As you know, Russian sailors discovered Alaska. The peninsula belonged to the Russian Empire until 1867, when it was sold to the Americans. The main reason for the sale was the lack of real development of Alaska and its absolute insecurity. At some point, the leaders of the Russian Empire decided that it was better to get rid of the problematic peninsula and get at least some money for it. Throughout the entire time that Alaska belonged to the Russian Empire, the country's authorities did not pay any significant attention to the issues of its development.
When, in the second half of the 18th century, there were real prospects for earning income from the ownership of Alaska, namely by organizing the extraction and export of furs, St. Petersburg reacted to the proposal of merchants to establish a 30-year monopoly on trade and production in Alaska very coolly. Then the merchant Grigory Shelikhov began to develop the peninsula on his own. When in 1788 he again turned to Catherine II for permission to establish a monopoly, he was again refused.
However, Emperor Paul I, who replaced Catherine at the head of the empire, was full of ambitious plans and the project of developing Alaska and turning it into a full-fledged Russian possession and the source of furs seemed to him quite reasonable. In 1799, with Paul's permission, the Russian American Company (RAC) was developed, which was to develop distant territories in the extreme northwest of America.
In a fairly short time, the RAC managed to achieve incredible success, its profits grew at an unprecedented rate. For example, a naval officer who served in the RAC received a salary ten times higher than that of an officer of the same rank in the Imperial Navy. In addition to furs, shipbuilding began to develop in Alaska. A shipyard was built in Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka), ships built here were launched. In 1853 it was in Novoarkhangelsk that the first Russian steamer on the Pacific Ocean was launched.
The Russian Empire had every chance to gain a foothold in Alaska and even use it as a springboard for further advancement in the Pacific Ocean. By that time, not all Pacific islands were colonized by European powers, so the Russian Empire could well acquire colonies in distant Polynesia, and then turn the North Pacific Ocean almost into its own inland sea.
But the emperors who ruled after Paul were rather negative about the country's advancement in the Pacific region. At least, St. Petersburg did not take any real measures to make the plans and dreams of individual merchants and naval officers a reality. Gradually, the point of view prevailed in the country's leadership that it was very difficult to govern Alaska, and the Russian Empire would not be able to protect this territory, even more so.
Even during the reign of Nicholas I, Governor-General of Eastern Siberia Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky voiced the idea of selling Alaska to the United States, and under the successor of Nicholas I, Alexander II, this plan became a reality - in 1867 Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $ 7,200,000 in gold. A little later, gold was found in Alaska and the famous "gold rush" began, but the profit from gold mines was no longer received by Russia, but by the United States.
The possession of Alaska, of course, would open up completely different development prospects for our country, and the United States might not have received such advantages if it had Russian territories with the troops stationed “close by”. And the income from the exploitation of the natural resources of Alaska, its geographical position would be very tangible for our country.
Promotional video:
Ilya Polonsky