Russian Far Eastern Policy 1881-1904

With Special Emphasis on the Causes of the Russo-Japanese War

Andrew Malozemoff

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9780520374911
• eBook ISBN: 9780520350472
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Asian History
• Index: History

Russian Far Eastern Policy 1881-1904 by Andrew Malozemoff offers a rigorous reassessment of Russia’s eastward expansion and the tangled diplomacy that led to one of the most decisive conflicts of the early twentieth century. Drawing on extensive archival research, Malozemoff reconstructs how Russia’s ambitions in Manchuria, Korea, and China intersected with domestic politics, international rivalries, and the rise of aggressive ideologies. He shows how the Trans-Siberian Railway, the acquisition of Port Arthur, and Russia’s conduct during the Boxer Rebellion shaped both regional dynamics and great power tensions.

At the center of this study is the mounting contradiction between Russia’s expansive policies and its structural limitations. Malozemoff examines the struggle between reform-minded statesmen like Sergei Witte and the ascendant Bezobrazov group, whose speculative schemes in East Asia undermined diplomatic coherence and heightened risks. By situating Russian decision-making within the broader context of declining European influence in Asia and the assertiveness of Meiji Japan, he demonstrates how miscalculation, overreach, and factional politics propelled both empires toward war. First published posthumously, this work remains a landmark analysis of the origins of the Russo-Japanese War and an essential contribution to understanding Russia’s Far Eastern policy at the twilight of empire.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1958.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• I THE RUSSIAN POSITION IN THE FAR EAST, 1860-1890
• II THE SHIFT OF RUSSIAN INTEREST FROM THE NEAR EAST TO THE FAR EAST AND THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILROAD PROJECT
• III THE RISE OF AGGRESSIVE IDEOLOGIES AND THE RUSSIAN FAR EASTERN POLICY DURING THE SINO-JAPANESE WAR
• IV RUSSIAN PENETRATION OF MANCHURIA AND THE ASCENDANCY OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN KOREA, 1895-1897
• V PENETRATION OF SOUTHERN MANCHURIA AND LIMITATIONS ON RUSSIAN EXPANSION, 1897-1900
• VI RUSSIAN POLICY IN THE BOXER REBELLION
• VII DIPLOMATIC SETTLEMENT OF THE BOXER CRISIS—THE JOINT AND SEPARATE AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA
• VIII THE RISE TO POWER OF THE BEZOBRAZOV GROUP AND THE DECLINE OF WITTE
• IX THE DRIFT TOWARD WAR
• NOTES
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• INDEX