Customs of Korea. Interesting family customs of South Korea

Alaska once belonged to the Russian Empire. But due to certain circumstances, Russia was forced to sell the territory of Alaska to America. Many people mistakenly assume that Catherine II sold Alaska. This is a false claim that has gained popularity because of one popular song"Don't be a fool, America" Lube group. From this article you will find out who gave Alaska to America.

How the deal went

It is well known that in 1867, on October 18, Alaska was officially given to the United States for seven million US dollars. The protocol on the transfer of land to American ownership was signed by Russian Commissioner Peshchurov on board the American ship Ossipee. Immediately on this day it was introduced Gregorian calendar, which synchronized time with the Western Territory of the United States. That's why people in Alaska went to bed on October 5th and woke up immediately on October 18th. After which American troops were brought into possession, who evicted the local residents and resettled their own citizens.

Why Alaska was given to the USA

signing of an agreement between the United States and Russia on the sale of Alaska

This was not the first time that the idea of ​​selling Alaska arose, but it became urgently necessary during the Crimean War. During this period, Russia's enemy, Britain, demanded its rights to own Alaska. The United States was also concerned that Great Britain could seize the northern continent of America in order to advance to the states. The government of the Russian Empire considered it unprofitable to keep its possessions in Alaska. Therefore, Emperor Nicholas II (great-grandson of Catherine II) decided to sell Alaska to the US government. The person directly responsible for negotiating the sale of Alaska was Russian diplomat Eduard Stekl.

On March 30, 1867, an agreement was signed between Russia and America on the sale of Alaska. The value of the transaction was about 7.2 million dollars in gold, which is approximately 108 million dollars in gold today. However, the treaty had to be approved by the US Senate. At first, many senators had doubts about spending so much money on acquiring an unknown piece of land, given that the country had recently ended a difficult civil war. But still, the agreement was adopted on May 3. And a couple of months later Alaska was transferred to America.

Thus, it turns out that Nicholas 2 is the one who officially gave Alaska to America. Although the idea of ​​selling was not his personal initiative, but other people’s.

Alaska's territory is equal to three times France. This is not only Klondike gold, but also tungsten, platinum, mercury, molybdenum, coal. And, most importantly, giant oil fields are being developed here, 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 United Arab Emirates- seventy million tons per year.

Many contemporaries mistakenly believe that Alaska was sold by Catherine the Second. But that's not true. A similar statement to some extent became popular among young people after the song of the Lyube group “Don’t be a fool, America.” It says that the empress was wrong to do this to this area. Based on this, young people who do not understand history made a conclusion about who gave Alaska to America.

Geographical position

Today Alaska is the largest in area, forty-ninth. It is the coldest territory in the country. Most of it is dominated by the Arctic and subarctic climatic zones. The norm here is severe frosty winters, accompanied by strong winds and snow blizzards. The only exception is the part of the Pacific coast, where climatic conditions are moderate and quite suitable for habitation.

Before sale

The history of Alaska (before its transfer to the United States) was associated with the Russian Empire. Back in the eighteenth century, this region belonged undividedly to the Russians. It is unknown when the history of Alaska began - the settlement of this cold and inhospitable land. However, the fact that in ancient times there was a certain connection between Asia does not raise any doubt. And it was carried out along which was covered with an ice crust. People in those days could easily travel from one continent to another without much difficulty. The minimum width of the Bering Strait is only eighty-six kilometers. Any more or less experienced hunter could overcome such a distance on a dog sled.

When glacial period ended, the era of warming began. The ice melted, and the shores of the continents disappeared beyond the horizon. More people, who inhabited Asia, did not dare to sail across the icy surface into the unknown. Therefore, starting from the third millennium BC, Indians began to explore Alaska. Their tribes from the territory of what is now California moved north, adhering to the Pacific coast. Gradually the Indians reached the Aleutian Islands, where they settled.

Russian exploration of Alaska

Meanwhile Russian empire began to rapidly expand its eastern borders. In the meantime, flotillas from European countries were constantly plowing the oceans and seas, looking for places for new colonies, the Russians were exploring the Urals and Siberia, the Far East and the lands of the Far North. A whole galaxy of strong and courageous people headed on ships not to tropical waters, but towards the ice of the harsh north. The most famous leaders of the expeditions were Semyon Dezhnev and Fedot Popov, and Alexey Chirikov. It was they who opened this land to the rest of the civilized world in 1732 - long before Russia gave Alaska to America. The specified date is considered official.

But it’s one thing to open, and another to equip new 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-bearing animals, and merchants bought them. Gradually, this unpromised land began to turn into a source of profit, since valuable fur in all centuries was equated with gold.

Unprofitable region

At first, in these northern lands, very rich in fur, the interests of the Russians were jealously guarded. However, the years passed, and the total destruction of the same foxes and sea otters, beavers and minks could not continue indefinitely. Fur production fell sharply. Gradually, the Russian Klondike began to lose its commercial significance. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the vast lands were still practically undeveloped. This was the impetus, the first reason why Russia gave Alaska to America.

Beginning in the late thirties of the eighteenth century, the opinion began to form at the imperial court that Alaska was an unprofitable region. Moreover, the king began to come to the conclusion that, apart from a headache, this land could not bring anything. It was from this moment that the story of the sale of Alaska to America began. Industrialists were sure that investing in these lands was complete madness, since they could not pay off. Russian people will not populate this icy desert, especially since there are Siberia and Altai, and even the Far East, where the climate is much milder and the lands are fertile.

And without that difficult situation was aggravated by the Crimean War, which began in 1853, which siphoned huge amounts of money from the state treasury. In addition, Nicholas I died in 1855 and was replaced on the throne by Alexander II. They looked at the new emperor with hope. People expected new reforms. But what reforms are carried out without money?

Forever

When it comes to talking about who gave Alaska to America, for some reason everyone remembers Empress Catherine II. Many are sure that it was she who signed 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, instructed a trusted person to draw up the agreement. The same one made a mistake with the spelling: instead of writing down “Alaska is given forever,” this person, absent-mindedly, made the entry: “is given forever,” which meant forever. So the answer to the question: "Who gave Alaska to America?" - "Catherine!" will be wrong. It is still necessary to study the past of your country more carefully.

Alaska: history

Catherine the Second, according to official history, didn’t do anything like that. Under her, these lands were not rented out, much less sold. There were no prerequisites for this. The history of the sale of Alaska began only half a century later, already during the time of Alexander II. It was this emperor who ruled in an era when numerous problems began to emerge, the solution of which required immediate attention.

Of course, this sovereign, who ascended the throne, did not immediately decide to sell the northern lands. A full ten years passed before the issue came to a head. Selling land for the state has always been a very shameful thing. After all, this was evidence of the country’s weakness, its inability to maintain order in its subordinate territories. However, the Russian treasury was in dire need of funds. And when they are not there, all paths are good.

Purchase and sale

However, no one began to shout about it to the whole world. The question of why Russia gave Alaska to America is sensitive and political; it required non-standard solutions. In 1866, a delegate from the Russian imperial court came to Washington and began secret negotiations on the sale of northern lands. The Americans showed complaisance, although the timing for the deal was bad for them too. After all, in the United States the Civil War between the South and the North has barely ended. Therefore, the state treasury was completely depleted.

Ten years after Russia gave Alaska to America, buyers could have been charged five times more, but the Russian court, according to historians, was running out 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 modern terms about two hundred and fifty million dollars, however, everyone who is interested in the question of who gave Alaska to America will agree that these northern territories were worth several orders of magnitude more.

One year later

After the agreement was concluded, the representative of the imperial court returned to Russia. And a year later, an urgent telegram signed by the President of the United States was sent to the one who gave Alaska to America - the reigning Alexander II. It contained a business proposal: Russia was loudly asked to sell Alaska to the whole world. But no one knew about the visit of the Russian representative to Washington prior to this telegram. It turned out that it was America that initiated the deal, but not Russia. Thus, diplomatic and political conventions were cunningly preserved by both sides. In the eyes of the whole world, Russia managed not to lose its dignity. And already in March 1867, legal registration of documents was carried out. And from that time on, “Russian Alaska” ceased to exist. It was given the status of an American colony. Later it was renamed a district, and already in 1959 this northern land became the forty-ninth state of the United States.

In justification

Today, having learned who gave Alaska to America, one can, of course, condemn and scold the Russian Emperor Alexander II. However, if you take a closer look at the political and financial situation in Russia in those distant years, a very definite picture emerges, which to some extent justifies his decision.

It was finally abolished in 1861 serfdom. Thousands of landowners were left without their peasants, which meant that a considerable class lost their stable source of income. Therefore, the state began to pay compensation to the nobles, which was supposed to 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 money flowed from the treasury like a river.

Difficult situation for Russia

In order to somehow reimburse expenses, the royal court occupied huge sums Abroad. Foreign governments gave with great pleasure, because they had countless natural resources. A situation arose in the empire when every extra ruble became a joy, and especially one for which it was not necessary to pay interest on promissory notes.

That's why Catherine, the great Russian empress, has nothing to do with this issue. And there is no point in blaming her, except perhaps that the state has reached complete decline and with her light hand.

Difficulties in selling

Alaska is a distant northern land, constantly bound by eternal ice. It did not bring Russia a single penny. And the whole world knew this very well. And so the imperial court was quite concerned about finding a buyer for this useless region of icy cold. The United States was closest to Alaska. Russia offered them to conclude a deal at their own risk. The American Congress, or rather, many senators, did not immediately agree to such a dubious purchase. The issue was put to a vote. As a result, more than half of the senators voted categorically against the acquisition: the proposal received from the Russian government did not cause any delight among the Americans. And the rest of the world showed absolute indifference to this deal.

Consequences

And in Russia itself, the sale of Alaska went completely unnoticed. Newspapers wrote about this on their last pages. Some Russians did not even know that it existed. Although later, when the richest gold reserves were found on this cold northern land, the whole world began to vie with each other about both Alaska and the sale, ridiculing the stupid and short-sighted Russian emperor.

In serious political and financial matters, the subjunctive mood is unacceptable. None of those who later began to condemn Alexander II ever suggested that such huge deposits of gold could be located in Alaska. But if we look at the deal not from today’s perspective, but from the situation that developed in 1867, then many believe that the Russian emperor did absolutely the right thing. And even more so, the sale of Alaska by Catherine is just an idle fiction that has no basis.

Conclusion

In total, one thousand tons of gold were mined on the lands of the former “Russian America”. Some got fabulously rich from this, and some disappeared forever in this snowy desert. Today, Americans are very inert and somehow uncertain about settling in their inhospitable land. There are practically no roads in Alaska. To a few settlements people travel either by air or by water. The railway here passes through only five cities. In total, six hundred thousand people live in this state.

On March 30, 1867, the territory of the Russian Empire decreased by just over one and a half million square kilometers. By the decision of the Emperor and Autocrat of Russia Alexander II, the territory of Alaska and the group of Aleutian Islands near it were sold to the United States of America.

The actual discovery of Alaska by Russian navigators I. Fedorov and M.S. Gvozdev happened in 1732, but it is officially considered to have been discovered in 1741 by captain A. Chirikov, who visited it and decided to register the discovery. Over the next sixty years, the Russian Empire, as a state, was not interested in the fact of the discovery of Alaska - its territory was developed by Russian merchants, who actively bought furs from local Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians, and created Russian settlements in convenient bays of the Bering Strait coast, in which merchant ships waited non-navigable winter months.

The situation changed somewhat in 1799, but only externally - the territory of Alaska began to officially belong to the Russian Empire with the rights of a discoverer, but the state was in no way interested in new territories. The initiative to recognize ownership of the northern lands of the North American continent came, again, from Siberian merchants, who jointly drew up documents in St. Petersburg and created a Russian-American company with monopoly rights to mineral resources and commercial production in Alaska. The main sources of income for merchants in the North American territories of Russia were coal mining, fur seal fishing and... ice, the most common one, supplied to the USA - the demand for Alaskan ice was stable and constant, because refrigeration units were invented only in the 20th century.

Before mid-19th centuries, the state of affairs in Alaska was in no way of interest to the Russian leadership - it is located somewhere “in the middle of nowhere”, no money is required for its maintenance, there is no need to protect and maintain a military contingent for this either, all issues are handled by the merchants of the Russian-American Company, regularly who paid taxes. And then from this very Alaska there is information that deposits of native gold have been found there... Yes, yes, what did you think - Emperor Alexander II did not know that he was selling a gold mine? But no, he knew and was perfectly aware of his decision! And why I sold it - now we’ll figure it out...

The initiative to sell Alaska to the United States of America belonged to the Emperor's brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich Romanov, who served as head of the Russian Naval Staff. He suggested that his elder brother, the emperor, sell the “extra territory,” because the discovery of gold deposits there would certainly attract the attention of England, the long-time sworn enemy of the Russian Empire, and Russia was not able to defend it, and there was no military fleet in the northern seas. If England captures Alaska, then Russia will receive absolutely nothing for it, but this way it will be possible to gain at least some money, save face and strengthen friendly relations with the United States. It should be noted that in the 19th century, the Russian Empire and the United States developed extremely friendly relations - Russia refused to help the West in regaining control over the North American territories, which infuriated the monarchs of Great Britain and inspired the American colonists to continue the liberation struggle.

Negotiations on the sale of the territory of Alaska were entrusted to Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl, the envoy of the Russian Empire to the United States. He was given a price acceptable to Russia - $5 million in gold, but Stekl decided to assign the American government a higher amount, equal to $7.2 million. The idea of ​​​​buying the northern territory, albeit with gold, but also with a complete lack of roads, deserted and characterized by a cold climate, was perceived by the American government of President Andrew Johnson without enthusiasm. Baron Stekl actively intrigued, bribing congressmen and editors of major American newspapers, in order to create a political climate favorable for the land deal.

And his negotiations were crowned with success - on March 30, 1867, an agreement on the sale of the territory of Alaska to the United States of America took place and was signed by official representatives of both parties. Thus, the acquisition of one hectare of Alaska cost the US Treasury $0.0474 and for the entire territory of 1,519,000 square kilometers - $7,200,000 in gold (in terms of modern banknotes, about $110 million). On October 18, 1867, the North American territories of Alaska were officially transferred to the possession of the United States; two months earlier, Baron Steckl received a check for 7 million 200 thousand in US Treasury bonds, which he transferred to the Baring brothers' London bank account Russian Emperor, withholding his $21,000 commission and the $165,000 he spent out of pocket on bribes (overhead).

According to some modern Russian historians and politicians, the Russian Empire made a mistake by selling Alaska. But the situation in the century before last was very, very difficult - the States were actively expanding their territory, annexing neighboring lands and following the James Monroe Doctrine of 1823. And the first major transaction was the Louisiana Purchase - the acquisition of a French colony in North America(2,100 thousand square km of inhabited and developed territory) from the Emperor of France Napoleon I Bonaparte for a ridiculous 15 million dollars in gold. By the way, this territory today contains the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and significant territories of several other states of the modern USA... As for the former territories of Mexico - the territory of all southern states of the USA - they were annexed free of charge.

Selling Alaska

The question of the fate of Russian America arose in the early 1850s. In the spring of 1853, the Governor General Eastern Siberia Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky presented a note to Nicholas I, in which he outlined in detail his views on the need to strengthen Russia’s position in Far East and the importance of a close relationship with the United States.

The Governor-General recalled that a quarter of a century ago, “the Russian-American Company appealed to the government with a request to occupy California, then free and owned by almost no one, while communicating its fears that this area would soon become the prey of the United States of America... It is impossible.” At the same time, it was not foreseeable that these states, having once established themselves on the Eastern Ocean, would soon take precedence there over all maritime powers and would have a need for the entire northwestern coast of America. The dominion of the North American States over all of North America is so natural that we should not really regret that twenty-five years ago we did not establish ourselves in California - we would have to give it up sooner or later, but by giving in peacefully, we could get in return other benefits from the Americans. However, now, with the invention and development of railroads, we must be more convinced than before that the North American States will inevitably spread throughout North America, and we cannot help but bear in mind that sooner or later we will have to cede North American rights to them. our possessions. It was impossible, however, with this consideration not to have another thing in mind: which is very natural for Russia if you do not own the whole East Asia, then dominate the entire Asian coast of the Eastern Ocean. Due to circumstances, we allowed the British to invade this part of Asia... but this matter can still be improved by our close connection with the North American States.”

The authorities in St. Petersburg reacted very favorably to Muravyov’s note. The proposals of the Governor General of Eastern Siberia to strengthen the position of the empire in the Amur region and on the island of Sakhalin were studied in detail with the participation of the Admiral General, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and members of the board of the Russian-American Company. One of the specific results of this work was the emperor’s order dated April 11 (23), 1853, which allowed the Russian-American company “to occupy Sakhalin Island on the same basis as it owned other lands mentioned in its privileges, in order to prevent no foreign settlements.”

For its part, the Russian-American Company, fearing an attack by the Anglo-French fleet on Novo-Arkhangelsk, hastened in the spring of 1854 to conclude a fictitious agreement with the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco for the sale of all its property for 7 million 600 thousand dollars for three years , including land holdings in North America. But soon news came to Russian America about an official agreement between the RAC and the Hudson's Bay Company on the mutual neutralization of their territorial possessions in America. “Due to these fortunately changed circumstances,” reported the Russian consul in San Francisco, Pyotr Kostromitinov, in the summer of 1854, “I did not give further movement to the act transmitted from the colonies.” Although the fictitious act was immediately annulled, and the colonial authorities were reprimanded for excessive independence, the idea of ​​​​the possible sale of Russian America to the United States not only did not die, but after the end of the Crimean War received further development.

The main supporter of the sale of Russian America was younger brother Alexandra II Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who sent a special letter on this matter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Gorchakov in the spring of 1857. Most of the most influential statesmen, although they did not object in principle to the sale of Russian possessions in America, considered it necessary to first thoroughly discuss this issue. It was proposed to first clarify the situation in Russian America, test the waters in Washington and, in any case, not rush into the practical implementation of the sale, postponing it until the expiration of the RAC privileges in 1862 and the liquidation of the contract for the supply of ice by the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco. This line was followed by Gorchakov and employees of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most importantly, Emperor Alexander II himself, who ordered to postpone the decision on the sale of Russian America until the contract with the company in San Francisco was liquidated. Although the US government considered the acquisition of Russian possessions in America very profitable, it offered only $5 million as a reward, which, according to Gorchakov, did not reflect “the true value of our colonies.”

In 1865, after lengthy discussions, the State Council of Russia approved the “main grounds” of the new charter of the RAC, and the company’s board even managed to obtain from the tsarist government fringe benefits. On August 20 (September 1), 1866, the emperor “deigned” to pay the RAC an annual “allowance” of 200 thousand rubles and remove its debt to the treasury in the amount of 725 thousand.

The company was not satisfied with this and continued to seek new privileges, which also had its negative side: the tsarist government only confirmed its opinion about the advisability of getting rid of burdensome possessions in distant America. In addition, the general state of Russia's finances, despite the reforms carried out in the country, continued to deteriorate, and the treasury needed foreign money.

The end of the American Civil War and the subsequent friendly visit of the American squadron led by Gustavus Fox to Russia in the summer of 1866 to some extent contributed to the revival of the idea of ​​selling Russian colonies in America. However, the direct reason for resuming consideration of the issue of the fate of Russian America was the arrival of the Russian envoy in Washington, Eduard Stekl, to St. Petersburg. Having left the United States in October 1866, he continued next year was in the royal capital. During this time, he had the opportunity to meet not only with his immediate superiors at the Foreign Office, but also to talk with Grand Duke Constantine and Finance Minister Mikhail Reitern.

It was after conversations with Stekl that both statesman communicated their thoughts “on the subject of the cession of our North American colonies.” The sale of Russian possessions in America seemed expedient to Reutern for the following reasons:

"1. After the seventy-year existence of the company, it in no way achieved either the Russification of the male population, or the lasting establishment of the Russian element, and did not in the least contribute to the development of our merchant shipping. The company does not provide significant value to shareholders... and can only be supported by significant government donations." As the minister noted, the importance of the colonies in America decreased even more, since “now we are firmly established in the Amur Territory, which is located in incomparably more favorable climatic conditions.”

"2. The transfer of the colonies ... will relieve us of possession, which in the event of war with one of the sea powers we are not able to defend.” Reitern further wrote about the company's possible clashes with enterprising traders and sailors from the United States: “Such clashes, unpleasant in themselves, could easily put us in the need to maintain military and military personnel at great expense. naval forces in the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean to maintain the privileges of the company, which does not bring significant benefits to either Russia or even the shareholders and is detrimental to our friendly relations with the United States.”

The most influential figure in discussing the fate of Russian possessions in America remained Grand Duke Constantine, who spoke in favor of the sale for three main reasons:

1. The unsatisfactory state of affairs of the RAC, the existence of which must be supported by “artificial measures and monetary donations from the treasury.”

2. The need to focus the main attention on the successful development of the Amur region, where it is in the Far East that “Russia’s future lies ahead.”

3. The desirability of maintaining a “close alliance” with the United States and eliminating everything “that could create disagreement between the two great powers.”

After familiarizing himself with the views of two influential dignitaries and knowing well the opinion of Stekl, who also spoke in favor of the sale of Russian America, Gorchakov came to the conclusion that the time had come to make a final decision. He proposed holding a “special meeting” with the personal participation of Alexander II. This meeting took place on December 16 (28), 1866 in the front office of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Palace Square. It was attended by: Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin, Gorchakov, Reitern, the head of the Naval Ministry Nikolai Krabbe and Stekl. All participants spoke in favor of selling Russian colonies in North America to the United States, and interested departments were instructed to prepare their considerations for the envoy in Washington. Two weeks later, “in pursuance of what was announced by His Imperial Majesty at a special meeting... the highest will Reitern forwarded his thoughts to Gorchakov, who considered it necessary to provide that “Russian subjects and residents of colonies in general” were given “the right to remain in them or to freely travel to Russia. In both cases, they retain the right to all their property, whatever it may be.” At the same time, the minister specifically stipulated ensuring freedom of “their liturgical rites.” Finally, the Secretary of the Treasury indicated that the “monetary reward” for the cession of the colonies should be at least $5 million.

Returning to Washington in March 1867, Steckle reminded Secretary of State William Seward "of proposals which have been made in the past for the sale of our colonies" and added that "the Imperial Government is now disposed to enter into negotiations." Having secured the consent of President Johnson, Seward, already during the second meeting with Steckle, held on March 2 (14), was able to discuss the main provisions of the future treaty.

On March 18, 1867, President Johnson signed official powers to Seward, and negotiations took place almost immediately Secretary of State with Glass, during which general outline A draft agreement was agreed upon for the purchase of Russian possessions in America for $7 million.

painting by Edward Leintze

From left to right: State Department employee Robert Chew, William Seward, State Department official William Hunter, employee of the Russian mission Vladimir Bodisko, Eduard Stekl, Charles Sumner, Frederick Seward

At four o'clock in the morning on March 18 (30), 1867, the agreement was signed. Among the territories ceded by Russia to the United States under the treaty on the North American continent and in the Pacific Ocean were: the entire Alaska Peninsula (along a line running along the meridian 141 ° W), a coastal strip 10 miles wide south of Alaska along the western coast British Columbia; Alexandra archipelago; Aleutian Islands with Attu Island; the islands of Blizhnye, Rat, Lisya, Andreyanovskiye, Shumagina, Trinity, Umnak, Unimak, Kodiak, Chirikova, Afognak and other smaller islands; Islands in the Bering Sea: St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nunivak and the Pribilof Islands - St. Paul and St. George. The total size of the land territory ceded to Russia was 1,519 thousand square meters. km. Along with the territory, all real estate, all colonial archives, official and historical documents related to the transferred territories.

In accordance with normal procedure, the treaty was submitted to Congress. Since the congressional session ended on that day, the President called an emergency executive session of the Senate.

The fate of the treaty was in the hands of members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee at that time included: Charles Sumner of Massachusetts - chairman, Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania, William Fessenden of Maine, James Harlan of Iowa, Oliver Morton of Indiana, James Paterson of New Hampshire, Raverdy Johnson of Maryland. That is, it was up to the representatives of the Northeast to decide the issue of annexing the territory in which the Pacific states were primarily interested. In addition, the majority clearly disliked their former colleague, Secretary of State Seward.

Senator Fessenden, in particular, was a strong opponent of the treaty. During the discussion, the caustic senator noted that he was ready to support the treaty, “but with one additional condition: to force the Secretary of State to live there, and the Russian government to keep him there.” Fessenden's joke met with general approval, and Senator Johnson expressed confidence that such a proposal "would pass unanimously."

However, it was not the obvious hostility towards the Johnson-Seward administration or Fessenden’s caustic jokes that determined the attitude of the committee members to the new treaty. Most senators, and primarily Sumner, were guided by objective data and real benefits from the acquisition of Russian America.

Moreover, given Sumner's influence in the Foreign Relations Committee and in the Senate, it was his position regarding the treaty that became decisive. Initially, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee even proposed to remove the treaty from discussion, since it supposedly had no chance of success. Subsequently, however, Sumner's views underwent serious changes, and on April 8, 1867, he already came out as a strong supporter of the ratification of the treaty with Russia. The change in Sumner's position was not accidental, but was the result of a thorough study of the issue using a wealth of factual material. Important role The assistance provided to the senator by those most knowledgeable about the state of affairs in the Pacific North, including experts from the Smithsonian Institution, also played a role.

All this significantly strengthened the position of supporters of the treaty and finally convinced Sumner of the importance of the annexation of Russian America. As a result, on April 8, the Foreign Relations Committee decided to submit the treaty to the Senate for approval.

That same day, Sumner presented the treaty to the Senate and made a famous three-hour speech in support of ratification, which made a great and even decisive impression on his listeners. There were 37 votes for ratification and only two against. They were Fessenden and Justin Morrill from Vermont.

Without any complications, ratification took place on May 3 (15) in St. Petersburg, and the official exchange of ratification instruments took place in the American capital on June 8 (20), 1867. Subsequently, in accordance with the established procedure, the agreement was printed and then included in formal meeting laws of the Russian Empire.

The decision to allocate the $7.2 million provided for by the treaty was made by the US House of Representatives a year later, on July 14, 1868 (113 in favor, 43 against, and 44 congressmen did not take part in the vote). On July 15, a warrant was issued to receive the money; on August 1, Stekl left a receipt at the treasury stating that he had received the entire amount in full.

The fate of the money received from the sale of Alaska is a favorite topic for newspaper speculation. The most popular version is that a ship with gold from America sank in the Gulf of Finland. But in reality everything was less romantic and tragic.

On August 1, Steckl instructed Riggs' bank to transfer $7,035 thousand to London, to the Baring brothers' bank. The “missing” 165 thousand were spent by him in the USA. The telegram to St. Petersburg with the news of the conclusion of the agreement cost 10 thousand, 26 thousand was received by the lawyer of the Russian mission, Robert Walker, 21 thousand was the royal reward for concluding the agreement to Stek and another mission employee, Vladimir Bodisko. The rest of the money, according to researchers, Steckl spent on bribing journalists and congressmen. At least, this conclusion can be drawn from the instructions of Alexander II to count as actual expenditure the funds spent by the envoy for “uses known to His Imperial Majesty.” This wording usually accompanied expenses of a secret and sensitive nature, which included bribes.

The same money that reached London was spent on the purchase of steam locomotives and other railway property for the Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazan-Kozlov and Moscow-Ryazan railways.

Having purchased Russian America, the United States, as shown further events, made one of the most profitable deals in their history. This territory turned out to be rich natural resources, including oil and gold. It occupied an advantageous strategic position and ensured the predominant influence of the United States in the north of the continent and on the way to the Asian market. Together with the Hawaiian and Aleutian Islands, Alaska became a stronghold of US influence in the vast Pacific Ocean.

Text used by N.N. Bolkhovitinov from: History of Russian America: in 3 volumes. M., 1999. T.3. pp. 425-488.
(with additions from other sources)

"Turn 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 such transactions 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. Seemed more attractive compared to the northern ones Russian territories The Virgin Islands 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 the same Russian settlers discovered oil fields here 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 some of the crowned persons had such thoughts, 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.

ALL PHOTOS

In Russia, only six people knew about the preparation of the deal: Alexander II, Konstantin Romanov, Alexander Gorchakov (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mikhail Reutern (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 per year, and Russian America required constant investments.

As for gold, which individual prospectors had already begun to mine in Alaska, the Russian government feared that American troops would follow the prospectors and smugglers, 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 believe that 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 with this money for locomotives and steam engines.

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 currency, securities, gold, etc. However, they could not buy weapons for the Red Army: the West banned trade with Russia. In order to “break through” This blockade, Lenin offered the United States a waiver 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. Thus, 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 rights of the USSR take control of the country 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 during the American Civil War served in a sabotage unit Secret Service Corps (SSC). 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 the physical management of the United States.

“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 treaty 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. validity of the agreement, it is recognized as valid until the owner makes a demand for the return of the right of physical management, i.e. 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 for 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.

The Russian flag in the capital of Russian settlements in North America, Novo-Arkhangelsk, was lowered 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.