Examine the impact of Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) on the region.

The question requires that candidates consider the interrelationship between Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War and its impact on the region. Results may extend beyond the timeframe but they must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may examine the territorial changes that resulted from the war, including the Kwantung Leased Territory and South Sakhalin both being ceded to the Japanese by Russia. As a result of the war, the balance of power in East Asia shifted significantly, with the rise of Japan and the decline of Russia made clear. Candidates may examine the evacuation of Manchuria by the Russians and its return to the Chinese, and the recognition of Japanese interests in Korea and then annexation in 1910. Candidates may examine the impact in East Asia more broadly, with the defeat of a major European power contributing to a surge in nationalism across the region, while a number of political movements in a number of countries, dispensing with more moderate reformism, grew more radical in outlook. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

A relatively popular question. Candidates were required to consider the interrelationship between Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War and its impact on the region. There were some strong responses to this question that showed an in-depth knowledge of the impact of the war on Japan. However, many candidates needed more focus on the region as a whole and should have included detail on the impact on Korea and China. Also, some candidates went way beyond the time frame of this question and discussed Korea under Japanese annexation at length going into the 1920s and 1930s.