Introduction [excerpt] The following thesis is written to explain how conflicting strategic visions of empire and imperial design of Russia and Japan from 1890 to 1917 resulted in a political climate that greatly contributed to subsequent armed conflicts. The research explores the legacies of the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War and the role they had in a geopolitical competition between Russia and Japan. Additional themes central to this thesis include the gradual process of undermining...