Why did Russia sell Alaska to US in 1867? Has Putin declared the decree illegal?

Is Vladimir Putin planning to take back Alaska from the United States? That’s what some on social media claimed after sharing a document allegedly signed by the Russian president. But is it true? And why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States in the first place? And why did America buy Alaska? Let’s take a closer look: Why did Russia sell Alaska to the US? First, let’s briefly examine Russia’s interest in the region. As per the US state department website, this kicked off in 1725 when Peter the Great sent Vitus Bering on an expedition to Alaska’s coast.

Russia found the region both rich in natural resources and without many inhabitants.

Meanwhile, the US continued its expansion westward – which caused a rivalry between Americans and Russian explorers and traders. But St. Petersburg did not have the manpower or funds to back major settlements or ensconce its military in Alaska. The Russian populace in Alaska never crossed 400, as per the state department The Smithsonian puts that figure at around 800 people. Regardless, the population itself remained limited to just hundreds of people. According to the magazine, communication with Alaska remained a huge problem for Russia. Another big problem was growing food in Alaska’s harsh climate. [caption id=“attachment_12975322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The swollen Mendenhall River courses along a neighborhood in Juneau, Alaska in August 2023. AP[/caption] While Russia tried to get around this by establishing trade with the Spaniards and even set up shop at Fort Ross in 1812, the firm handling the explorations – the Russian American Company – went bankrupt. The decline of the sea otter populace had also taken a toll on the profitability of the colony. Making things worse was that Alaska was a hard place to defend. Russia also happened to be fighting the Crimean War – which was a huge drain on money. As per the state department, Moscow first made the offer to sell Alaska – then known as Russian America – in 1859. However, the purchase was delayed by the US Civil War. The US finally bought Alaska from Russia in on 30 March, 1867. Seward and Russian minister Edouard de Stoeckl agreed that the US would purchase Alaska for $7.2 million. The agreement was officially known as the Treaty of Cession, as per The Times of India. The US paid Russia in gold for Alaska – which works out to around 2 cents per acre. The US Senate gave its blessing on 9 April, following which then president Andrew Johnson signed the bill on 28 May. The territory came into US possession on 18 October, 1867. Why did the US buy Alaska? Because the US was looking to get expand. According to The Smithsonian, the US in the 1840s took Oregon, Texas and California as its own territory. “Our population is destined to roll resistless waves to the ice barriers of the north, and to encounter oriental civilization on the shores of the Pacific,” Secretary of State William Seward wrote in 1848. “In Alaska, the Americans foresaw a potential for gold, fur and fisheries, as well as more trade with China and Japan. The Americans worried that England might try to establish a presence in the territory, and the acquisition of Alaska – it was believed – would help the US become a Pacific power. And overall the government was in an expansionist mode backed by the then-popular idea of “manifest destiny,” The Smithsonian piece states. But not everyone agreed.

Critics dubbed the idea of purchasing Alaska ‘Seward’s Folly.’

As per the state department, the government gave Alaska little to no attention over the next 30 years. The US would only establish a civil authority in 1884 – that too for regulating mining laws. For a time, it did look like Alaska was ‘Seward’s Folly’. [caption id=“attachment_13648152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The signing of the Alaska treaty. Image courtesy: History.state.gov.[/caption] But the discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1896 changed everything. By World War II, Alaska had been recognised as a location of strategic importance. It finally became a state on 3 January, 1959. The US has done quite well from the bargain. As per The Smithsonian, not only did it gain access to 370 million acres of mostly pristine wilderness, but it has also received hundreds of billions of dollars in whale oil, fur, copper, gold, timber, fish, platinum, zinc, lead and petroleum from Alaska. The state likely contains billions of barrels of oil reserves. Has Putin declared the agreement illegal? No. According to Snopes, what actually happened was that Putin on 18 January signed a decree relating to the property of the Russian Federation abroad.

The document made no mention of Alaska or that the sale was ‘illegal.’

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Russian news agency Tass on 19 January reported that Russia will allocate funds for an effort to find, register and ensure legal protection of Russia’s property abroad, including property of the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. It reported that the decree signed by Putin would allocate funds for this purpose to the Department of Foreign Property of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation. The funds will be allocated to cover expenses related to “the process of searching the real estate property owned by the Russian Federation, the former Russian Empire, the former USSR,” as well as for “due registration of [property] rights” and “legal protection of this property.” So much for that rumour. However, Snopes quoted the Institute for the Study of War, a nonprofit research group and think-tank as saying, “The Kremlin may use the ‘protection’ of its claimed property in countries outside of its internationally recognised borders to forward soft power mechanisms in post-Soviet and neighbouring states ultimately aimed at internal destabilisation. So while Putin may not want Alaska back from America, he may have some nefarious ideas in mind. W_ith inputs from agencies_