As the Russia-Ukraine war becomes protracted, the United States, Europe and other NATO countries have taken action to sanction Russia and continue to increase their bargaining chips.
Recently, Russian Duma Chairman Volodin recently issued a stern warning about the United States: "The United States must always remember that there is a territory there - Alaska . If they attempt to dispose of our foreign assets, they must do so before taking action. Think about it, we also have something to take back." This warning brought the long-shuttered Alaska deal into view again.
Russia's North American expansion history
Looking at the history of Russia, it is almost a history of territorial collection.
There are actually indigenous people in Alaska. Because it is close to the Arctic Circle, , the famous Eskimos were once widely distributed here.
As early as the 17th century, Russia had already begun to covet the North American continent. At that time, Tsarist Russia kept testing eastward in order to survey the route. After all the hardships, it finally crossed the Bering Strait and reached Alaska. What the sailors brought to North America made the Czar dumbfounded: it was desolate, the land was barren, and it was unsuitable for farming and living. This undoubtedly poured cold water on Russia, which was ambitious and preparing to expand on a large scale in North America. Fortunately, many fur-producing animals were discovered along the way, such as seals, otters, etc. With the continuous influx of fur traders, this route also matured.
Finally in 1784, Russia's first colony in North America, Sansheng Bay, was established. Later, as Russia continued to expand, its territory in North America reached 1.5 million square kilometers. At the same time, the United States also became increasingly wary of Russia's territorial expansion. In order to avoid misfire, the two countries signed a treaty in 1824, and the territory of Russian Alaska was basically determined to be north of 54° north latitude. And began to form a Russian-American company to engage in fur trade together.
Why was Alaska “sold off” in 1867?
As Russia’s largest territory in North America, why was Alaska sold to the United States for less than 2 cents an acre? In fact, the total price of the transaction that year was US$7.2 million, which was not a small amount at the time. Russia even secretly rejoiced for a time, thinking that it had been sold at a good price. In order to buy Alaska, the United States was also under huge financial pressure at the time. Some people even criticized: Buying Alaska was an extremely stupid transaction.
The main reasons why Russia sold Alaska are:
1. At that time, Alaska was a completely barren land, with no other specialties except fur. On the contrary, because it is far away from the Russian mainland, it costs a lot of money every year just to station troops. After all this calculation, it’s really not worth it!
2. Alaska is close to Canada. Canada was a British colony at that time. The Russians did not feel much sense of security in Alaska. They might as well sell it to the United States to enhance friendship and deal with the United Kingdom together.
3. Over-hunting has led to a shortage of fur resources in Alaska, and the profits of Russian-American fur companies have dropped sharply.
4, After the Opium War , Tsarist Russia felt that the Qing government was vulnerable, so why did it choose to stay far away? It is better to guard a remote barren land than to encroach on Chinese territory nearby.
The impact of the sale of Alaska
The sale of Alaska had a profound impact on the United States, Russia, and even the Far East.
In the short term, Russia got rid of its "garrison burden" by selling Alaska and made a strategic shift. However, in the long term, it has to be said to be a huge loss:
1. Alaska's mineral resources are constantly being discovered, especially gold mines. , once made the Russian intestines regret.
2. As the connection between two continents, Alaska’s strategic location and military value cannot be ignored.
3. Political value: The United States owns Alaska, its territorial area has increased dramatically, and its strategic depth and comprehensive national strength have begun to increase rapidly.
4, Russia's strategic shift, China's territory is gradually being eroded.
In short, the sale of Alaska was Russia's helpless move. However, combined with the combined influence of various factors at the time, it is not difficult to understand that Russia and the United States were able to come up with the Alaska deal.
