Summary
During the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) the Japanese began a move to
dominate the peninsula of Korea. With modern weapons and a
westernized military, the Japanese easily defeated the Chinese, forcing the
Chinese to give up Formosa (modern day Taiwan), and also demanding
that China recognize Korea as an independent state. The western powers, who,
molded by the era, were all fairly racist, were shocked at Japan's military
prowess, modernization, and apparent imperialist desires. Japan did have
designs on Korea, and the Russians feared the Japanese might next set their
sights on Manchuria, which caused Russia considerable concern.
In the late nineteenth-century, Imperial Russia was extremely interested in
north-east Asia. In 1891, Russia began building the Trans-Siberian Railway to
connect Moscow and the rest of Western Russia with Vladisvostok. (Vladisvostok,
Russia's main Pacific port, means "Ruler of the East.") The best route for the
Trans-Siberian Railway was through Manchuria, territory neighboring Korea and
which belonged to China. Instead of building along a less favorable route,
Russia leased territory from the Chinese on which to build the railway.
Completed in 1903, this railway also gave Russia efficient access to the warm-
water ports of Dairen and Port Arthur. After Chinese attacks on Russian
enterprises in Manchuria during the Boxer Rebellion (1900), the Russian Czar
decided to send troops into Manchuria. America's Open Door policy (1899-
1900) in China was partially directed against the expansion of Russian domination
in Manchuria. Regardless, Russian and Japanese competition over Manchuria and
Korea led to the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).
The Japanese fought remarkably well in this major war and defeated the Russian
navy. Japan's military might once again shocked the west and soundly
embarrassed Russia. US President Teddy Roosevelt stepped in to mediate the
Treaty of Portsmouth, which ended the war. The treaty, signed in 1905, allowed
Japan to make Korea a protectorate. In 1910 Japan annexed Korea as a formal
colony, useful for its agricultural output and mineral deposits.
After the 1917 Communist Revolution in Russia that formed the Soviet Union
(USSR), the Russian presence in northeast Asia dwindled somewhat. Japan, on the
other hand, became very aggressive, and even sent the Kwantung Army to
protect Japanese interests in Manchuria against the Russians. In 1931-1932, the
Kwantung Army decided to invade Manchuria of its own volition, setting up a
puppet state called "Manchuko."
In 1937, Japan declared war on China, and also began an attempt to "Japanize"
Korea by replacing Korean culture with Japanese culture. This included forcing
the Koreans to change their names to Japanese ones, making the Koreans practice
Shinto (the Japanese religion) and other measures offensive to the Koreans.
During World War II, Korea essentially became a labor
camp for the Japanese, with Koreans living under armed guard.
The Korean War (1950-1953) had roots in the nineteenth century. Korea was seen
as especially valuable to the nations that competed in East Asia because its
northern half was blessed with abundant natural resources and sources of
hydroelectric power while its southern half was an agricultural breadbasket.
Imperial Russia saw south-eastern Siberia, Manchuria, and northern Korea in much
the same way the United States saw California and the West in those years. The
Russians were expanding into the area, especially Manchuria, and eyed Korea's
rich natural resources. As in the American West, the Russians were busy
building railroads to transport people and goods across the Siberian wastes to
this new frontier. Most importantly, the region had access to warm-water ports
which did not freeze in the winter, including Port Arthur and Dairen. Russian
leaders had been trying to gain control of a warm-water port for years, but had
failed to gain a Mediterranean port. The Soviet Union, which replaced Imperial
Russia after the 1917 revolution, also considered Manchuria and the Korean
peninsula to be extremely important.
