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In Russia, only six people knew about the preparation of the deal: Alexander II, Konstantin Romanov, Alexander Gorchakov (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mikhail Reitern (Minister of Finance), Nikolai Krabbe (Minister of Navy) and Eduard Stekl (Russian Envoy to the USA), and the public was informed only two months after signing the agreement. At that time, Russia was in dire need of a three-year foreign loan, 15 million rubles a year, and Russian America required constant investments.

As for gold, which individual prospectors have already begun to mine in Alaska, Russian government feared that after the prospectors and smugglers they would come and American troops, for which Russia was not ready. Another problem was “creeping colonization” on the part of the Mormons, as US President James Buchanan himself openly spoke about.

Lenin and Stalin are to blame for the loss of Alaska

In a thread dedicated to Alaska on the forum of supporters of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, it is mentioned that the treaty, signed on March 30, 1867, was drawn up in English and French. Thus, copies of the agreement in Russian with a facsimile of the Emperor and Autocrat of All-Russia Alexander II that exist on the Internet are fakes. Forum users put forward several theories: firstly, they insist that the agreement was about a 99-year lease, and not about a sale. Secondly, supporters of the largest Russian communist party, the 7.2 million dollars in gold specified in the document were not sent to Russia, because the government of the empire, through the London Bank, paid for locomotives and steam engines with this money.

In addition, an original theory was expressed at the forum - the deal was fictitious, the US Congress spent these expenses under the guise of paying rent for Alaska, with the goal of compensating Russia for the costs of participating in hostilities on the US side of two Russian squadrons under the command of rear admirals Stepan Lesovsky and Andrey Popov.

“After the revolution of 1917, through confiscation and simple robbery, the Bolsheviks concentrated in their hands enormous wealth in foreign currency, securities, gold, etc. However, they could not buy weapons for the Red Army: the West banned trade with Russia. To “break through” this blockade, Lenin offered the United States renunciation of claims to Alaska in exchange for lifting the trade ban. As a guarantee, Lenin offered to give the Americans all copies of the signed agreements kept in Russia and confirming its rights to Alaska. So Alaska was actually sold for the first time. During the war against fascism, Stalin made a statement in Yalta that the USSR would not lay claim to Alaska, which surprised the Americans, who believed that this issue had been finally settled under Lenin. Stalin simply wanted to portray that he was making a concession for the USSR's right to take control of the countries of Central Europe. So Alaska was sold a second time... Finally, under Brezhnev, the lease term came to an end. Despite everything that had gone before, it was still possible to try to lay claim to Alaska. It was only necessary to officially declare that these two, so to speak, politicians, Lenin and Stalin, did not have the right to sell Alaska, their actions were never confirmed by the Supreme Council and, therefore, legally invalid from the very beginning. Well, and, of course, present the money for payment! However, the General Secretary of the CPSU was not capable of this..." says the published study.

Probably, supporters of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation are referring to the fictitious agreement on the sale of Alaska from 1854, which was drawn up in the amount of $7.6 million and was supposed to force the British to abandon their claims to Russian possessions. The newspaper Zagranitsa writes about the circumstances of this transaction.

A ship with gold bars was blown up by an American saboteur

Russia really didn’t receive any money for Alaska. 7.2 million dollars (11 million rubles) were, according to the payment order, transferred to the account of Baron Stekl, the Russian envoy, which was fundamentally contrary to the terms of the agreement. Millions were transferred to one of the London banks, from where they were supposed to get to Russia in the form of gold, but this did not happen.

At the beginning of July 1868, the ingots were loaded onto the barque Orkney, but on July 16 the ship sank on the approach to St. Petersburg. Insurance Company went bankrupt, and Russia did not receive any compensation.

In 1875 it became clear that the disaster was not an accident. The explosion was set up by US citizen William Thomson, who served in the Secret Service Corps (SSC) sabotage unit during the American Civil War. Having been caught in the explosion of another ship, after attempting suicide, he told how he ended up in prison for a drunken brawl and received an unusual offer from a cellmate. For £1,000, Thomson, disguised as a loader, carried a time bomb onto the Orkney.

A hundred years later, in 1975, a Soviet-Finnish expedition discovered the remains of a barque in the Baltic Sea. The examination confirmed that there was an explosion and fire on the ship. But there was not a single gold bar.

Eduard Stekl, who lobbied for the agreement from Russia (by the way, married to an American and involved in the highest circles of the United States), received a reward of 25 thousand dollars and an annual pension of 6,000 rubles for his work, which he was very dissatisfied with. As the Russian Seven clarifies, he briefly arrived in St. Petersburg, but then left for Paris and until the end of the year shunned Russian society, since he turned into a pariah and was mercilessly criticized for the mediocre cession of Russian land.

Neither sold nor rented out

As for the main question, whether it was a sale or a lease, one of the most balanced versions is put forward by users of the “Submarine” forum - in their opinion, the uncertainty arose due to a linguistic misunderstanding.

According to the text of the treaty, it is clear that Alaska was “... to cede to the United States...”. The contract does not use the word "sell", and the expression "to cede" can be understood as a grant or transfer of physical control. Thus, it follows from the agreement that Alaska legally belongs to Russia, but is transferred to physical control USA.

“Thus, Alaska was not sold to the United States and was not leased to the United States, which everyone is now arguing about. It was transferred under the seda agreement, i.e., under an agreement on the transfer of physical control over the territory without selling the territory to the United States of America. Since the seda agreement the deadline for transferring the territory to physical management was not specified, then Russia has every right to demand Alaska back at any time, since according to the agreement concluded with the United States, Alaska continues to belong to Russia, and the United States has only been transferred the right to physical management of the territory in conditions where no deadline has been specified. validity of the agreement, it is recognized as valid until the owner makes a demand for the return of the right of physical management. That is, until Russia declares its right to physical management of the territory, which must be returned to it immediately by the United States of America at the first application. this is on the part of Russia,” the article says.

The typewritten text of the treaty can be found in the online library Bartleby.com, where it is cited from the edition "American Historical Documents, 1000-1904". The handwritten original agreement has never been published.

Russian flag in the capital of Russian settlements in North America Novo-Arkhangelsk was launched on October 18, 1867. In 1884, Alaska received county status and was officially declared a US territory in 1912. Alaska became the 49th state of the United States only in 1959.

As for the papers of Alexander II himself, it is clear from the difficult-to-read memorial book that on Friday, December 16 (28), at 10 o’clock in the morning, the tsar managed to receive M. H. Reitern, P. A. Valuev and V. F. Adlerberg. This was followed by the entry: “at 1 [day] Prince Gorchakov had a meeting on the affairs of [the] American [company]. It has been decided[?] to sell to the United States” (1412). At 2 o'clock the king had his next event scheduled. A much more detailed account of what happened on December 16 (28), 1866, was given by the famous American scientist Professor F. A. Golder in an article published back in 1920: “At the meeting that took place on December 16 in the palace (we We now know that it took place at Gorchakov’s residence on Palace Square - N. B.), all the above-mentioned persons were present (i.e. the Tsar, Konstantin, Gorchakov, Reitern, Krabbe and Stekl. - Ya. B.). Reitern provided details about the heavy financial situation companies. In the ensuing discussion, everyone took part and in the end agreed to sell the colonies to the United States. When this was decided, the emperor turned to Steckle with the question of whether he would return to Washington to complete the matter. Although this was not what Steckl wanted (he was scheduled to be appointed envoy to The Hague at that time), he had no choice and said that he would go. Vel. book gave him a map showing the boundaries, and the Secretary of the Treasury told him that he should receive at least $5 million. These were practically all the instructions that Glass received” (1413).

IN general outline the course of the discussion was presented by the professor correctly, and it was obvious that he relied on some kind of documentary record. It became possible to clarify the matter, however, only when I became acquainted with the rich archive of F. A. Golder at the Hoover Institution of War, Revolution and Peace. One of the archival folders contains extracts from a letter from E. A. Stekl to his colleague in London, Baron F. I. Brunnov, dated April 7 (19), 1867, which fully corresponded to the above passage and was evidence of one of the participants in the “special meeting” (1414).

The American researcher is not entirely right only regarding the instructions received by E. A. Stekl. In fact, at the meeting on December 16 (28), it was decided that all interested departments would prepare their considerations for the envoy in Washington.

- Group of authors. ISBN 5-7133-0883-9 .

...On December 22 (Old Art.), the head of the Naval Ministry N.K. Krabbe presented Alexander II with a note “The border line between Russia’s possessions in Asia and North America,” which was not only approved by the Tsar, but also accompanied by a flattering remark. Two days later, N. K. Krabbe presented this note, along with the corresponding map, to A. M. Gorchakov for subsequent transfer to Stekl... A note in the hand of Alexander II: “Okay, reported” - and an inscription in the margins: “Approved by the Emperor on December 22, 66 N.” . Crabbe."

- Group of authors. Chapter 11. Sale of Alaska (1867) 1. The decision to cede the Russian colonies in America to the United States (December 1866)// History of Russian America (1732-1867) / Rep. ed. acad. N. N. Bolkhovitinov. - M.: International. relations, 1997. - T. T. 1. The Foundation of Russian America (1732-1799). - P. 480. - 2000 copies.

- ISBN 5-7133-0883-9.

Czar's Ratification of the Alaska Purchase Treaty, 6/20/1867, National Archives and Records Administration

United States Statutes at Large, Treaties and Proclamations, Volume 15: 1867-1869. Little, Brown & Co. Boston, 1869

Measuring Worth - Purchasing Power of US Dollar

Russian-American relations and the sale of Alaska. 

1834-1867.  M. Science.  1990, p. 

331-336 Alaska: … The transfer of territory from Russia to the United States, Executive document 125 in Executive documents printed by order of the House of Representatives during the second session of the fortieth Congress, 1867-"68

, vol. 11, Washington: 1868.

Charles Sumner, The cession of Russian America to the United States in The Works of Charles Sumner , vol. 11, Boston: 1875, pp. 181-349, p. 348. Wolfram Alpha

Powell, Michael. How Alaska Became a Federal Aid Magnet ,

The New

York Times (18 August 2010). Retrieved April 27, 2014.

Miller, John.

The Last Alaskan Barrel: An Arctic Oil Bonanza that Never Was. - Caseman Publishing. - ISBN 978-0-9828780-0-2.

From this article you will learn who sold Alaska to America, under what conditions and when it happened. Over the years, such an interesting event has become overgrown with myths and speculation. Let's try to figure out what's what. The sale of Alaska to the Russian Empire took place in 1867. The sale amount was just over seven million US dollars. Alaska was sold to the North American United States. The area of ​​the territory sold was just over 1,500,000 square kilometers. The reason Alaska was sold Naturally, such a sale has its own purpose and reason. The thing is that at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Alaska generated significant income through the fur trade. However, by the middle of this century it turned out that the costs in the future would be much greater than the potential profits. The costs were the banal maintenance and protection of this territory, which, moreover, was very remote. The very first time, the initiative to sell Alaska was made by N. Muravyov-Amursky, in 1853. This man was the Governor General

Negotiations on the sale took place precisely at a time when Great Britain was making claims to this territory. Here is another reason why it was beneficial for the Russian Empire to get rid of Alaska.

The issue of selling Alaska was postponed several times. First they waited for the expiration of the privileges of the RAC (Russian-American Company), then the end of the civil war in the United States. However, on March 18, 1867, President Johnson of the United States of America signed special powers to William Seward. Literally immediately after this, negotiations took place, during which an agreement was agreed upon to purchase Alaska from the Russian Empire for 7 million US dollars.

Direct sale and transfer of Alaska

The signing of the contract itself took place in 1867 on March 30, in the city of Washington. The purchase and sale agreement was signed in the so-called diplomatic languages ​​- French and English. Interestingly, the official text of the agreement simply does not exist in Russian. Under the terms of the treaty, the entire Alaska Peninsula was transferred to the United States, as well as coastal strip 10 miles wide south of Alaska.

Although the Senate of the United States of America doubted the advisability of such a purchase, the majority of members nevertheless supported the deal.

On October 18, 1967, Alaska was officially transferred to America. On the Russian side, the protocol on the transfer of territory was signed by A. A. Peschurov. This man was a special government commissioner, a captain of the second rank. Interestingly, right on the same day it was introduced Gregorian calendar. Thanks to this, Alaskans woke up on October 18th, although they went to bed on October 5th.

So who exactly sold Alaska?

Alaska was sold Alexander II. That's who sold Alaska to America. The agreement was signed by Eduard Stekl. By the way, as a sign of gratitude, Alexander II awarded the Russian diplomat Stekl the Order of the White Eagle, as well as a one-time reward of twenty-five thousand rubles and a pension of six thousand rubles every year.

There are a number of popular myths regarding the sale of Alaska that are not true:

• “Alaska was sold by Catherine the Second.” This could not have happened, if only because the agreement was signed in 1867, and Catherine the Second died in 1796;
• “Alaska was leased, not sold.” Myth clean water. After all, there are documents confirming the opposite;
• “In Alaska, after some time, a gold deposit was discovered in the Klondike. Thanks to this gold, all expenses of the Americans were reimbursed many times over.” There is no need to even comment on this, since the Klondike is located in Canada.

Today, what is known about Alaska is that it is the largest state in the 49th United States by area. He is also the coldest. Most of its climate is arctic and subarctic. Severe frosty winters with strong winds and snow blizzards are the norm here. The only exception is the coast Pacific Ocean, where the climate is temperate and quite suitable for life.

Includes Alaska, mainland North America to the Canadian border, the Alaska Peninsula, Sewart and Kenai. In addition, the state includes the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Islands, Trinity and Fox Islands. The state also owns a narrow strip of land along the Pacific coast to Dixon Entrance. It is in this part that the state capital, Juneau, is located.

Its population is only 31 thousand people. The city was founded in 1881 and named after a simple Canadian guy, Joseph Juneau. It was he who discovered the richest gold deposit in this area and, one might say, became the founder of the “gold rush”. After Juneau earned its first hundreds of thousands of dollars, fortune hunters of all stripes poured into Alaska. But Fortune always favors pioneers. Those who follow usually get the crumbs.

History of Alaska before sale to America

Back in the 18th century, Alaska belonged undividedly Russian Empire. It is unknown when the settlement of this inhospitable and cold land began. But there is no doubt that in ancient times there was a connection between North America and Asia. It was carried out through the Bering Strait. It was covered with a crust of ice, and people easily crossed from one continent to another. The smallest width of the strait is only 86 km. Any experienced hunter can overcome such a distance on a dog sled.

Then glacial period ended and warming began. The ice melted, and the shores of the continents were lost behind the horizon. People inhabiting Asia did not dare to swim across the icy surface of water to an unknown destination. Therefore, starting from the 3rd millennium BC. e. Alaska was explored by the Indians. They moved north from the territory of modern California, staying close to the Pacific coast. Gradually, the tribes reached the Aleutian Islands and settled well in these lands.

Alaska Natives

The Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida tribes settled on the Alaska Peninsula. To the north, right up to the island of Nunivak, the Athabaskans established their way of life. To the east were the Eskimo tribes, and on the Aleutian Islands adjacent to the harsh lands the Aleuts found refuge. These were all small tribes. They were driven out from more fertile lands by warlike and strong peoples. But people did not despair. They inhabited the harsh region and became its full-fledged masters.

Meanwhile, the Russian Empire was rapidly expanding its eastern borders. While the military flotillas of European countries plowed the seas and oceans in search of new colonies, the Russian people were exploring the Urals, Siberia, Far East and regions of the Far North.

It was a whole galaxy of courageous people. They, like the Europeans, sailed on ships, but not in tropical waters, and to pack ice harsh north. The most famous expeditions are Semyon Dezhneva and Fedot Popov, Vitus Bering, Alexey Chirikov. The expedition of Ivan Fedorov and Mikhail Gvozdev is no less significant. It was they who opened Alaska to the entire civilized world in 1732. The specified date is considered official.

But it’s one thing to open, and another to settle in a new land. The first Russian settlements appeared in Alaska only in the 80s of the 18th century. The people who lived in them were engaged in hunting and commerce. Some caught fur-bearing animals, others bought them. The unpromised land began to turn into a good source of profit, as valuable fur always equated to gold.

Settlers in Alaska

Naturally, from total mass people, the most enterprising and intelligent individuals quickly emerged. The most successful was Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov (1747-1795). This figure is very remarkable. The city of Shelekhov in the Irkutsk region is named after Shelikhov.

This man founded the first Russian settlement on Kodiak Island. Organized an entire fur trading empire. Moreover, it cannot be said that he mercilessly exploited the local population, bought fur from them for next to nothing and was a greedy person. On the contrary, Shelikhov tried to teach indigenous people to culture. He paid special attention to the younger generation. Alaska Native children studied in schools together with Russian children.

Grigory Ivanovich created the North-Eastern Company in 1781. Its goal was not only the extraction of furs, but also the construction of settlements with schools for children and libraries in the harsh northern region. Unfortunately, smart people who care about the cause do not live long. Shelikhov died in 1795 in the prime of his life.

In 1799, Shelikhov’s brainchild was merged with other merchant fur companies and received the name “Russian-American Trading Company.” By order of Emperor Paul I, she received a monopoly right to fur production. Now none of the Russians could come to Alaska and start their fishing. In addition to the fur trade, the company also had a monopoly on the discovery and development of land in the northeastern Pacific region.

But in addition to subjects of the Russian Empire, many immigrants from Britain and America appeared in Alaska. These people were not affected by the decrees of Paul I in any way. They started their fur business without regard to Russian merchants and, naturally, constituted serious competition for them.

Then the leaders of the Russian monopoly issued a decree on behalf of the emperor. He prohibited foreigners from any entrepreneurial activity on the lands of Alaska, as well as in water areas closer than 160 km from the coast. This caused a storm of indignation. Great Britain and America sent a note of protest to St. Petersburg. The Russian government made concessions and allowed foreign citizens to do business in Alaska for 20 years.

At first, Russian interests were jealously guarded in the northern lands rich in fur. But as the years passed, the predatory destruction of the same sea otters, foxes, minks, and beavers could not continue indefinitely. Fur production fell sharply. Russian America gradually lost its commercial importance. The matter was aggravated by the fact that vast lands remained practically undeveloped. There were small settlements on the coast and along the banks of the Yukon River. No more than a thousand people lived in them.

Starting from the late 30s of the 19th century, the opinion began to form at the imperial court that Alaska was an unprofitable region, and it brought nothing but headaches. Investing money in these lands is complete madness. They will never pay off. Russian people will not settle in icy desert, while Altai, Siberia and the Far East exist. The climate in these regions is much milder, and the lands are endless and fertile.

The matter was aggravated by the Crimean War of 1853-1856. She siphoned off an enormous amount of money from the state treasury. Moreover, Emperor Nicholas I died in 1855. His son Alexander II came to power. They looked at the new king with hope, expecting long-overdue reforms. What kind of reforms are there without money?

When the conversation turns to who sold Alaska to America, for some reason everyone remembers Empress Catherine II. Allegedly, it was she who signed the decree on the transfer of Russian America to proud Britain. At first the conversation was not about selling, but only about renting for a hundred years. But Mother Empress did not know Russian very well. The person who drew up the contract made a mistake with the spelling. He should have written “we hand over Alaska on century" He, due to absent-mindedness or some other reasons, wrote: “we hand over Alaska forever" That is, forever.

Let us immediately note that there is nothing like this in official history not registered. Under Catherine II, Alaska was not leased out, much less sold. There were simply no prerequisites for this. They took shape only 50 years later during the reign of Alexander II (1855-1881). It was under the Emperor the Liberator that numerous problems began to emerge that had to be solved immediately.

Russian Emperor Alexander II

The new sovereign, having ascended the throne, did not immediately decide to sell the northern American lands. Almost 10 years passed before he began to deal with this issue. Selling your lands has always been considered a shameful thing. This testified to the weakness of the state, its inability to keep its subordinate territories in order. But the Russian treasury needed money. Everyone knows that when they are not there, all means are good.

However, no one began to shout to the whole world that Russia wants to sell Russian America. This issue was sensitive and political, and therefore required non-standard solutions. At the beginning of 1866, a representative of the Russian imperial court arrived in Washington. He held secret negotiations on the sale of northern land. The Americans turned out to be flexible guys. True, the timing for the deal was poorly chosen. Just ended Civil War between North and South. The state treasury was depleted.

In 10 years, the Americans could have taken 5 times more, but the Russian court was apparently running out of money. Therefore, they secretly agreed on 7.2 million dollars in gold. At that time, the amount was very decent. If we translate into modern money, then this is about 250 million dollars. But anyone will agree that Russian America cost several orders of magnitude more.

After the deal was concluded, the representative of His Imperial Majesty's court left. A year passed, and an urgent telegram from US President Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) arrived in the name of the reigning lady. It contained a business proposal. The head of the American states offered to sell Alaska to Russia. The whole world learned about this. But the visit of the Russian envoy to Washington preceding this telegram remained secret. It turned out that America was the initiator of the deal, and not Russia.

Thus, political conventions were respected. In the eyes of the world community, Russia has not lost its dignity. In March 1867, the legal registration of all documents took place, and Russian Alaska ceased to exist. It received the status of an American colony. Then it was renamed the district, and in 1959 the distant northern land became the 49th state of the United States.

Now, having found out who sold Alaska to America, we can, of course, scold the Russian Emperor Alexander II. But in hindsight, everyone is strong. If you carefully familiarize yourself with the political and financial situation that developed in Russia in those distant years, then a certain picture emerges, largely justifying the representative of the House of Romanov.

In 1861, the empire finally abolished serfdom. Hundreds of thousands of landowners were left without peasants. That is, a certain category of people lost a stable source of income. In this regard, the state paid compensation to the nobles. She at least somehow covered material losses. For the treasury, these expenses amounted to tens of millions of full-fledged royal rubles. Then the Crimean War broke out. Money from the treasury again flowed like a river.

In order to somehow recoup expenses, they borrowed large amounts abroad. Foreign governments were happy to lend to Russia because natural resources That one had a lot. In this situation, every extra ruble was a joy. Especially one that did not have to pay interest on debt obligations.

That’s why there was talk about the sale of Russian America. A distant, northern land, bound by eternal cold. She didn't bring in a penny. Everyone in the world knew this very well. Therefore, the tsarist government was primarily concerned with finding a buyer for a useless piece of cold and ice. America was located not far from Alaska. She was offered to make a deal at her own risk. The US Congress, or rather the senators, did not immediately agree to such a dubious purchase.

The issue was put to a vote, and almost half of the senators categorically voted against it. So the Russian government’s proposal did not delight the Americans at all. The rest of the world was completely indifferent to the deal.

In Russia, the sale of Alaska went completely unnoticed. The newspapers wrote about this on the last pages. Many Russian people did not even know that such a land existed. It was only later, when the richest reserves of gold were found in the cold north, the whole world started talking about Alaska, and about its sale, and about the stupid, short-sighted Russian emperor. Where were these gentlemen before? Why didn’t they say back in 1867: “Don’t sell Alaska, what if there are huge gold reserves there?”

Gold prospectors in Alaska

In serious financial and political issues the subjunctive mood is unacceptable. To the strong of the world This requires specifics. That's why Alexander II sold Alaska to America. If we consider this deal from the perspective of 1867, then he did absolutely the right thing.

In total, one thousand tons of gold were mined on the lands of former Russian America. Some became fabulously rich, while others disappeared forever in the snowy desert. These days, Americans are slowly and not very confidently settling into this inhospitable region. There are practically no roads in Alaska. Residential areas are reached either by water or by air. Railway short and passes through only 5 cities. The largest of them, Anchorage, has a population of 295 thousand people. In total, 600 thousand people live in the state.

Alaska today

To do this cold ground prosperous region, you need to invest enormous amounts of money in it. This amount is tens of times more than what was received from the sale of mined gold. So it remains to be seen whether the Americans won or lost from the purchase of Alaska.

The article was written by Alexey Zibrov

“Turn of the Key” (“Amazing events that changed the history of mankind” BAO, 2013).

Amazing events that changed the course of history.

Nowadays, almost all countries accessible ways defend every inch of their native land. But there were times in the history of mankind, and not so distant ones, when states sold their possessions. In 1867, one of the most resonant transactions of this kind took place. The United States of America acquired Alaska from Russia.

Who sold Alaska to America?

“Ekaterina, were you wrong?”

It must be said that the sale of Russian possessions in North America to the United States is still surrounded by many myths and legends. Thus, the sale of Alaska is usually attributed to Empress Catherine II. In reality, it has nothing to do with this hyper-deal. And Tsar-Liberator Alexander II has a direct connection to the sale of Russian territory to our sworn friends the Americans.

About the most famous misconception about another great woman - Cleopatra -.

There were several reasons for the sale of Alaska. Firstly, in the mid-nineteenth century, Russia, as a result of defeat in Crimean War found herself in an extremely difficult financial situation. To correct it, it was decided to sell the North American possessions. Moreover, in those days there was no income from Alaska, but, on the contrary, there were only expenses. Secondly, any territory must be defended, and there was simply not enough strength to protect Alaska from the British who were looking at it with lust.

And thirdly, the Russian government hoped by selling Alaska to support a “close alliance” with the United States and thereby create a counterbalance to England.

However, the Americans themselves did not really want to buy Alaska at first. And, perhaps, they would never have bought it if the event that became a turning point in this whole story had not happened. But first things first.

All in the same 1867, not only Russia, but also other countries wanted to get rid of its overseas territory European country– Denmark. The Danish king invited the Americans to buy the Virgin Islands lying in the warm Caribbean waters. Moreover, the Danes asked for about the same amount of money for their resort properties as the Russians for frosty Alaska - seven and a half million dollars. The amount may seem insignificant to some. But it's not that simple. In those days, the dollar had a slightly different real value and 7 million five hundred thousand dollars of the century before last, in terms of today’s money, equals 8 billion 700 million.

The American Congress thought for a long time. The fact is that there was not enough money in the treasury even for one transaction. And then Nature itself intervened in the course of events.

Nature's Help

A tropical hurricane hits the Virgin Islands. The damage was colossal. The capital of the Danish possessions, the city of Charlotte Amalie, was almost completely destroyed. The Virgin Islands, which seemed more attractive compared to the northern Russian territories, instantly lost their attractiveness. Naturally, no one wanted to pay seven and a half million for a dilapidated colony.

Having learned about what happened in the Virgin Islands, the then US Secretary of State William Seward intensified negotiations with the Russian ambassador Eduard Stoeckl, whom Alexander II instructed to sell Alaska.

Despite such significant help from Nature, William Seward had to spend a lot of effort persuading Congress to fork out for this purchase, and the Russian envoy in Washington, Baron Steckl, had to actively bribe American high officials.

And yet the deal was completed. On March 29, 1867, the ambassador of Alexander II, Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl, and the Secretary of State of the United States of America, William Seward, signed an agreement to sell Alaska to America for 7 million two hundred thousand dollars. As for the Virgin Islands, the pragmatic Seward remarked about them: “Let the Danes restore them first.” And so it happened. Denmark did part with its overseas possessions in 1917, selling the Virgin Islands for $25 million.

In America itself, the acquisition of Alaska was initially greeted without much enthusiasm. American newspapers, which scornfully called Alaska an “ice box,” a walrus garden,” and “Uncle Sam’s closet,” wrote that public money had been wasted. It was only when gold and oil were found in Alaska that the Americans realized that they had not been cheap. Currently, more than half of all American oil is produced in the 49th US state. But they opened it here oil fields all the same Russian settlers a century and a half ago.

Alaska was rented out?

In our country, there is a fairly widespread misconception among the people*, according to which Alaska was not sold to the Americans, but was leased to them for a hundred years. Apparently it's time to demand it back. Gentlemen, sad as it is, the train has already left and it is pointless to demand Alaska back. It was sold permanently, not leased, and there are relevant documents to prove it.

*Note: by the way, there is also an opinion among the people that the tsarist government wanted to buy these lands back, especially after gold was found in Alaska. However, historians reject such speculation. Perhaps these are the thoughts of some of crowned persons and visited, but this is not documented anywhere.

It is also sad that not all the money received for Alaska ended up in Russia. A significant portion of the $7.2 million was paid in gold. However, this money did not end up in the royal treasury. There was a riot on the ship Orkney, which was transporting precious cargo in the Baltic Sea. An attempt by a group of conspirators to seize gold ended in failure. But it is possible that the ship was damaged during the mutiny, since the Orkney sank along with its precious cargo. American gold still lies at the bottom of the sea.

It is also important that this deal turned out to be a turning point in terms of geopolitics. At one point, the balance in the Pacific power triangle of Russia - Britain - the United States was destroyed. Since then, the Americans have had a primary strategic position in this region. And they found it, as strange as it may seem now, with the help of Russia.