Meiji Japan · 1904-1905

Russia against Japan, 1904-1905

Two empires clash over Manchuria and Korea. Japan attacks Russia's fleet at Port Arthur, wins on land at Mukden and destroys a Russian fleet that sailed halfway round the world. Students ask why this victory shook the world.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1904
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Two empires clash over Manchuria and Korea. Japan attacks Russia's fleet at Port Arthur, wins on land at Mukden and destroys a Russian fleet that sailed halfway round the world. Students ask why this victory shook the world.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Russia and Japan went to war over Manchuria and Korea.
  • Locate Port Arthur, Mukden and Tsushima and describe what happened there.
  • Explain why Japan's victory mattered for Asia, for Russia and for the world.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1904

Rivals in Manchuria

Open the map in 1904 and zoom in on Manchuria and Korea. These borders date from just after 1910, when Japan annexed Korea. Why did both Russia and Japan want this region?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1904

The long voyage

Zoom out over the world. Russia's Baltic Fleet sailed from the Baltic Sea around Africa to East Asia in 1904-1905. Trace the route with your finger. What problems would such a voyage bring?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1904

One railway

Zoom out over the Russian Empire and find Moscow and Port Arthur. Russian soldiers and supplies came on one long railway across Siberia. Why was that a weakness?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Japan attacked Port Arthur before declaring war. How do you judge a surprise attack?
  2. Russia was much bigger than Japan. Why did it still lose?
  3. The Baltic Fleet sailed for seven months to reach the war. What does that tell you about Russia's position in the Pacific?
  4. Defeat helped spark a revolution in Russia in 1905. How can losing a war shake a government at home?
  5. Koreans had no say in the peace that decided their future. Why does that matter?
4

Game round

9 min

Play Peter the Great in Rule History: he built Russia's navy and its window on the Baltic. Discuss: two centuries later Nicholas II sent his Baltic fleet around the world to fight Japan. Was Russia too big to defend from one capital?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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