1904-1905 Ad

World History 1904-1905 AD

Russo-Japanese War, Forces Reach Tibet, German Put down Revolt, Roosevelt Corollary, Bolivia and Chile Treaty, US Takes Charge of Dominican Republic, NY Subway, Russo-Japanese Peace, Sinn Fein, Greeks Revolt Crete, Revolt in Russia, Norway Seperates From Sweden, Sun Yat-sen, Japanese Victorious, Tangiers Crisis, Theory of Relativity, Monroe Doctrine

1904 Russo-Japanese War -The Russo-Japanese war erupted when negotiations over Korea and Manchuria broke down. The Japanese began the war with a successful surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. The port was then blockaded by the Japanese. Russian attempts to break the blockade failed after the battleship Petropavlosk was lost. Russia was also unsuccessful in ground battles with the Japanese, and eventually the Japanese surrounded Port Arthur both on land and at sea.

1904 British Forces Reach Tibet- (9/7/04) Great Britain forced the Tibetans to agree to a series of commercial agreements for the purpose of opening up Tibet to British trade. The British sent a military force into Tibet, encountering significant opposition along the way. Once British forces reached the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the Tibetans were conciliatory and rapidly agreed to British terms as long as they did not include ceding any territory.

1904 German Put down Revolt in SW Africa-(1/11/04) On January 11th, a revolt by native Africans was initiated against the German settlement in South West Africa. The revolt was led by the Herero tribe. The natives were initially successful, overrunning several German settlements. They killed over 100 German settlers (only two were women or children). The Germans ruthlessly put down the revolt, and within a few years, the Herero population had been cut to 20,000 from an original 80,000 persons.

1904 Roosevelt Corollary-(12/6/04) Theodore Roosevelt announced an addition to the Monroe Doctrine. He stated, in referring to South and Central America, that the United States had the right and the need to intervene in the internal affairs of states in the Western hemisphere if they did not get their own affairs in order.

1904 Treaty Between Bolivia and Chile -From 1879 to 1884, the War of the Pacific had taken place between Chile and Bolivia. The war ended in a truce. In 1904, a full treaty was signed. Under the treaty, final disposition of the border was made between the two countries.

1904 US Takes Charge of Dominican Republic Finances- In October 1904, the United States took over the finances of the Dominican Republic, a country in virtual bankruptcy. This was the first of what turned out to be a number of US interventions in Caribbean affairs that related to finances.

1904 NY Subway Opens -(10/27/04) The first section of the New York Subway system was opened. The first section operated between City Hall and 145th Street.

1905

1905 Sinn Fein Founded-(11/28/05)"Sinn Fein" was organized as an Irish nationalist party.

1905 Greeks Revolt Crete - Crete, which had been part of the Ottoman Empire, declared its union with Greece. This was in defiance of the international forces that were stationed in Crete to enforce a previous compromise between Greek and Turkish forces. The international force promised additional reforms leading to greater Greek control. With the pull-out of foreign troops in 1913, Crete established a total union with Greece.

1905 Revolt in Russia -(1/5/05) On January 22nd, the First Russian Revolution broke out. Two hundred thousand Russian workers marched on the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and were fired upon by Czarist troops. Several hundred of the demonstrators were killed. In the ensuing months, demonstrations took place throughout Russia, including a revolt by members of the Russian Navy. Czar Nicholas decreed the establishment of a Duma, an elected parliament, to act as an advisory body to the Czar.

1905 Norway Seperates From Sweden - (6/7/05) Norway's Parliament, the Storting, voted to declare the dissolution of the Union with Sweden. A plebiscite was held and the Norwegian people approved the dissolution. The Swedes went along with the decision. Haakon VII became the new King of Norway.

1905 Sun Yat-sen Founds Union - (8/20/05) Sun Yat-sen was the leader of the Chinese Nationalists. He issued the San Min Chu I. The San Min Chu were a series of three principles calling for nationalism, democracy, and livelihood for the people of China.

1905 Japanese Victorious- (5/27/05) The Japanese completely defeated the Russian Navy in the Battle of the Straits of Tsushima. The Russian Baltic fleet, led by Admiral Rozhdestvenski, had been at sea for six months. It was defeated by a fleet led by Japanese Admiral Tojo. The Japanese sunk almost the entire Russian fleet. The magnitude of the Japanese victory led the Russians to agree to almost all Japanese demands made at the negotiating table. An agreement was reached in Portsmouth under the aegis of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.

1905 Tangiers Crisis -Morocco was the last independent nation in northern Africa. On May 18th, a wealthy American retiree and his English stepson were kidnapped by forces opposed to the Sultan of Morocco. The incident began a scramble among the European powers to gain control over the country. France laid the first claim. In a surprise move, the Germans opposed the French claim. On March 31st, the German Kaiser made a visit to Tangiers and, in a hasty speech at the dock, stated that Germany continued to recognize the Sultan as the independent ruler of Morocco. The crisis began and fears of imminent war spread. The crisis was defused at the Algeçiras Conference convened in January 1906.

1905 Theory of Relativity Published -(6/30/05) Albert Einstein, who at the time was a German physicist living in Switzerland, published the Theory of Relativity.

1905 Russo-Japanese Peace - (9/5/05) President Roosevelt acted as the mediator in peace talks between the Russians and the Japanese to conclude their war, which Japan had won. President Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. US mediation was another sign of emerging US power in the world.