a long deadlock was induced by pressure on the part
of England and the United States to accept that portion of the
island of Saghalien south of the parallel of 50 deg.. Thus the war
thwarted Russia's policy of aggressive imperialism in the East,
and established Japan firmly on the mainland at China's front door.
At the same time, by the military debacle of Russia, it dangerously
disturbed the balance of power in Europe, upon which the safety
of that continent had long been made precariously to depend.

REFERENCES

_Spanish-American War_

NOTES ON THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR (a series of publications issued
by the Office of Naval Intelligence, U. S. Navy Department, 1900).
SAMPSON-SCHLEY OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE U. S. SENATE, Gov't
Printing Office, 1899.
THE DOWNFALL OF SPAIN, H. W. Wilson, 1900.
WITH SAMPSON THROUGH THE WAR, W. A. M. Goode, 1899.
A HISTORY OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, R. H. Tetherington, 1900.

_Russo-Japanese War_

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE, 3 vols., H. B.
Morse, 1918.
THE BATTLE OF TSUSHIMA (1906), RASPLATA (1910), Captain Vladimir
Semenoff.
JAPANESE OFFICIAL HISTORY, translated in U. S. Naval Institute
Proceedings, July-August, September-October, 1914.
THE SHIP OF THE LINE IN BATTLE, Admiral Reginald Custance, 1912.
THE RUSSIAN NAVY IN THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR, Captain N. Klado, 1905.
OFFICIAL BRITISH HISTORY OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR, 3 vols., 1910.
THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE, Debaters' Handbook Series,
N. Y., 1916 (with bibliography).

CHAPTER XVI

THE WORLD WAR: THE FIRST YEAR (1914-1915)

The Russo-Japanese war greatly weakened Russia's position in Europe,
and left the Dual Alliance of France and Russia overweighted by the
military strength of the Teutonic Empires, Germany and Austria,
whether or not Italy should adhere to the Triple Alliance with
these nations. To Great Britain, such a disturbance of the European
balance was ever a matter of grave concern, and an abandonment
of her policy of isolation was in this instance virtually forced
upon her by Germany's rivalry in her own special sphere of commerce
and sea power.

The disturbing effect of Germany's naval growth during the two
decades prior to 1914 affords in fact an excellent illustration
of the influence of naval strength in peace as well as in war.
Under Bismarck Germany had pushed vigorously though tardily into
the colonial field, securing vast areas of rather doubtful value
in