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History Russia & The Former Soviet Union

Toward the Rising Sun

Russian Ideologies of Empire and the Path to War with Japan

by (author) David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye

Publisher
Cornell University Press
Initial publish date
Mar 2006
Category
Russia & the Former Soviet Union, Japan, Other
Recommended Age
18
Recommended Grade
12
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780875806129
    Publish Date
    Mar 2006
    List Price
    $41.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780875802763
    Publish Date
    Aug 2001
    List Price
    $68.95

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Description

What drove Russia to its disastrous war with Japan in 1904? Was it corruption at the highest levels, ignorance of Japan's naval capabilities, or overconfidence in Russia's own military power? In this highly original study, Schimmelpenninck argues that the conflict came about because of St. Petersburg's erratic and confused diplomacy. The key to understanding tsarist involvement in East Asia, he explains, is to examine the ideas of those who competed to impose their visions of destiny on the Pacific.

Drawing from previously inaccessible archives in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Schimmelpenninck presents a new approach to understanding the causes of the Russo-Japanese War. He begins with lively sketches of Tsar Nicholas II and the four leading proponents of expansion in East Asia?famous Inner Asia explorer Nikolai Przhevalskii, Sinophile newspaper publisher Prince Esper Ukhtomskii, Finance Minister Sergei Witte, and War Minister Aleksei Kuropatkin. In each case, ideologies of empire are explored in the context of both European and Russian thought.

Toward the Rising Sun goes on to reinterpret tsarist prewar democracy?from Russia's involvement in East Asia during the 1890s to Admiral Togo's surprise attack at Port Arthur in 1904?using extensive archival sources. Throughout, Schimmelpenninck demonstrates the ties between ideas and policy. Interweaving intellectual and cultural history with international perspectives, he addresses an important aspect of Russian national identity at a crucial point in history and helps to elucidate the struggle between East and West that continues in Russia today.

About the author

David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye is professor of Russian history at Brock University, Ontario, and a fellow of the Russian Society of Canada. www.russianhistory.ca

David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye's profile page