In what year was Alaska given away? Why did Russia sell Alaska to America? How much did the American government pay for Alaska?

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Who, how and why actually sold Alaska?

Such a skeptical question about the transfer of Alaska to the United States by the Russian Empire is shrouded in secrets and misconceptions. There is no need to explain why to anyone, but it is worth dispelling the main myths associated with this issue.

Let's start with the first one: " Catherine II gave Alaska to the Americans" - it is a myth!
Alaska officially ceded to the United States in 1867, that is, 71 years after the death of the Grand Empress. One can only assume that the roots of this myth lie in complex relationships Soviet power and tsarism, and not in a very good attitude towards Catherine II, as the suppressor of the peasant uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. And Catherine the Great was not just an empress - her reign marked an entire era, the period of her reign is called the “golden age” Russian Empire. That's why Soviet propaganda there were every motive to slander Catherine II, thereby reducing her credibility for history. This myth was forever cemented in the minds of Soviet people by the beloved group “Lube”. For the sake of propaganda or for a catchphrase in the 90s hit “Don’t be a fool, America!” the Lyube group accused the collector of Russian lands, Catherine II (under no other ruler of Russia, so many significant territories were included in the empire and so many cities and settlements were created) of surrendering Alaska.
In fact, it was the great-grandson of Catherine II who sold Alaska to the States, Alexander II.

Emperor of Russia Alexander II (Romanov dynasty).

Since 1799, Alaska officially began to belong to the Russian Empire with the rights of the discoverer of territories. In those same years, Alaska and the adjacent islands (commonly known as Russian America) came under the control of the Russian-American Company. The Russian-American Company was a semi-state Russian colonial trade union that consisted mainly of Siberian merchants trading in furs and coal. It was they who reported to the center about gold deposits found in Alaska. Accordingly, accusations of Alexander II of “political myopia” are groundless. He knew everything, both about the resources and the gold mine, and was fully aware of his decision. But did he have another choice? The proposal to surrender Alaska to the United States came from the emperor's brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov, who headed the Empire's Naval Ministry. It was he who suggested to his older brother about the possible imminent encroachment of England on the resource-rich territories of Alaska (not far from Alaska there was an English colony - “British Columbia” (a province of modern Canada). If England had captured Alaska, Russia would have lost everything, since the empire was in charge of its defense not able to (the territory is too remote), and the military fleet in northern seas there really wasn't. Selling Alaska meant getting at least some money, saving face and strengthening friendly relations with the United States.

Map of Northwestern America in 1867, with territories marked that were transferred by the Russian Empire to the United States of America.

Another important reason was the empty treasury, which was emptied by the lost Crimean War (1853-1856) and huge external debt of 15 million pounds sterling, borrowed at 5% per annum from the Rothschilds. This amount was necessary for abolition of serfdom in 1861 year, which implied the payment of compensation to landowners for their losses during the reform.

That is why Alexander II decided to sell Alaska to the United States. On March 30, 1867, an agreement was signed in Washington under which the Russian colonies on the North American continent became the property of the United States for $7.2 million in gold (11 million royal rubles). Russia was losing land territory - more than 1,519,000 sq. km. In terms of area, Alaska is not inferior to the territories of Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova and part of Poland combined.

Painting by E. Leite: “Signing of an agreement on the sale of Russian possessions in Alaska.” Second from left is US Secretary of State Seward, Russian Ambassador Stekl is holding the globe.

After the Americans discovered huge reserves of oil and gas in Alaska in 1968, and gold alone was mined in the amount of over $200 million in 30 years, the history of the surrender of the territories began to acquire incredible speculation. One of which says that “Alaska was not sold, but only leased”. The main interpretation of this assumption is the fact that the two original agreements for the sale of territories known to the public, with a facsimile of Emperor Alexander II, are forgeries. But the true copies of the agreements, which dealt with the transfer of territories for lease for 99 years, were handed over to the Americans by Lenin V.I., allegedly in exchange for lifting the Western ban on the sale of weapons to the Bolsheviks in 1917. But this version does not stand up to the main argument: if this is true, why have no attempts been made to verify the authenticity of the existing agreements?

Another version of the “claim” in the territory goes like this: “The sale of Alaska should be declared void because the ship carrying the gold for payment sank. No money - no deal." The Russian ambassador, who signed the sale agreement, Eduard Stekl, received a check from the Americans for the specified amount, which he transferred to a London bank. From there it was planned to transport gold bars by sea to St. Petersburg. However, the ship “Orkney” with its valuable cargo never reached Russia; it sank on the way to St. Petersburg. Whether there was gold on board is unknown. The insurance company responsible for the cargo declared itself bankrupt. The counterbalance to the stated claim is the documents of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire, located in the State Historical Archive of the Russian Federation, in which historians were able to find data on the receipt of 11,362,481 rubles into the treasury. 94 kopecks from the United States for the cession of Russian possessions in North America.

A check for US$7.2 million presented to pay for the purchase of Alaska. The check amount is equivalent to US$119 million today.

You can argue on this issue endlessly, but the facts speak for themselves!

Corruption scandal

Walker was known for passionately campaigning in the press and in the corridors of power for the purchase of the Alaska Peninsula from Russia. The investigation is also being carried out special commission Congress, after which a huge corruption scandal erupts in America.

I have in my hands a list of bribe takers identified by a special commission of the Congress of the United States of America.

All of them, for a certain reward, somehow intervened in the process of buying and selling Alaska.

So, 10 members of Congress received a bribe totaling $73,300. About 40 thousand are owners and editors of American newspapers, and more than 20 thousand are lawyers. But who gave them these bribes, and for what?

It is noteworthy that in the midst of the American corruption scandal, something unusual is happening in Russia. The man who signed the treaty with the Americans on the cession of Alaska is literally fleeing the country - the former Russian ambassador in Washington, Edward Steckl.

Circumstances of the Russian Empire selling its territory to the Americans

At the end of March 1867, editors of St. Petersburg newspapers received a message from the United States via the Atlantic telegraph. It says that Russia ceded Alaska to America. The editors are sure that this is an outrageous rumor spread by the Americans. And this is exactly how this news is presented in newspaper releases. But soon the information is confirmed: Russia really sold its lands to America and did it in such a way that almost all high-ranking officials in St. Petersburg, as well as the rulers of Russian settlements in Alaska itself, were completely unaware.

In the Russian Empire, only six people know about the sale of the peninsula. They were the ones who made this historic decision five months earlier.

December 16, 1866. Russian Empire, city of St. Petersburg. The meeting in the main hall of the Foreign Ministry is scheduled for one o'clock in the afternoon. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Gorchakov, the Minister of Finance, Reitern, the head of the Naval Ministry, Vice Admiral Krabbe, and, finally, the Tsar’s brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, gather in the hall. The last to enter was Emperor Alexander II himself.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Negotiations on the sale of Alaska and all aspects related to the discussion, both in American ruling circles and in circles close to Alexander II, were part of a secret process at that time. This must be understood very well. Negotiations and all decisions were made in complete secrecy.

After a short discussion, the Russian Ambassador to America, Edward Stoeckl, who was present in the hall, was instructed to inform the US government that Russia is ready to cede Alaska to them.

None of the meeting participants object to the sale.

Secret meeting that decided the fate of Alaska

The meeting that decided the fate of Alaska was so secret that no minutes were kept. We could find a mention of him only in the diary of Alexander II, there are only two lines:

At one o'clock in the afternoon Prince Gorchakov has a meeting on the matter American company. It was decided to sell to the United States.

Most likely, the country's leadership made the decision to sell Alaska in the strictest confidence, because it did not want to announce the news about the alienation of as much as 6% ahead of time. Russian territory. After all, in national history there has never been such a precedent. But this whole story was kept secret for many other reasons.

Immediately after this meeting, Russian Ambassador Stekl leaves for the United States. He is tasked not only with informing the American government of Russia’s readiness to cede Alaska, but also with conducting all negotiations on behalf of the Russian monarch.

Edward Andreevich Stekl. Russian diplomat, Belgian by birth, who had no Russian roots and was married to an American. This very mysterious character played one of the main roles in the history of the sale of Russian America. Many historians come to the conclusion that while in the service of Russia, Stekl actually worked on two fronts.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economic Sciences, Chief Researcher Institute of USA and Canada RAS

Probably, Russia needed some person who was well versed and oriented in American affairs. This need for such a representative also had its own reverse side, because somewhere, starting from the very beginning of his diplomatic activities, Steckl actually pursued a line that was aimed at the interests of the United States of America.

In the USA, Stekl asks US Secretary of State William Seward for an urgent secret meeting, at which he informs him of the Russian emperor’s decision on Alaska, but at the same time emphasizes that the official proposal to purchase the peninsula must come from the American side. The Secretary of State, delighted by Stekl's visit, promises to talk with the President in the near future. But when the ambassador and the secretary of state meet a few days later, it turns out that President Johnson is not in the mood to buy Alaska, he has no time for it right now.

Alexander Petrov

Just ended Civil War in the United States, the bloodiest civil war. When the state, I want to emphasize this so that it is understood, it was torn apart by internal contradictions. Is it to Alaska? When the world was falling apart over the question of whether slavery would continue or not. What to do with the southerners? What to do with the northerners? Herculean efforts were made within the United States to preserve the country.

Seward and Steckle are not at all embarrassed by President Johnson's position on Alaska. These two diplomats are determined to get the deal done no matter what. They set out to jointly make sure that the highest circles of the United States want to buy Alaska - this harsh land that Russian pioneers spent decades developing at the cost of their own lives.

History of Alaska: discovery of the territory by Russian travelers

At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, Russian travelers persistently moved to the East. Peter I, who directed them to the shores Pacific Ocean, the unknown land located east of Chukotka haunts me. Whether it is the American continent or not, Peter will never know.

Russian ships under the command of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov would reach Alaska after the death of the autocrat in the summer of 1741.

Vladimir Kolychev

Peter's plan was to open America in order to continue to develop relations with, say, Spain (it was known that it was here, on the Pacific coast, Californian Spain). Both China and Japan were of great interest to Peter I. The instructions were given to the head of the expedition, Bering and Chirikov, to look for some more or less precious metals during, say, the exploration of this coastline and a possible landing on the shore...

“Alaska” comes from the Indian word “alasakh” - “whale place”. But it is not whales and precious metals that ultimately attract dozens of Russian merchants to the peninsula.

But this is what interested Russian merchants in Alaska from the very beginning: the skins of the sea beaver that lives there - the sea otter.

This fur is the thickest in the world: there are up to 140 thousand hairs per square centimeter. In Tsarist Russia, sea otter fur was valued no less than gold - one skin cost as much as 300 rubles, about 6 times more expensive than an elite Arabian horse. Sea otter fur was in particular demand among the richest Chinese mandarins.

The first person who proposed not just to extract furs in Alaska, but to firmly establish a foothold here, was the merchant Grigory Shelikhov.

Thanks to his efforts, Russian settlements and a permanent mission appeared on the peninsula Orthodox Church. Alaska was Russian for 125 years. During this time, the colonists developed only a small part of the vast territory.

Alexander Petrov

Chief Researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

There were indeed, one might say, heroes of their time. Because they not only ruled, but they managed to interact peacefully with the local population. There were, of course, armed clashes. But if you imagine tens of thousands of natives and a handful of Russians scattered over vast distances, the forces are, to put it mildly, unequal. What did they bring with them? They brought with them culture, education, new attitudes towards the aborigines...

Alaska is inhabited by several tribes. But most quickly, Russian settlers find a common language with the Aleuts and Kodiaks, who have unique skills in catching sea beaver. There are few Russian women in these harsh regions, and colonists often marry local girls. The unification of Russians with aborigines is also helped by Orthodox priests. One of them, Saint Innocent, was subsequently canonized.

He arrived in Alaska as a simple priest, leaving a good parish in Irkutsk when he learned that there was no one to perform divine services in Russian America.

Later, when he was Metropolitan of Moscow, he recalled: “What I experienced on Unalaska - even now I get goosebumps, remembering it in a Moscow house by the fireplace. And we had to ride dog sleds and sail on small kayaks. We swam across the ocean for 5-6, 8 hours, and there were big waves there...” And so Saint Innocent traveled around the islands; he never refused to visit this place.

Creation of the Russian-American Company by Paul I

In 1799, the new Russian autocrat Paul I decides to restore order in Russian America and take control of the merchants there. He signs the Decree on the creation of the Russian-American Company in the image of the British East India Company.

In fact, the first monopoly joint-stock company in history appears in the country, which is controlled not by anyone, but by the Emperor himself.

Alexey Istomin

The Russian company acted in a kind of dual state: on the one hand, it was actually an agent of the state, and on the other hand, it was also, as it were, a privately owned institution.

In the 40s of the 19th century, the shares of the Russian-American Company were among the most profitable in the entire empire. Alaska generates enormous profits. How could this land be ceded to the United States?

The first people in Russia and the USA to talk about the transfer of Alaska

The idea of selling Alaska was first voiced in government circles by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky.

In 1853 he wrote to St. Petersburg:

The Russian Empire does not have the necessary means to protect these territories from US claims.

And he offered to cede Alaska to them.

Yuri Bulatov

A certain threat, a hypothetical threat, has existed since the creation of the United States of America. The threat that all lands located on the territory of the North American continent must enter this structure, which began to call itself the North American United States. The Monroe Doctrine set itself the task of pushing Europeans out of the American continent.

The first person in the United States to propose annexing Alaska would be Secretary of State Seward.

The same one with whom the Russian envoy Stekl will subsequently negotiate the sale of Russian America.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

The idea of selling Alaska did appear in the USA. That is, Stekl, the Russian envoy to the United States, subsequently reported that the Americans had been offering to sell Alaska for several years. There was a refusal on our part; we were not yet ready for this idea.

This map was created 37 years before the sale of Alaska, in 1830

This map was created 37 years before the sale of Alaska, in 1830.

It clearly shows that Russia completely dominates the North Pacific Ocean. This is the so-called “Pacific horseshoe”, it is ours. And the United States, if you please, is at this time about 2.5 times smaller than it is now.

But within 15 years, the United States will annex Texas, after another 2 years it will annex Upper California from Mexico, and 4 years before the purchase of Alaska it will include Arizona. The American States expanded mainly due to the fact that millions of square kilometers were bought for next to nothing.

As history has shown, Alaska has become one of the most valuable acquisitions for Americans, and perhaps the most valuable.

Reasons for Russia's sale of Alaska

The Crimean War pushed us to sell Alaska. Then Russia had to stand alone against three powers at once - Great Britain, France and Ottoman Empire. The main supporter of the sale of Russian America would be Alexander II's brother, Grand Duke Constantine, who headed the naval department.

Vladimir Kolychev

President of the Moscow Historical and Educational Society "Russian America"

He pursued his own policy. He had to create in the Pacific Ocean, in the Baltic, in the White Sea, in the Black Sea, he had enough worries. That is, for Prince Constantine, of course, Russian America was most likely like a headache.

Grand Duke Constantine insists that Alaska must be sold before the Americans take it by force. At that moment, the United States already knew about the gold found on the peninsula. In St. Petersburg they understand: sooner or later, American gold miners will come to Alaska with guns, and it is unlikely that several hundred Russian colonists will be able to defend the peninsula; it is better to sell it.

However, some modern historians are sure: the arguments of Grand Duke Constantine were unfounded. The civil war-torn United States would not be able to capture Alaska for another 50 years.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

There were no military or economic forces in America, it was all exaggerated. Subsequent events clearly showed this. It was here that Stekl played, if you like, the role of such a bluff, disinformation, as they say today, fake news, in order to influence a change in the views of the Russian leadership.

It turns out that the Russian envoy in Washington, Edward Stoeckl, acting in the interests of supporters of American expansion, is deliberately encouraging the Russian leadership to abandon Alaska.

The Russian envoy Edward Steckl, in his insistence on getting rid of Alaska, goes so far as to write in his next telegram to St. Petersburg:

If the United States doesn't want to pay for Alaska, let them take it for free.

Alexander II did not like these words, and in his response letter he angrily reprimanded the presumptuous envoy:

Please do not say a single word about a concession without compensation. I consider it reckless to expose American greed to temptation.

Apparently, the Emperor guessed whose field his Washington envoy was actually playing on.

Secret negotiations: trade and the final amount of the deal

Despite the fact that the US leadership has not yet approved the purchase of Alaska, Russian Ambassador Stekl and American Secretary of State Seward begin to secretly bargain.

Seward offers $5 million. Stekl says that such a sum will not suit Alexander II, and proposes to increase it to 7 million. Seward is trying to reduce the price. After all, the higher it is, the more difficult it will be to convince the government to make this purchase. But suddenly he unexpectedly agrees to the conditions of the Russian ambassador.

The final amount of the transaction is 7 million 200 thousand dollars in gold.

The true price and motives for buying and selling

When the amount of the transaction becomes known to the American Ambassador in St. Petersburg, Cassius Clay, he will be pleasantly surprised, which he will inform Secretary of State Seward about in a reply letter.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Clay replied: “I admire your brilliant work. According to my understanding, the minimum price for this region is 50 million dollars in gold, and I am even amazed that such a transaction took place on these terms.” I quote almost verbatim his telegram or an excerpt from his message, which he sent to the State Department. Thus, even the Americans themselves at that time estimated the cost of Alaska as 7 times greater...

But how could it be so cheap? The fact is that the purchase and sale of Alaska occurs in conditions where both parties - both the seller and the buyer - are in debt. The treasuries of Russia and the United States are virtually empty. And this is not the only way the two states are similar at that time.

In the mid-19th century, it was believed that the Russian Empire and the United States were developing on a parallel course.

Both Christian powers are also solving the same problem - liberation from slavery. On the eve of the sale of Alaska, mirror events took place on both sides of the ocean.

In 1865, President Lincoln was fatally shot in the head in the United States.

A year later, an attempt was made on the life of Alexander II in Russia, who miraculously survived.

The new American President Johnson sends a sign of support Russian Emperor telegram, and after it a delegation led by Deputy Secretary of the US Navy Gustav Fox.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The Tsar receives the American delegation, they tour Russia, they are enthusiastically greeted everywhere - by the governors and the people. And this trip was even extended - the American delegation visited Kostroma, which at that time was considered the homeland where the Romanovs came from. And then the concept or idea of the idea arises that a union of two states has taken shape...

The Russian Empire at that time was in dire need of allies against Great Britain. But has the country’s leadership really agreed to cede Russian America to the United States in order to gain their support in the future? Historians are sure that the main initiator of the sale of Alaska, Grand Duke Constantine, had another motive.

Alexander Petrov

Chief Researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

If we knew what was in Konstantin Nikolaevich’s head, we could close the study of Russian America for a certain time and say: “The problem is solved.”

The puzzle has not yet come together.

It is possible that the hidden motives of Grand Duke Constantine were written on the pages of his diary, which has survived to this day. But the pages that were supposed to describe the period of the sale of Alaska have mysteriously disappeared. And this is not the only loss of important documents.

After Russian America goes to the United States, all archives of the Russian-American Company will disappear from the peninsula.

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty International relations MGIMO

The Americans, as they say, packed in advance real reasons purchase of this territory, the true reasons and sales, including on our part, when in the agreement related to the sale of Alaska there was a clause, the essence of which was that all archives, all documents that were in the Russian-American company at that time , everything must be handed over entirely to the Americans. It was obvious that there was something to hide.

Signing and ratification of the treaty for the sale of Alaska

March 1867. Washington. Russian envoy Stekl sends an urgent encryption message to St. Petersburg. He is in a hurry to report on his agreements with Secretary of State Seward, sparing no money on a very expensive service - a transatlantic telegraph. For about 270 words, Stekl pays an astronomical sum: 10 thousand dollars in gold.

Here is the decrypted text of this telegram:

Alaska is sold within the boundaries of 1825. Orthodox churches remain the property of parishes. Russian troops are withdrawing as soon as possible. Residents of the colony could remain and enjoy all the rights of American citizens.

A response message is being prepared in St. Petersburg:

The Emperor agrees to these terms.

As soon as Stekl receives final consent to the deal from St. Petersburg, he goes to the American Secretary of State Seward and finds him playing cards. Seeing Glass, Seward immediately stops playing and, despite the late evening, offers to sign an agreement for the sale of Alaska immediately.

Glass is at a loss: how can we do this, since it’s night outside? Seward smiles in response and says, if you gather your people immediately, then I will gather mine.

Why was the United States Secretary of State in such a hurry to sign the treaty? Did you want to put an end to this matter quickly? Or was he afraid that the Russians would change their minds?

Around midnight, lights come on in the windows of the State Department. Diplomats work all night to draft a historical document called the Treaty of the Cession of Alaska. At 4 o'clock in the morning it was signed by Steckle and Seward.

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

What's surprising here? First of all, we are talking about the fact that the level of signatories, of course, does not correspond to the solution of such a very serious task. On the American side - the Secretary of State, on our side - the Ambassador. You know, ambassadors in the past and present will sign such documents, then our territory will quickly shrink...

Due to the rush, no one pays attention to this flagrant violation of diplomatic protocol. Seward and Steckle do not want to waste a minute, because the treaty still has to be ratified in the Senate - without this it simply will not come into force. Any delay can ruin the deal.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

They understood that if they were a little late, a powerful campaign against this deal would begin.

To ratify the treaty as quickly as possible, Seward and Steckle act quickly and decisively. Seward conducts secret negotiations with the right people, and Stekl, with the approval of the Russian Emperor, gives them bribes.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

The Russian side, through Stekl, gave bribes, firstly, to funds mass media represented by their leaders; secondly, to congressmen so that they vote in favor of this decision. Which is what was done. And it took about 160 thousand dollars in gold. Quite a large amount.

Ambassador Stekl will subsequently withhold the money for bribes from the millions that the Americans will pay for Alaska. Even a check has been preserved, which was written out in the name of Edward Stoeckl.

Whose money was used to buy Alaska?

Judging by the date, the United States settled accounts with the Russian Empire only 10 months after ratification of the treaty. Why did the Americans delay payment? It turns out that there was no money in the treasury. But where did they get them from? Many facts indicate that Alaska was purchased with money from the Rothschild family, who acted through their representative, banker August Belmont.

August Belmont (1816 - 1890) - American banker and politician of the 19th century. Before moving to the USA in 1837, he served in the Rothschild office

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

August Belmont is one of the talented financiers, according to the Rothschilds for whom he worked, who headed one of the banks in Frankfurt. Closer to the date of the transaction, he moves to the United States, establishes his own bank in New York and becomes a consultant to the President of the United States on financial and economic issues.

According to the agreement, the US authorities must pay Russia in Washington, but the check indicates New York, the city in which Belmont opens the Rothschild bank. All monetary transactions in Alaska involve accounts exclusively with private banks. However, in such serious calculations between two countries, as a rule, it is not private, but public financial organizations. Strange, isn't it?

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

The Americans, when they bought Alaska, because until 1959 they did not determine its status - what kind of territory is it, how should it be viewed? She worked there both under the military department and within the civil departments. What to do with it, how to manage it? The Americans never got around to Alaska, but Rothschild, naturally, took advantage of his position. After all, on the eve of the sale of Alaska, both gold and oil were known... Therefore, the Rothschild investments paid off many times over - that’s for sure.

An interesting coincidence: the Russian Empire at that time was also closely connected with the Rothschilds through financial ties. Russia took a loan from them in order to patch up holes in the economy, undermined by the Crimean War and the abolition of serfdom. The amount of this loan was many times higher than the price for which Russian America was sold. Or maybe the Russian Empire gave Alaska to the Rothschilds to pay off the huge national debt? Ultimately, Russia received 7 million 200 thousand in gold for the peninsula. But what is their fate?

Where did the millions from the sale go?

A document recently discovered in the State Historical Archives has put an end to the debate about where the millions from the sale of Alaska went.

Before this, there were persistent rumors that Russia did not receive anything at all from the Americans, because the ship carrying gold was caught in a storm and sank. A version was also put forward that Russian officials led by Grand Duke Constantine took all the proceeds for themselves.

So, thanks to this document, it became clear that the money from the sale of Alaska was credited to the Russian Railway Construction Fund.

The document, found by historian Alexander Petrov in the Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, is a small note. To whom it is addressed and who its author is is unknown.

For the Russian possessions in North America ceded to the North American States, 11,362,481 rubles were received from the said States. 94 kopecks Of the number 11,362,481 rubles. 94 kopecks spent abroad on the purchase of accessories for the railways: Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazansko-Kozlovskaya, Moscow-Ryazanskaya, etc. 10,972,238 rubles. 4 kopecks The rest are 390,243 rubles. 90 kopecks arrived in cash.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

The money from the sale of Alaska went, first of all, to the purchase of railway equipment for the construction of railways leading from Moscow in radial directions, including the Kursk Railway. The same road that, if it had existed during the Crimean War, then perhaps we would not have surrendered Sevastopol. Because it was possible to transfer so many troops along it that the situation in Crimea, a strategic war, would simply change qualitatively.

A note on the expenditure of funds from the sale of Alaska was found among the papers on the remuneration of those who took part in signing the treaty with the Americans. According to the documents, the Order of the White Eagle and 20 thousand in silver were received by the envoy Stekl from the Emperor. However, after the sale of Alaska to Russia, he did not stay long. Did he leave on his own? civil service or was fired is unknown. Stekl spent the rest of his life in Paris, bearing the stigma of a man who sold Russian land.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The further fate of Stekl once again emphasizes the whole background and all the true driving forces and reasons for this deal, which was definitely very subtly and skillfully carried out at that time by the ruling circles of the United States of America, which skillfully took advantage of the sentimental or naive ideas of the Russian leadership about that it is possible to build a union of two Christian peoples, and, in general, they caused, so to speak, economic and, if you like, moral, as we see 150 years later, geopolitical very serious damage to Russia.

American Alaska – former Russian land

October 18, 1867, USA. A ceremony of transferring Alaska to the United States is being held in Novo-Arkhangelsk. All residents of the city gather on the main square. The Russian flag begins to be lowered to the beat of drums and 42 salvos from naval guns. Suddenly an unexpected incident occurs: the flag clings to the flagpole and remains hanging on it.

Metropolitan of Kaluga and Bobrovsky, Chairman Publishing Council Russian Orthodox Church

Everyone noticed that there was a problem; they couldn’t easily lower the Russian flag. And they took this, that this was a sign that we were staying with Russia, that this would not happen, they didn’t even believe it yet...

After Alaska becomes American, the rapid oppression of the indigenous people will begin. As a result, the Tlingit Indians, who were previously at enmity with the Russians, will bury the hatchet and begin to convert en masse to Orthodoxy, just so as not to accept the religion of the Americans.

Vladimir Kolychev

President of the Moscow Historical and Educational Society "Russian America"

I know that at the entrance to, say, a store or bar, it was written “Whites Only.” The Protestant school prohibited the use of the Russian language, which was used by both the Aleuts and the Tlingits in part, and it also prohibited its native language. If you spoke Russian, then the teacher immediately sent you a message.

Soon after the sale, a gold rush would begin in Alaska. Gold miners will mine several thousand times more gold than the American government once paid to purchase the peninsula.

Today, 150 million tons of oil are produced here annually. Fish and expensive crabs are caught off the coast of Alaska. The Peninsula is the largest supplier of timber and furs among all US states. For a century and a half now, Alaska has not Russian land, but Russian speech is still heard here. Especially in Orthodox churches, the number of which has doubled since the time of Russian America.

Alexander Petrov

Chief Researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The Russian language is still preserved, Russian churches and Russian culture are preserved. This is a phenomenon that we are still trying to comprehend. It is unique in world history.

A century and a half after the sale of Alaska, we can conclude that the Russian government took this step, guided primarily by political considerations. Alexander II was firmly convinced that by selling Alaska to the Americans, he was strengthening the alliance between our countries.

But, as history has shown, good intentions The Emperor was not justified. The Americans made unimportant allies. The first thing they did when they found themselves in Alaska was to station their military units there.

There are many myths and speculations surrounding Alaska that permeate even some serious media outlets, misleading people trying to understand the topic. However, there are no alternatives to history; there is only one true version, which is better known to anyone who wants to know at least a little about the path of their country. So who sold Alaska, or Alexander 2, and most importantly, why?

Nowadays there is a very widespread opinion that the sale of Alaska was a mistake by the Russian authorities of those times. However, it is enough to delve into the study of the circumstances and reasons for the deal between the United States and the Russian Empire and it becomes clear why this event happened and why the sale of the territory is the most logical and profitable solution for the country.

Colonization and trade

Let's start from afar, after the discovery of Alaska in 1732 and the arrival of Russian colonists, it almost immediately became a “fur” vein, a huge amount of sea otter fur was exported from the territories of North America for sale. Later, this phenomenon was called “marine fur harvesting.” Most of the furs went to China, where they were exchanged for silk, porcelain, tea and other Asian curiosities, which were later sold to European countries and overseas.

Parallel to trade, the colonization of lands also took place, during which connections with the local population were established, not always successfully. The settlers and merchants were hindered by some indigenous tribes, who were not too happy about the invasion of their lands. Sometimes with carrots, and sometimes with sticks, the colonists nevertheless came to an understanding with the local residents and developed trade relations with them. The item of trade was usually firearms. Some tribes accepted Orthodox faith, Aboriginal children are educated in schools together with the children of the colonists.

Background and reasons for sale

It would seem that everything is going as usual, new territories are bringing good income, trade relations are developing, settlements are being built. But it is worth remembering that the main resource exported from North America was fur. Sea otters, which served as a source of fur, were practically killed off, which means that funds flowing into the region did not pay off, protecting the colonies made less and less sense, and merchant ships began to sail less and less often.

From whom was protection required? The Russian Empire is already for a long time was in almost open confrontation with the British, whose colonies were located next door, on the territory of modern Canada. Following Britain's attempt to land troops in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky during the Crimean War, the possibility of a military clash between the two empires on American soil was more real than ever.

Is the deal just a rash decision?

In 1854, a proposal for sale was first made, initiated by the United States. The possibility of the British capturing a significant piece of North America was not part of the plans of the US government. The deal was supposed to be a fiction for a short period of time, so that Britain would not strengthen its position on the continent. However, the Russian Empire managed to come to an agreement with the British colonies, and the deal did not come into force.

Later, in 1857, the proposal to sell Alaska was made again, this time from the Russian side. This time the main initiator was his younger brother, Prince Konstantin Nikolaevich. The resolution of the issue was postponed until 1862 until the expiration of trade privileges, however, in 1862 the deal also did not take place, there was a civil war in the United States. Finally, in 1866, at a meeting between Alexander, his brother and some ministers, a detailed discussion of the sale took place. A unanimous decision was made to sell the territory for no less than 5 million dollars in gold.

How was Alaska ultimately sold, and in what year, and for how much? In 1867, after a series of negotiations, the sale agreement was signed first by the American and then by the Russian side. The final cost is $7.2 million, the area of land sold is 1.5 million square kilometers.

Throughout the year, both parties settled various formalities, and some doubts were expressed about the feasibility of the deal. As a result, in May 1867, the treaty entered into legal force, in June letters were exchanged, and in October Alaska was finally and irrevocably transferred to America. The deal was completed more than 10 years after the first proposal - such a decision certainly cannot be called rash.

Conclusions without far-fetched myths

The story is known in all its details, the documents have been preserved and there is no doubt about their authenticity. Despite this, the deal is still surrounded by myths and legends that have no basis in fact. They are generated by rumors, Soviet propaganda of the times and other reasons that have no historical background. The vast majority of historians are confident that Alaska was sold, not leased, for ninety-nine, one hundred, or one thousand years, and that payment for the deal was received in full rather than gone down with the ship.

In this way you can clearly trace the desire Russian authorities getting rid of Alaska for a number of very reasonable reasons. It was sold by Alexander, not Catherine, this myth appeared only thanks to the song of the Lyube group under Yeltsin, and historians know for sure which king sold Alaska.

Convicting Alexander for the sale also makes no sense; the country was in a very deplorable situation: the abolition of serfdom, war, and a number of reasons required measures to solve them. The sale of an unprofitable region located overseas, the existence of which most of the inhabitants of the then Russia did not even suspect, was a well-founded decision and did not arouse distrust among any of the high ranks.

No one suspected any gold in the depths of the cold region, and there are still disputes about the costs of its development in the United States. And the buyer, as many believe, of the gold mine was not very enthusiastic about the acquisition. Even today, Alaska is poorly developed: there are few roads, trains rarely run, and the population of the entire huge region is only 600 thousand people. There are many in history dark spots, but this is not one of them.

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 Pacific coast, 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 the sale to America

Back in the 18th century, Alaska belonged undividedly to the Russian Empire. It is unknown when the settlement of this inhospitable and cold land began. But there is no doubt that in ancient times between North America and Asia there was a connection. 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 the ice age 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 military flotillas of European countries plowed the seas and oceans in search of new colonies, Russian people were exploring the Urals, Siberia, Far East and regions of the Far North.

It was a whole galaxy courageous people. They, like the Europeans, sailed on ships, but not to tropical waters, but to the pack ice of the harsh north. The most famous expeditions are those of Semyon Dezhnev and Fedot Popov, Vitus Bering, Alexei 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 XVIII 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, since valuable fur was always equated with gold.

Settlers in Alaska

Naturally, the most enterprising and intelligent individuals quickly emerged from the general mass of people. 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 accustom the indigenous population to culture. He paid special attention to the younger generation. Children of the indigenous peoples of Alaska 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. 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 the 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 nothing like this has been recorded in official history. 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 question was sensitive, 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. The Civil War between North and South had just ended. 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 then 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. It was then renamed a county, 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 study the political and financial situation that developed in Russia in those distant years, a certain picture emerges that largely justifies the representative of the House of Romanov.

In 1861, serfdom was finally abolished in the empire. 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 reimburse expenses, they borrowed large sums 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 matters, the subjunctive mood is unacceptable. The powers that be need 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 make this cold land a 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

Let's start with the first: “Alaska was given to the Americans by Catherine II” - this is a myth!

Alaska officially ceded to the United States in 1867, that is, 71 years after the death of the Grand Empress. One can only assume that the roots of this myth lie in the complex relationship between Soviet power and tsarism, and in the not very good attitude towards Catherine II, as the suppressor of the peasant uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. And Catherine the Great was not just an empress - her reign marked an entire era, the period of her reign is called the “golden age” of the Russian Empire. That is why Soviet propaganda had every motive to slander Catherine II, thereby reducing her credibility for history. This myth was forever cemented in the minds of Soviet people by the beloved group “Lube”. For the sake of propaganda or for a catchphrase in the 90s hit “Don’t be a fool, America!” the Lyube group accused the collector of Russian lands, Catherine II (under no other ruler of Russia, so many significant territories were included in the empire and so many cities and settlements were created) of surrendering Alaska.

In fact, it was Catherine II’s great-grandson, Alexander II, who sold Alaska to the States.

An important reason was the empty treasury, which was devastated by the lost Crimean War (1853-1856) and the huge foreign debt

“Alaska was not sold, but only leased”

After the Americans discovered huge reserves of oil and gas in Alaska in 1968, and gold alone was mined in the amount of over 200 million dollars in 30 years, the history of the surrender of the territories began to acquire incredible speculation. One of which says that “Alaska was not sold, but only leased.” The main interpretation of this assumption is the fact that the two original agreements for the sale of territories known to the public, with a facsimile of Emperor Alexander II, are forgeries.

Another version of the “claim” for the territory sounds like this:

“The sale of Alaska should be declared invalid because the ship carrying the gold for payment sank. No money, no deal." The Russian ambassador, who signed the sale agreement, Eduard Stekl, received a check from the Americans for the specified amount, which he transferred to a London bank. From there it was planned to transport gold bars by sea to St. Petersburg. However, the ship “Orkney” with its valuable cargo never reached Russia; it sank on the way to St. Petersburg. Whether there was gold on board is unknown. The insurance company responsible for the cargo declared itself bankrupt. The counterbalance to the stated claim is the documents of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire, located in the State Historical Archive of the Russian Federation, in which historians were able to find data on the receipt of 11,362,481 rubles into the treasury. 94 kopecks from the United States for the cession of Russian possessions in North America.

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