Q&A · 51:34-51:53

Was Russia still a naval threat after 1905?

The Russo-Japanese War weakened Russian naval power but did not remove Russia from British strategic calculations.

Question

Was Russia really a naval threat after 1905?

Short answer

Russia was weakened, but remained a naval factor and rebuilt after the Russo-Japanese War.

Notes

A viewer asks whether Russia remained a naval threat after its defeat in 1905. Russia was weakened, remained a naval factor, and rebuilt afterward. Fisher could therefore reduce the weight assigned to Russia without treating the country as strategically irrelevant. The exchange illustrates how fleet policy must account for recovery and future construction as well as immediate battle losses.