Question

What was the end of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki?
A) To end the second Sino -Japanese war
B) To end the Russo – Japanese War
C) To end the first Sino – Japanese war
D) To end the Bhosin war

Answer 1

Hint: The war was between the Japanese and China and the Japanese won because the corrupt and inept Qing Dynasty, which cruelly exploited the Chinese, particularly the Han people, was the true cause of China's defeat.

Complete answer:
Treaty of Shimonoseki - The Treaty of Shimonoseki, also known as the Treaty of Magan in China and the Treaty of Bakan in Japan prior to and during WWII, was a treaty signed between the Empire of Japan and Qing China on April 17, 1895, at the Shunpanro hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, to terminate the First Sino-Japanese War. The peace conference was held from March 20 to April 17, 1895. The Sino-Japanese Friendship and Trade Treaty of 1871 was replaced by this treaty.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) To end the second Sino -Japanese war: The Second Sino-Japanese War was largely fought between the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Empire. The war was fought in the Chinese Theater of the Second World War, which was part of the larger Pacific Theater. After the United States launched nuclear weapons over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, the Second Sino-Japanese War came to a conclusion. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option B) To end the Russo – Japanese War: The Russo-Japanese War (1904–05) was a military battle in which a triumphant Japan forced Russia to relinquish its East Asian expansionist ambition. Both Russia and Japan were stretched by the enormous Battles of Mukden and Tsushima, so when US President Theodore Roosevelt offered to broker a peace deal, both parties accepted. They signed the Treaty of Portsmouth in September 1905, in which Russia acknowledged Japan as the dominating power in East Asia. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option C) To end the first Sino – Japanese war: The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894–17 April 1895) was a struggle between China's Qing dynasty and Japan's Empire, principally over Joseon Korea's dominance. The war ended with a Japanese victory. The Qing Dynasty suffered a significant loss of prestige when Korea was withdrawn from Chinese suzerainty and the Korean Peninsula was assigned to the Japanese sphere of influence by the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Hence, this option is correct.

Option D) To end the Boshin war: The Boshin War, also known as the Japanese Revolution, was a civil war in Japan waged between the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those attempting to restore political power to the Imperial Court from 1868 to 1869. Imperial triumph marked the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial rule. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Therefore, Option ‘C’ i.e, To end the first Sino – Japanese war is the correct answer because it was the end of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki.

Note: In China, the war is known as the Jiawu War, referring to the year (1894) as designated by the ancient sexagenary calendar. It is known as the Japan–Qing War in Japan. The Qing–Japan War is known in Korea, where much of the fighting took place.