SJS 5: "Japan's First Big Surprise"

Source: Citino, Robert M. "Japan's First Big Surprise." Military History 29.5 (2013): 48-57. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Author Credentials: Robert M. Citino is an American Historian at the University of North Texas. He has previously taught Eastern Michigan University and West Point. He mainly focuses on modern German Military History, especially World War II. He has won many awards for his work, including recognition from the American Historical Association and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. Overall he is a very decorated and passionate historian.

Summary: The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, also known as “World War Zero” occurred ten years before World War I. The militaries of this time period were supposed to be examining wars that they were fighting in and wars that they weren’t fighting in, so they could see what strategies were working and what strategies were not working.  Every single world power sent observers to the Russo-Japanese War, which “guided” the fighting of World War I. Most people during this time would’ve bet that Russia would destroy the Japanese Military. They had more people, more resources, and more support from foreign nations. During the late 1800’s Japan had gotten rid of their feudal system and established a western style government with a constitution, as well as develop a modern army and navy. Many civil wars took places in the 80’s and 90’s because of the rapid change. The “Bushido” code had developed when Japan decided to approach the war in a spiritual way. The Bushido code stated that one shall take death before dishonor. On February 8, 1904 Japan performed a surprise attack on Russia’s 1st Pacific Squadron in Port Arthur. After Japan had been Battling Russia for many months, there were signs that Japan might not be a bad investment “after all”.Japan set the tone of the war, and were pushing Russia back from one defensive position to the other. The battle of Nanshan was a very bloody battle. Russia held off Japan for some time before a division finally reached them on the right flank and forced Russia to retreat. Even though Japan “won” the battle, they suffered a heavy loss of 5,000 men. The Japanese had won their war with a heavy deficit. They had over 75,000 casualties at Mukden. The observers from the western powers noted all of what had happened, and that is what shaped WWI.  

Analysis: Robert M. Citino makes a strong argument that the Russo-Japanese War is what shaped the fighting in WWI. He uses example from both wars to provide the reader with evidence that his argument is valid, and that the Russo-Japanese War really was what shaped WWI. He states that many people believe the militaries in WWI did not pay any attention to the Russo-Japanese War because the fighting styles were very similar, and he disagrees by saying they payed very close attention and based their fighting off “World War Zero”. He distinguished when he had his own opinions from when he was stating facts, and he is a reliable source having been awarded and recognized by major historical organizations.