What are the benefits of selling Alaska, a grand strategic shift, to Russia in the Far East?

Russia has been criticized for eating soil like life. Starting from 1480, the tiny Moscow Principality, after more than 400 years of expansion, has become a huge country across the Eurasian continent. Under the banner of "the successor of the Eastern Roman Empire", they seized the seaport crazily. If the Soviet Union had not been frustrated in Afghanistan and opened up the road to the Indian Ocean, then Russia would have really realized "Peter's will" and had a seaport with four oceans.

However, it is not entirely true that Russia voluntarily gave up Alaska and sold it to the United States at a very low price. There are always different opinions about this, but we must never simply use the theory of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. As for the discovery of huge resources and the importance of Alaska with the changes in the international situation, that was later. According to the situation faced by Russia at that time, selling Alaska was a correct choice, a gorgeous strategic shift, and also showed Russia's great wisdom.

There are good reasons for this.

Now Alaska is the largest continent in the United States and an enclave in the United States. It is divided into two parts by Canada. Because of rich oil resources, developed fisheries, mining, forestry and tourism, life is not bad, and per capita GDP is second only to California. This is Alaska that the United States bought from Russia for $7.2 million.

The thing is, in the American Civil War of 1860, European powers did not want to see the United States become powerful, so they intervened and secretly supported the southern regime in order to divide the United States between the north and the south. To this end, Britain and France sent a fleet to help the Yugoslav army block the coastline of the North Army. At this time, Lincoln realized that only Russia, an enemy of Britain and France, could help him, so he asked Tsar Alexander II for help. After combining the advantages and disadvantages of Russia, sending a fleet to deter the British and French allied forces from making a move, Lincoln had a chance to breathe and turn the tide.

Before sending troops, the United States promised to pay Russia $7.2 million for sending troops, but since the President of the United States had no right to pay for this war, then US Secretary of State william henry seward proposed to pay for this military expenditure by purchasing Alaska. Finally, an agreement was reached on March 1867, and Alaska was bought with a total value of 7.2 million US dollars. Besides, instead of paying cash, the United States has made a bad check.

Be forced by the environment

In fact, before selling Alaska, Russia wanted to expand into North America. This requires entering the North American continent through the Bering Strait in Alaska. The narrowest part of the Bering Strait is only 3 kilometers, which can be crossed without a big ship. It is an important channel connecting the North American continent.

174 1 year After the Russians discovered Alaska, they landed on the North American continent. 1799, they set up Alaska Russia-US Company to manage the west coast of North America, including California, Hawaiian Islands, southern Sakhalin Island and the mouth of amur river, as well as kamchatka peninsula, Alaska and Aleutian Islands. This shows the strength of this company.

18 12 In order to gain more benefits in North America, Russia built a fortress in San Francisco as a bridgehead for its southward expansion, which touched the interests of Spain and Britain. 1840 the opium war made Russia give up its strategy of expanding southward. During the war, the Qing government suffered a crushing defeat, so Britain opened its doors to China and accepted the request of Britain to trade with the five ports. This has aroused Russian concern and anxiety. In the second year after the treaty of nanking was signed, the Russian-American company in Alaska sold Rosburg in San Francisco to Americans, and the plan to expand southward was put on hold.

Push behind the scenes

Nicola nikolaevich Muraviev is the driving force behind the Russian strategy of changing South and North America and facilitating the Alaska deal.

This man is the governor of eastern Siberia from 1847 to 186 1. In the Crimean War, he commanded the Russian army to fight against the British and French allied forces and foiled the plot of the British and French allied forces to raid the Petropavlovsk military port and seize the Far East. This is a rare victory of the Russian army in the Crimean War.

This man is guilty of China. He organized three trips to Heilongjiang to show off the threat of force, and in 1858, Muraviev invaded Heilongjiang while the Qing government was caught in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement and the Second Opium War, and finally forced Yi Shan, the general of Heilongjiang, to sign the Sino-Russian Love-Faint Treaty, taking away more than 6.5438+0.5 million square kilometers of land in the north of Heilongjiang, south of Waixing 'an Mountains, east of Wusuli River and Sakhalin Island.

Muraviev is the main driving force behind Russia's actions in the Far East. He has made Russia gain a strategic position and a significant seaport in the Pacific Ocean, which shows that this person has a far-sighted strategic vision.

Showtime year

In fact, as early as 1847, when Muraviev became the governor of eastern Siberia, he proposed to the tsar to give up the accumulated strength in North America and form an alliance with the United States against Britain, but it was not recognized by the tsar. 1853 After the Crimean War broke out, the czar realized the correctness and importance of this proposal.

At this time, Russian territory actually spanned Europe, Asia and America, far exceeding the economic capacity at that time. The land transportation line from Moscow to Alaska has exceeded 10,000 kilometers, which is beyond our reach. Alaska's resources are not only difficult to obtain, but also add a lot of burden to Russia. Not to mention that at that time, even now Russia's control over the Far East was greatly reduced.

1At the end of 866, Tsar Alexander II decided to sell Alaska to the United States, and both sides got their places. In fact, whether at that time or today, it was a very wise choice for Russia to give up Alaska, with a gorgeous turn and a beautiful strategic contraction and transfer. If it is not sold to Americans, Alaska will probably be seized by Britain through Canada, so Russia will be passive. Selling to the United States can at least block the threat from Britain.

After Alaska's attack, Russia focused on the Far East, playing the old trick of population replacement, reclaiming land in northern Heilongjiang, and vigorously promoting Russification, with more than 10,000 Cossack cavalry defending here. In less than half a century, Vladivostok has become Russia's eternal Vladivostok. The statue of Muraviev is located in the center of the city.

History has proved that Russia has never done a loss-making business, neither in the past nor now. At that time, I went from south to North America to the Far East, and finally sold Alaska in North America. Although I didn't get the money, I got almost the same compensation in the Far East. The ultimate victim was China, a corrupt and incompetent Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Russia's sale of Alaska is indeed a magnificent strategic shift, showing Russia's great wisdom.