Battle of Tsushima, Pearl Harbour, and Commodore Perry, Essay Example

The relation between the Battle of Tsushima (1905), the Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) and Commodore Perry’s actions in Tokyo Bay (1853) is characterized not by temporal sequence or cause-effect connection. The relationship is conditioned by the decisiveness of actions in each given situation. In other words, each of these historical events is famous for changing the course of history. While the first two events changed the course of war, the third changed the course of American-Japanese relationship and opened Japan to the Western influence and modernization.[1]

In the historical argument of which military power is more decisive in warfare, in all three cases, maritime power demonstrated to be of significant contribution to fundamental decision-making just as previous land battles fought by armies. All three cases also demonstrate the advancement of naval technologies.[2]

The Battle of Tsushima was a decisive battle in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and was conducted to gain the rule over Tsushima Strait. In this battle, two-thirds of the Russian fleet was destroyed by the Japanese fleet under the rule of the Admiral Togo Heihachiro. This naval victory demonstrated the naval superiority of Japan and triggered turmoil in the Russian public opinion which resulted in the signing of the peace treaty and the end of the war. This event also demonstrated the importance of naval superiority for the continental politics and how a single symbolical defeat forced a huge continental empire to give up its original objectives. The Attack on Pearl Harbour was a primarily aerial strike of the Japanese Navy aimed at the destruction of the American naval base. Although the initial intention was to prevent American entrance into the World War II, the attack had an opposite result forcing the US to enter the war directly since the attack was conducted on the American soil directly.  The significance of a single attack resulted in the change of the course of war and strengthening of allied forces with eh American involvement. Just as in the case of Tsushima, the significance of the event was in its symbolical and strategic meaning, a single battle and a single attack demonstrated fallacies of the previous political positions and the consequent requirement of the new solutions of the existing problems.[3]

The same is the case with Commodore Perry presence in the Tokyo Bay. In order to impose American conditions of opening Japan and conducting trade and diplomatic relationship in the mode favourable to the US, in 1853, Perry sailed with four warships to Japan. By threatening to bombard Japanese cities, he managed to establish desired relationship with Japanese Emperor. Perry’s achievement resulted in opening of Japan to the Western influence and its further modernization. It also was the beginning of the end of the shogun’s rule in Japan and further deterioration of the internal struggle in the country.   Like the other two events, this one was decisive in the development of American-Japanese relations and demonstrated the significance of maritime power on the politics. In all three cases, maritime power was crucial for the further decision making related to fundamental questions for all of the participating parties. It demonstrated to have the same strategic value as land warfare battles.[4]

[1] Chaliand, G. The Art of War in World History: From Antiquity to the Nuclear Age, p. 54.

[2] Archer, C.I. World History of Warfare, p. 74.

[3] Duiker, W. and Spielvogel, J. The Essential World History, p. 156.

[4] Chaliand, G. The Art of War in World History: From Antiquity to the Nuclear Age, p. 133.