Why was Alaska sold?

[kbz10troy]

Obviously this thread has gone cold (thank God), but I had not seen it before.

To finish it off, I think it could use a reference to the actual treaty.  So for what it's worth:

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/russia/treatywi.htm

[Caleb]

Alaska is only 3 miles from the Russian coast, at its closest coastal point in the Bering Strait. During winter an ice bridge forms between the two land masses and can be easily traversed by foot.

The fur trade declined by the 1860's and the Russian-American Company ceased to exist when Alexander II sold the territory of Alaska to the United States by Treaty for $7.2 million on October 18, 1867. Today this day is known as Alaska Day.
I went to

The reasons why Alaska was sold were twofold:

1. It was no longer commercially viable to maintain, due to a steep decline in the animal populations because of the ruthless slaughtering of animals to obtain pelts.

2. Political tensions of the Crimean War with Britain.
 
Initially it's purchase was considered a folly, "a dreary waste of ice and snow" until the Gold Rush was exposed and the oil began to gush.

The name Alyaska was used by the local native Aleuts and became incorporated into the Russian lexicon by the Russian fur trader Stepan Glotov in 1759.

Today quite a few Alaskan natives hold Russian surnames, while Sitka, the Russian capital on Baranof Island still holds a Russian presence with its Orthodox Church and a few cultural attributes and ceremonies which are offered to modern tourists.  
 

I went to Alaska on a cruise on my summer break & there was quite a bit of Russian influence in Alaska. I didn't realize that Alaska was only 3 miles from Russia at it's closest point! I'm sure that the U.S. made Alaska a state because of the Cold War & they wanted a buffer zone between the 48 contigious U.S. I also have a book on Alexander Baranov that I bought while I was in Juneau.

[jpotter49505]

Did you here recently that some Russian newspapers/broadcasters took a Wash Post (?) spoof that the US was going to sell back Alaska for a $US1trillion dollars last week.  They really thought it was a good idea- and could help the US with its debt problem.  

Apparently, its a sore spot for Russians.  However, these Russians fail to realize that hardly anyone speaks Russian in Alaska.  We could do a Stalin mass movement of peoples I guess.

John
http://russian-history-blog.blogspot.com

[Alixz]

It seems clear from the treaty link that Alaska was indeed sold and not leased.

I was in grammar school when both Alaska and Hawaii became states.

I didn't find out about the Hawaiian monarchy and its history until long after.

I only remember "Seward's Folly" in our history books.  I wonder how much of it they cover in US history now?  I mean about both Alaska and Hawaii.  We had about 60 less years of history to learn about than the kids do today.

[CH_Crash]

My boss has had me trying to find the answer to this question for a few days now and I'm getting nowhere and was hoping someone here could help.

He believes that he read at some point that of the $7.2 million paid for Alaska the Russian people only received $100,000.  I can find documentation that the actual money transferred came to $7.035 million after lobbying costs and bribes were deducted.  My boss stated that he thought $4 million went to the queen (which seems unlikely since it was the reign of Alexander II) and another couple million went to an arch duke, and still more money went to others.  In the end what went to the Russian nation was approximately $100,000.

I am trying to identify if anyone knows if there is written support for this?  If so, what is the source material, so I can make him a copy?

I am not doing this in any political sense, but purely academic.  Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.  

Thank you in advance for your assistance.    

[LisaDavidson]

My boss has had me trying to find the answer to this question for a few days now and I'm getting nowhere and was hoping someone here could help.

He believes that he read at some point that of the $7.2 million paid for Alaska the Russian people only received $100,000.  I can find documentation that the actual money transferred came to $7.035 million after lobbying costs and bribes were deducted.  My boss stated that he thought $4 million went to the queen (which seems unlikely since it was the reign of Alexander II) and another couple million went to an arch duke, and still more money went to others.  In the end what went to the Russian nation was approximately $100,000.

I am trying to identify if anyone knows if there is written support for this?  If so, what is the source material, so I can make him a copy?

I am not doing this in any political sense, but purely academic.  Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.  

Thank you in advance for your assistance.    

Prior to the Revolution, the Tsar was an autocrat, at least until 1905. What he did with the monies for Alaska would have been totally up to him.

There were no queens in Russia. The wife of a male ruler was an Empress, and Alexander II's wife was known in Russia as Maria Alexandrovna. There were no arch dukes in Russia - this was a title used in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, never in Russia.

I think it most likely that whatever was received by Russia for Alaska went into the treasury of the Imperial government.

[CH_Crash]

Thank you.  Any information on this is helpful.

[donaxalaska]

JUST THINK THE FIRST PROPSOSAL TO SALE  WAS FOR A FICTITIONARY SALE OF RUSSIAN AMERICA TO THE ICE COMPANY OF SAN FRANCISCO FOR SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS...JUST SO THE BRITISH COULD NOT HAVE THE COLONIES..
AT FIRST RUSSIA WAS ONLY CONSIDER SELLING THE UNITED STATES ITS COLONIES.THEY DID NOT WANT THE BRITISH OR THE MILITANT MORMONS OR THE GOLD MINERS TO HAVE IT..RUSSIA EVEN TALKED ABOUT JUST GIVING IT TO THE U.S. SO THE BRITISH BANKERS WHO WERE TRYING TO BUY IT WOULD NOT GET IT.... THE EMPIRE DID NOT WANT THE BRITAINS ON BOTH SIDES OF THEM...
MARCH 1867 U.S. OFFERED FIVE MILLION FOR THE COLONIES..BUT TO PAY OFF THE INDEBTEDNESS OF THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY THE RUSSIAN MINISTER OF FINANCE WANTED 6 TO 6.5 MILLION FOR THE COLONIES....FINALLY AT FOUR IN THE MORNING ON MARCH 30. 1867 A TREATY WAS DRAWN UP....THE ALASKA COLONIES WERE FORMALLY TURNED OVER TO GENERAL ROUSSEAU BY CAPTAIN PESTCHOUROFF AT SITKA ON OCTOBER 18, 1867... AND BY THIS ACT RUSSIA FULFILLED HER PART OF THE TREATY, BUT THE U.S. DID NOT PAY THE SUM AGREED BY THE TREATY OF CESSATION UNTIL THE FOLLOWING SUMMER..THE AMOUNT TO PAID WAS TO BE 7.2 MILLION DOLLARS...(JUST THINK THE U.S. GOT MORE THEN JUST THE COLONIES.....OOPS EXCUSE ME )

A WEALTHY NEW ENGLAND CONTRACTOR, HUTCHINSON GOT PRINCE MAKSOUTOFF , THE GOV. OF THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN COMPANY TO SELL HIM THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY SURPLUS GOODS AND ALL THE STOCK OF THE RUSSIAN COMPANY FOR SIXTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS...THEN IN TURN HUTCHINSON RECEIVED OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE GOODS AND SHIPS THAT WHERE IN SITKA HARBOR...