Аляска по площади своей территории равна трем France This is not only Klondike gold, but also tungsten, platinum, mercury, molybdenum, coal. And, most importantly, here is the development of giant oil fields, reaching up to eighty-three million tons per year. This represents twenty percent of the total US oil production. For comparison: Kuwait produces about sixty-five, and the United Arab Emirates - seventy million tons per year.
Many contemporaries mistakenly believe that AlaskaCatherine the Second sold. But it is not. Such an assertion to some extent among the youth became popular after the song of the group “Don't play the fool, America”. It says that the empress was wrong to do this to the area. Based on this, young people who do not understand the history, and concluded that who gave Alaska to America.
Geographical position
Today Alaska is the largest in areathe forty-ninth state of the United States. This is the coldest territory of the country. Most of it is dominated by the arctic and subarctic climatic zones. Here the norm is severe frosty winters accompanied by strong winds and snow blizzards. The only exception is a part of the Pacific coast, where climatic conditions are moderate and quite habitable.
Before sale
History of Alaska (before transmission to the UnitedStates) was associated with the Russian Empire. In the eighteenth century, this region belonged undividedly to the Russians. It is not known how long Alaska's history began - the settlement of this cold and inhospitable land. However, the fact that in the deepest antiquity between Asia and North America there was a definite connection is not in doubt. And it was carried out along the Bering Strait, which was covered with an ice crust. People in those days were easily transported from one continent to another. The minimum width of the Bering Strait is only eighty-six kilometers. Such a distance was quite capable of overcoming any more or less experienced hunter with dog sledding.
When the ice age ended, beganthe era of warming. The ice melted, and the shores of the continents disappeared beyond the horizon line. More people who inhabited Asia, did not dare to swim on the icy surface into the unknown. Therefore, starting from the third millennium BC, the Indians began to master Alaska. Their tribes from the territory of today's California moved northward, sticking to the Pacific coast. Gradually, the Indians reached the Aleutian Islands, where they settled.
Russian conquest of Alaska
Meanwhile, the Russian Empire beganrapidly expand the eastern frontiers. In the meantime, flotilla from European countries constantly plowed the oceans and seas, looking for places for new colonies, the Russians mastered the Urals and Siberia, the Far East and the lands of the Far North. A whole galaxy of strong and courageous people went on ships not to tropical waters, but towards the ice of the stern north. The most famous expedition leaders were Semyon Dezhnev and Fedot Popov, Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov. It was they who in 1732 discovered this land for the rest of the civilized world - long before Russia gave Alaska to America. The specified date is considered official.
But one thing to open, and another - to equipnew land. The very first Russian settlements in Alaska appeared only in the eighties of the eighteenth century. People were engaged in hunting and commerce: hunters caught fur animals, and merchants bought them. Gradually, this unchallenged land began to turn into a source of profit, since valuable fur in all ages was equated with gold.
Unprofitable land
At first, in these northern lands, very richfur, the interests of Russian jealously guarded. However, the years went by, and the total destruction of the same foxes and otters, beavers and minks could not continue indefinitely. Fur mining fell sharply. Gradually, the Russian Klondike began to lose its commercial value. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the endless lands were still practically untapped. This was the impetus, the first reason why Russia gave Alaska to America.
Since the late thirties of the eighteenthcentury when the imperial court began to form the view that Alaska is a loss-making region. Moreover, the king began to think that, apart from a headache, this earth could not bring anything. From that moment began the history of the sale of Alaska America. Industrialists were sure that investing money in these lands was insane, because they could not pay off. Russian people will not settle this icy desert, especially since there is Siberia and Altai, and the Far East, where the climate is much milder and the land is fertile.
The already complicated situation aggravated the Crimeanthe war started in 1853, which pumped huge sums of money from the state treasury. In addition, in 1855, Nicholas I died, who was replaced by Alexander II on the throne. They looked at the new emperor with hope. People expected new reforms. But what reforms are carried out without money?
Forever and ever
Когда заходит речь о том, кто отдал Аляску America, for some reason, everyone remembers exactly Empress Catherine the Second. Many believe that it was she who put her signature on the decree on the transfer of "Russian America" to Britain. Allegedly, the conversation at first was not about selling, but only about renting for a century. They even tell a story that fully confirms that Catherine sold Alaska. As if the empress, who did not know the Russian language well, commissioned a contract to a trusted person. The same one messed up with spelling: instead of writing down “transmitted Alaska forever,” this person, by absent-mindedness, made a note: “given forever,” which meant forever. So the answer to the question: "Who gave Alaska to America?" - "Catherine!" will be wrong. We still need to study the past of our country more carefully.
Alaska: the story
Catherine II, according to official history,did nothing of the kind. Under her, these lands did not give up for rent, and even more so they were not for sale. There were no prerequisites for this. The history of the sale of Alaska began only half a century later, already in the time of Alexander II. It was this emperor who ruled in the era when numerous problems began to emerge, the solution of which required immediate action.
Of course, this sovereign who ascended the throne is notimmediately decided to sell the northern lands. It took a full ten years before the question matured. To sell land for the state at all times was a very shameful thing. After all, this was a testament to the weakness of the country, its inability to maintain its jurisdictional territories in order. However, the Russian treasury really needed money. And when they are not - all the ways are good.
Purchase and sale
Однако кричать об этом на весь мир никто не стал.The question of why Russia gave Alaska to America, sensitive and political, he demanded non-standard solutions. In 1866, a delegate from the Russian Imperial Court arrived in Washington, who began to conduct secret negotiations on the sale of northern lands. The Americans showed appeasance, although the time for the transaction and for them was unsuccessful. Indeed, in the United States, the Civil War unleashed between the South and the North was barely over. Therefore, the state treasury was completely exhausted.
Ten years after the time when Russiashe gave Alaska to America, it would be possible to request five times more from buyers, however, according to historians, the Russian court was pressing for lack of money. Therefore, the parties agreed on only 7.2 million dollars in gold equivalent. And although at that time it was very decent money, translated into current components of about two hundred and fifty million dollars, however, anyone who is interested in the question of who gave Alaska to America would agree that these northern territories cost several orders of magnitude more.
One year later
After the conclusion of the agreement the representativeImperial court returned to Russia. A year later, an urgent telegram signed by Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, was sent to the name of the one who sent Alaska to America — the reigning Alexander II. It contained a business proposal: Russia publicly, to the whole world, was offered to sell Alaska. But no one had learned of the visit of the Russian representative to Washington that preceded this telegram. It turned out that it was America who initiated the deal, but not Russia at all. So cunningly were kept by both parties diplomatic and political conventions. In the eyes of the whole world, Russia managed not to drop its dignity. And in March 1867, the legal registration of documents was carried out. And since that time, "Russian Alaska" has ceased to exist. She was granted the status of an American colony. Later it was renamed the district, and already in 1959, this northern land became the forty-ninth state of the United States.
In justification
Сегодня, узнав, кто отдал Аляску Америке, можно, Of course, to condemn and scold the Russian Emperor Alexander II. However, if we take a closer look at the political and financial situation of Russia in those early years, a quite definite picture emerges that to some extent justifies its decision.
In 1861, the serf was finally abolished.right. Thousands of landowners were left without their peasants, and this meant that a considerable estate had lost its stable source of income. Therefore, the state began to pay the nobles compensation, which was supposed to at least somehow cover their material losses. But for the treasury such expenses amounted to tens of millions of royal rubles. And then the Crimean War broke out, and again from the treasury money flowed like a river.
Difficult situation for Russia
To somehow recover the costs, the royal courtborrowed huge amounts abroad. With great pleasure, foreign governments lent to Russia, because it had innumerable natural resources. In the empire there was a situation when every extra ruble became a joy, and especially one for which there was no need to pay interest on promissory notes.
That is why the sale of Alaska and overdue.Catherine, the great Russian empress, had nothing to do with this question. And it does not make sense to accuse her, except perhaps only in the fact that the state has come to a complete decline from her easy hand.
Difficulty selling
Alaska is a distant northern land, constantlybound by eternal ice. She did not bring a single penny to Russia. And the whole world knew about it perfectly. And so the imperial court was very concerned about finding a buyer for this useless region of ice cold. The closest to Alaska were the United States. They were offered by Russia at their own risk to make a deal. The US Congress, more precisely, many senators, did not immediately agree to such a dubious purchase. The question of her was put to the vote. As a result, more than half of the senators categorically voted against the acquisition: the proposal received from the Russian government did not cause any enthusiasm among the Americans. And the rest of the world showed absolute indifference to this deal.
Effects
And in Russia itself, the sale of Alaska was completelyunnoticed. Newspapers wrote about it on their last pages. Some Russians did not even know that it existed. Although it was already later, when the richest gold reserves were found in this cold northern land, the whole world began to talk in vain about Alaska and about selling, making fun of the stupid and short-sighted Russian emperor.
В серьёзных политических и финансовых вопросах the subjunctive mood is unacceptable. None of those who later began to condemn Alexander II, never suggested that there could be such huge deposits of gold in Alaska. But if we consider the deal not from today's positions, but from the situation that took shape in 1867, many people believe that the Russian emperor acted absolutely correctly. And even more so the sale of Alaska by Catherine - only idle fiction, which has no basis.
Conclusion
Total on the lands of the former "Russian America" wasmined one thousand tons of gold. Some on this fabulously enriched, and some have disappeared forever in this snowy desert. Today, Americans are very inert and somehow uncertainly settle in their inhospitable land. In Alaska, almost no roads. People reach the few settlements either by air or by water. The railway here passes through only five cities. In total, this state is home to six hundred thousand people.
