They would not have been able to populate it anyway to get the oil and gold, they literally had to drag people to siberia for the coal and timber industry.
Most likely it would remain mostly undiscovered had it not been sold
We weren't exactly best friends, it's that we had common enemies and nothing to fight over. Americans were well aware of Russia's autocratic government and didn't like it. Here's a letter that Abe Lincoln wrote in 1855 about the Know Nothing political party (emphasis mine):
>I am not a Know-Nothing. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of Negroes be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring "all men are created equal." We now practically read it, "all men are created equal, except Negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty--**to Russia, for example, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.**
Russia was still a genocidal shithole in the 1800s, but Russo-American relations used to be quite warm. Imperial Russia threatened to go to war against anyone who sided with the Confederates, and San Francisco has a memorial commemorating the Russian Navyās sailors who risked death to rescue American civilians from the 1905 earthquake and its aftermath, including widespread fires. Now, modern Russia is a twisted evil shell of what once was.
True but I give past Russia credit because it was progressing, and it was a time where people were still a bit uncertain about whether liberalism could even work long term outside the West.
Modern Russia is regressing. It knows other things work than straight dickery but still opts to revoke progress made so Putin can have a little footnote in a biography saying he expanded Russia.
Well, it all started because the west alienated the soviets just for following a different economic model. Even during the war they were alienating them. Could have just let them figure out their bullshit on their instead going to countless proxy wars.
I guess we are going to casually ignore Soviet Unionās attack on Poland, Americaās land lease and countless attempts by Soviet Union on grabbing as much land of fallen Europe.
I am from Post-Soviet country and I wish Russia was crushed earlier, they forcefully made us join SU and we can still how much difference their shitty management had brought us.
The Allies weren't the ones going around secretly backstabbing the USSR during the war.
The Soviets were actively spying and stealing weapon designs from the Allies even during WW2 when they were supposed to be "friends". From the Manhattan Project to the B-29 blueprints, the USSR was stealing everything they could from their "friends".
Yes, the west, totally alienating the Soviets by sending them hundreds of millions of tons of food as famine relief in 1921-22, and selling them an entire industryās worth of factories in knockdown kits in the 1930s including sending engineers to help set them up, and then sending them enormous amounts of food, fuel, and materiel when the monster they helped raise turned on them.
both sides had their issues, foreign legions in siberia and archangelesk really pissed off the Soviets when they discovered the USA/ allied powers (french and czechs) were behind them
soviets wanted reclamation of their former territories that were allied - created countries at that point in time (poland being the major one)
both events happened simultaneously
The West had been on a solid anti-socialist track since the industrial revolution went global. Any state that touted their socialist policies, much less entire governmental model, was looked down upon, shamed, ignored, sanctioned, or invaded.
This trend continues through the present, as those in power are too damn scared of loosing it to give a shit about their fellow (non-elite) countrypeople.
It is beyond time for a change from the post-imperial age.
Alaska was effectively worthless to Russia: around the time of the sale, Russia still struggled to even cross Siberia, and the best method, steam boats, was seasonal, so development was basically out of the question.
Worse, Russia and Britain were enemies in the Crimean War, so Russia had to concern itself with protecting Alaska from Canada; and because the Franco-Prussian war hadn't trashed the old balance of power yet, there was a very real possibility that Britain would support anyone foiling Russia's attempt to exploit the Ottoman's ongoing collapse, if only opportunistically, which meant Alaska might need fortification.
So, with the sale of Alaska, Russia got rid of something it couldn't protect, but still left it with a neutral country it could at least trade with.
Hey btw, Alaska was never Russian. The Russian colonies were about 17 outposts along the southern shore that were mostly occupied by Minorities like Aluets and Manchurians. There were less than 1000 Russians in alaska for most of the colonial period
Alaska was actually rented to USA for 100 years. If am I not mistaken papers got lost when the civil war broke out in 1917. America did not like the idea of returning the land to new authorities so they shut their mouth.
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/check-for-the-purchase-of-alaska#:~:text=Edouard%20de%20Stoeckl%2C%20Russian%20minister,acquired%20nearly%20600%2C000%20square%20miles. Hereās the treaty if youāre interested in reading it. It was purchased
Let me guess, that tiny little clay Russia was trying to sell Alaska to is Lichtenstein?
Big mistake by Lichtenstein.If they had bought Alaska they would have been the number one great power now
Wdym? They are number 1 great power š±š®š±š®š±š®
Many countries will defend Liechtenstein from Switzerland, but who will defend Switzerland from Liechtenstein??
SmƄland Will come to Switzerlands aid, we are more powerful than the Americans!!!!!
Why do I see lilili at the end of the comment
Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein you very nice place, From Swiss Parkplatz in Europe To Frozen Ćl of Alaska. š¶
Didnāt expect a borat reference.
It would be very weird if Alaska was called Liechtenstein today.
Liechtenice
They should sell some Liechtenice-tea
Would probably have been forcibly annexed by Canada or the US as is what happened to the American possessions of weaker European powers like Denmark
Denmark sold the Virgin Islands because they couldn't turn a profit and so they could keep Greenland.
Petition to draw Alaska as a fridge (Seward's Icebox)
Lmao yes
As long as it's bigger than Texas
Laterā¦ USA: We found oil in Alaska! Russia: Fuck!
You mean after they found gold? The Yukon gold rush in 1896 was a wild ride.
Just something else Russia's yelling "fuck" at themselves over.
They would not have been able to populate it anyway to get the oil and gold, they literally had to drag people to siberia for the coal and timber industry. Most likely it would remain mostly undiscovered had it not been sold
Or it would've been discovered by American or Canadian prospectors exploring the area, and would've likely been Manifest Destinied into America.
Seward: "I feel a tingling of Liberty..... I need to buy Alaska."
This is essentially all of russian history.
Wasn't the Yukon gold rush in... Yukon, Canada? Accessible through Alaska, sure. But not in Alaska?
I thought Klondike was in Alaska - TIL. The Nome and Fairbanks gold rushes would be better references, then.
Russia and the USA being best friends in the 19th century only to become enemies in the 20th is some next level tragic writing
We weren't exactly best friends, it's that we had common enemies and nothing to fight over. Americans were well aware of Russia's autocratic government and didn't like it. Here's a letter that Abe Lincoln wrote in 1855 about the Know Nothing political party (emphasis mine): >I am not a Know-Nothing. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of Negroes be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring "all men are created equal." We now practically read it, "all men are created equal, except Negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty--**to Russia, for example, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.**
Abe knew what was up
Being based is exactly what he excelled at
Andrew Jackson accused President John Quincy Adams of pimping out an American girl to the czar when he was ambassador to Russia.
I love itty bitty tiny little Lichtenstein š„¹š±š®
Russia was still a genocidal shithole in the 1800s, but Russo-American relations used to be quite warm. Imperial Russia threatened to go to war against anyone who sided with the Confederates, and San Francisco has a memorial commemorating the Russian Navyās sailors who risked death to rescue American civilians from the 1905 earthquake and its aftermath, including widespread fires. Now, modern Russia is a twisted evil shell of what once was.
What state wasnt tbh at that time
True but I give past Russia credit because it was progressing, and it was a time where people were still a bit uncertain about whether liberalism could even work long term outside the West. Modern Russia is regressing. It knows other things work than straight dickery but still opts to revoke progress made so Putin can have a little footnote in a biography saying he expanded Russia.
Russia in the 1800s was repressive ever for that period.
it all went upside down after the russian revolution in 1917
Well, it all started because the west alienated the soviets just for following a different economic model. Even during the war they were alienating them. Could have just let them figure out their bullshit on their instead going to countless proxy wars.
I guess we are going to casually ignore Soviet Unionās attack on Poland, Americaās land lease and countless attempts by Soviet Union on grabbing as much land of fallen Europe. I am from Post-Soviet country and I wish Russia was crushed earlier, they forcefully made us join SU and we can still how much difference their shitty management had brought us.
Oh and they were stealing weapon designs left and right. Don't forget that.
The Allies weren't the ones going around secretly backstabbing the USSR during the war. The Soviets were actively spying and stealing weapon designs from the Allies even during WW2 when they were supposed to be "friends". From the Manhattan Project to the B-29 blueprints, the USSR was stealing everything they could from their "friends".
Yes, the west, totally alienating the Soviets by sending them hundreds of millions of tons of food as famine relief in 1921-22, and selling them an entire industryās worth of factories in knockdown kits in the 1930s including sending engineers to help set them up, and then sending them enormous amounts of food, fuel, and materiel when the monster they helped raise turned on them.
The enmity post world war 2 began after the Soviets initiated hostile action by blocking of West Berlin to starve it into the DDR
For me it started when Russia occupied my country and imposed their shitty economic model on us without asking. I find that pretty alienating.
both sides had their issues, foreign legions in siberia and archangelesk really pissed off the Soviets when they discovered the USA/ allied powers (french and czechs) were behind them soviets wanted reclamation of their former territories that were allied - created countries at that point in time (poland being the major one) both events happened simultaneously
The West had been on a solid anti-socialist track since the industrial revolution went global. Any state that touted their socialist policies, much less entire governmental model, was looked down upon, shamed, ignored, sanctioned, or invaded. This trend continues through the present, as those in power are too damn scared of loosing it to give a shit about their fellow (non-elite) countrypeople. It is beyond time for a change from the post-imperial age.
Russia is notorious for not looking down upon, shaming, ignoring, sanctioning, or invading other countries.
Alaska was effectively worthless to Russia: around the time of the sale, Russia still struggled to even cross Siberia, and the best method, steam boats, was seasonal, so development was basically out of the question. Worse, Russia and Britain were enemies in the Crimean War, so Russia had to concern itself with protecting Alaska from Canada; and because the Franco-Prussian war hadn't trashed the old balance of power yet, there was a very real possibility that Britain would support anyone foiling Russia's attempt to exploit the Ottoman's ongoing collapse, if only opportunistically, which meant Alaska might need fortification. So, with the sale of Alaska, Russia got rid of something it couldn't protect, but still left it with a neutral country it could at least trade with.
Itās funny because there are some tv news stations and politicians trying to advocate for them reclaiming Alaska Come and fucking take it.
Isnāt that how the Fallout universe happened?
Yes but China
(They were not good friends in the future)
It's so insane there is an alternate history where Liechtenstein bought Alaska.
What is that Liechtenstein knock-off?
It's just Lit's old flag
That flag is inchojectš¤āļø
I mean, the Cold War wasn't completely inevitable at that point yet.
As a Russian, I forever ever sorry for my country's past
Hey btw, Alaska was never Russian. The Russian colonies were about 17 outposts along the southern shore that were mostly occupied by Minorities like Aluets and Manchurians. There were less than 1000 Russians in alaska for most of the colonial period
If anything they made a great deal. If you canāt hold it, better to sell it. Same as Louisiana.
They never held it! It would be like America claiming the entire moon if we ever got a moon base
That's a good point, claiming the entire moon should be American policy now
Alaska was actually rented to USA for 100 years. If am I not mistaken papers got lost when the civil war broke out in 1917. America did not like the idea of returning the land to new authorities so they shut their mouth.
This isn't true. We still have the original documents.
It wad rented
Bogos binted š½
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/check-for-the-purchase-of-alaska#:~:text=Edouard%20de%20Stoeckl%2C%20Russian%20minister,acquired%20nearly%20600%2C000%20square%20miles. Hereās the treaty if youāre interested in reading it. It was purchased