weeks drafting a treaty.
The treaty of Portsmouth was signed in 1906 the Japanese would claim all of Korea under Japanese influence however, had to keep the north demilitarised. The Russians were permitted full rights too Manchuria and Mongolia however, they required to keep all military confined too their personal investments the Russians also would recognise Japanese influence in Asia. There would be no transfer of territory or reparations paid to either side. Neither side was completely happy though it was something they could both go back to the people of their nations as some form of victory though it was more of a victory for Russia in the treaty. However, with the Russian fleet all but wiped out they were relatively free too act in Asia.
In Europe the turmoil of European rivalries were taking there toll for Italy it was a period of expansion as they were able to force china into transferring the city of Haikou into Italian control. The entente did not take the aggressive foreign policy lightly especially after the Italian refusal to remove themselves from Kassala which nearly sparked a conflict however, the spin doctors were able to portray the Italians in the position of right. This antagonistic actions towards the entente only grew as Germany continued its expansion of its navy. A navy that was still unable to surpass the British in size leading to Germany abandoning that hope though they would still wish to place themselves as a close contender. While it started too become clear the Germany and Italy were unable to surpass Britain and France in the naval arms race without sacrificing their armies strength. It was still believed by the British that no chances were to be taken. this especially became apparent after the Russo-Japanese war which had nearly every major power with observers of the front lines. one such thing that was noticed by the empires was the sheer loss of materials and lives the war took on both powers. this however, while certainly noticed by the European powers did not believe that it would of effected their own major conflicts as it was assumed that Russian incompetence and Japanese underestimation of the Russians were too blame for the high loss of material and manpower. The end of the decade would mark the beginning of troubles for the ottomans. It also would be a time of troubles as the kingdom of Spain would face a series of crippling of revolts that were seemingly very well supplied.
- AntoniousTheBro
- Word Count: 1.9k