Prior to the Russo-Japanese War, there was a globally widespread belief in a sort of White supremacy, where White nations were seen as undefeatable in combat.
But then Japan broke that image by trouncing the Russian Empire in direct combat.
The war began with a Japanese surprise attack on the Russians in Port Arthur, China, in February of 1904.
Throughout the war, the Russians would face logistical difficulties that would make it difficult to face the Japanese effectively. To make matters worse for Russia, the Japanese fleet had the advantage of proximity and novelty: they were newer, faster, and used radio communication, allowing them to outmaneuver the considerably larger Russian fleet.
Nearly a year after the war began, the Russians and Japanese would face off at the Battle of Tsushima. The Baltic Fleet suffered more than 5,000 casualties, 800 injuries, and nearly 6,000 of its soldiers were captured, compared to 117 deaths and 583 injuries among the Japanese. In all, the Baltic Fleet lost the majority of its warships, putting Russia in the position of having practically no naval force left in the region.
As a result, the Russians were forced to sue for peace and the Japanese were officially recognized as the victors with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth in September, for which the mediator, President Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize. Incidentally, this was the first Nobel Prize won by an American.
An interesting detail of this war was that Japan probably would have lost were it not for the efforts of a single American banker.
Jacob Schiff was an important proponent of American railroads and he ran numerous major corporations, like Wells Fargo, Union Pacific, and Equitable Life Assurance. He was also Jewish.
Schiff's advocacy on the part of Jews was renowned. He actively fought to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad, while bankrolling Zionist efforts. One instance that drew particular ire from him was the April 1903 Kishinev pogrom, in which 49 Jews were killed, 92 were gravely injured, and more than 500 suffered other injuries, including the destruction of more than 1,500 homes.
It's only natural to ask what incited the pogrom. The answer delivered by Count Arthur Cassini, the Russian ambassador to the U.S. was that it wasn't anti-Semitism. No, in his own words, "The situation in Russia, so far as the Jews are concerned is just this: It is the peasant against the money lender, and not the Russians against the Jews. There is no feeling against the Jew in Russia because of religion. It is as I have said—the Jew ruins the peasants, with the result that conflicts occur when the latter have lost all their worldly possessions and have nothing to live upon."
Or in other words, Jews were being scapegoated for economic downturns. In the town itself, there's evidence that public officials also cooperated with the rioters, enabling this tragedy.
William Randolph Hearst brought the media's focus on the pogrom and dispatched journalists to investigate immediately. Thanks to his efforts, two instigators were sentenced to imprisonment and millions heard about what happened.
The effect this pogrom had on Jews was immediate and extreme. The outcry from American Jewry was incredible, and would result in huge amounts of aid being funneled to the tens of thousands of Russian Jews who wanted to escape. It was also the motivation behind Theodor Herzl's proposed "Uganda Scheme", to obtain Jews a measure of security against anti-Semitism in Europe by resettling them in Africa.
Schiff had developed a hatred for Russia due to this and several other incidents, so when he saw the Japanese and Russians engaging one another, he offered his help. And help he did!
Schiff floated $200 million in bonds to provide Japan with the modern equivalent of more than $7 billion in war backing. This was equal to about half of Japan's total expenditures during the war and, accordingly, when Japan won, Schiff was lauded. He would go on to receive the Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from the Emperor Meiji himself.
The ironic thing that I made the post to point out was that just a few years before this war, a forged anti-Semitic tract entitled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was published. The irony here is that, to many, Schiff's involvement in the war bolstered the credibility of this document (jewishcurrents.org/august-10-jaco…).
Motivated by fighting anti-Semitism, Schiff ended up being anti-Semites proof of the conspiracies they engaged in. What a time!
But then Japan broke that image by trouncing the Russian Empire in direct combat.
The war began with a Japanese surprise attack on the Russians in Port Arthur, China, in February of 1904.
Throughout the war, the Russians would face logistical difficulties that would make it difficult to face the Japanese effectively. To make matters worse for Russia, the Japanese fleet had the advantage of proximity and novelty: they were newer, faster, and used radio communication, allowing them to outmaneuver the considerably larger Russian fleet.
Nearly a year after the war began, the Russians and Japanese would face off at the Battle of Tsushima. The Baltic Fleet suffered more than 5,000 casualties, 800 injuries, and nearly 6,000 of its soldiers were captured, compared to 117 deaths and 583 injuries among the Japanese. In all, the Baltic Fleet lost the majority of its warships, putting Russia in the position of having practically no naval force left in the region.
As a result, the Russians were forced to sue for peace and the Japanese were officially recognized as the victors with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth in September, for which the mediator, President Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize. Incidentally, this was the first Nobel Prize won by an American.
An interesting detail of this war was that Japan probably would have lost were it not for the efforts of a single American banker.
Jacob Schiff was an important proponent of American railroads and he ran numerous major corporations, like Wells Fargo, Union Pacific, and Equitable Life Assurance. He was also Jewish.
Schiff's advocacy on the part of Jews was renowned. He actively fought to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad, while bankrolling Zionist efforts. One instance that drew particular ire from him was the April 1903 Kishinev pogrom, in which 49 Jews were killed, 92 were gravely injured, and more than 500 suffered other injuries, including the destruction of more than 1,500 homes.
It's only natural to ask what incited the pogrom. The answer delivered by Count Arthur Cassini, the Russian ambassador to the U.S. was that it wasn't anti-Semitism. No, in his own words, "The situation in Russia, so far as the Jews are concerned is just this: It is the peasant against the money lender, and not the Russians against the Jews. There is no feeling against the Jew in Russia because of religion. It is as I have said—the Jew ruins the peasants, with the result that conflicts occur when the latter have lost all their worldly possessions and have nothing to live upon."
Or in other words, Jews were being scapegoated for economic downturns. In the town itself, there's evidence that public officials also cooperated with the rioters, enabling this tragedy.
William Randolph Hearst brought the media's focus on the pogrom and dispatched journalists to investigate immediately. Thanks to his efforts, two instigators were sentenced to imprisonment and millions heard about what happened.
The effect this pogrom had on Jews was immediate and extreme. The outcry from American Jewry was incredible, and would result in huge amounts of aid being funneled to the tens of thousands of Russian Jews who wanted to escape. It was also the motivation behind Theodor Herzl's proposed "Uganda Scheme", to obtain Jews a measure of security against anti-Semitism in Europe by resettling them in Africa.
Schiff had developed a hatred for Russia due to this and several other incidents, so when he saw the Japanese and Russians engaging one another, he offered his help. And help he did!
Schiff floated $200 million in bonds to provide Japan with the modern equivalent of more than $7 billion in war backing. This was equal to about half of Japan's total expenditures during the war and, accordingly, when Japan won, Schiff was lauded. He would go on to receive the Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from the Emperor Meiji himself.
The ironic thing that I made the post to point out was that just a few years before this war, a forged anti-Semitic tract entitled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was published. The irony here is that, to many, Schiff's involvement in the war bolstered the credibility of this document (jewishcurrents.org/august-10-jaco…).
Motivated by fighting anti-Semitism, Schiff ended up being anti-Semites proof of the conspiracies they engaged in. What a time!
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