On this date in 1905, the Russo-Japanese War ended. Although not studied much in American schools (except for a mention that Teddy Roosevelt, of all people, won a Noble Peace Prize for helping to negotiate an end to the war), the war had a significant impact on 20th Century anti-colonial independence movements. The war was the result of the imperial ambitions of Russia and Japan. Russia wanted a year-round port in the east, and both Russia and Japan wanted control of Manchuria and Korea. Between February 1904 and September 1905, the two nations fought land and sea engagements, and Japan emerged victorious. It was the first time since the Middle Ages that a non-western nation had defeated a western power. This laid the groundwork for Japan’s rise to Great Power status in the early twentieth century that culminated in the Japanese defeat in World War II, but it had implications far greater than Japanese ambitions. Nationalists in Africa, Egypt, Afghanistan, India, Syria, Turkey, Burma, Indonesia, and elsewhere took note of Russia’s defeat (especially after the naval engagement at Tsushima): western colonial powers weren’t invincible. Mustafa Kemal, latter known as Ataturk, believed Japan, especially in its efforts at modernization, could be a model for other colonial peoples. Nehru, then a young boy studying in England, saw a way forward for Indian independence. Abdurreshid Ibrahim, a pan-Islamic activist, was encouraged. In South Africa, Gandhi wrote, “When everyone in Japan, rich and poor, came to believe in self-respect, the country became free. She could give Russia a slap in the face…In the same way, we must, too, need to feel the spirit of self-respect.” Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh also took note. [These reactions can be found in Pankaj Mishra’s excellent book, From Ruins to Empire (New York: Picador Books, 2012)]. It would be many years, two world wars, and countless smaller struggles for independence before the aspirations of colonial peoples to be free of western dominance became a reality. In many respects, the West still dominates economically and militarily. But it’s instructive to consider today’s resolute opposition to the West in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa, and South America in light of this longstanding resentment. People who believe themselves “under the thumb” of the West (now primarily the United States) have many examples of what perseverance can accomplish: the defeat of the West off the coast of Japan in 1905, Viet Nam in the 1950s (the French), Viet Nam in 1975 (the United States), and now in Iraq and Afghanistan (yes, the U.S. lost in those nations, even if we salvaged some self-respect before leaving). Militant Islam isn’t going away, nor is anti-American sentiment in South America. We need to reconsider our approach to the rest of the world. The “Global War on Terror” is the latest phase in the misguided attempt of the West to control the rest.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:06:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015