Why did USA buy this disconnected wasteland? Asking because it

>>3064560
Manifest Destiny, naval bases, the respurces that were speculated to be there.

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Whatever the reason, thank goodness we did!

>>3064560
I don't know, but there's oil there so we're not giving it to Canada.

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>>3064560
Are you retarded?

>The looming U.S. Civil War delayed the sale, but after the war, Secretary of State William Seward quickly took up a renewed Russian offer and on March 30, 1867, agreed to a proposal from Russian Minister in Washington, Edouard de Stoeckl, to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million.

>to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million.

Just for inflation purposes, 7 million when they bought it is 100 million TODAY.

>Wasteland

>>3064560
"It was on sale."

>>3064560
Muh destiny.

Thank god they weren't able to buy or invade Canada.

It was cheap, offered the US greater influence in the North Pacific, and in hindsight has a ton of resources from gold to oil to timber.

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>>3064576

Goddamn Tsar had autism in that dynasty.

>>3064560
Russia was eager to sell it because during the Crimean War, Britain made advances and attempted landing on Russia's eastern coast (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Petropavlovsk), where the Tsar knew that if Britain really wanted to get serious, Alaska would be overrun and annexed without much resistance because of how tough it was for the Russians to supply and garrison the colony.

Russia put it up for sale just to keep it out of British hands, and the US was the first customer.

The extremely cheap price of the land was partly because of Russia's desperation to get rid of it before it was lost in a war, and also because the US and Russia was on quite friendly terms at the time due to their mutual hatred of the British.

Of course Russia never was able to fully explore the land and find the gold and later oil in the area, but honestly if the Russians did discovery gold first it would almost immediately be invaded by Britain who would have all the more reason to at that point.

>>3064578
>implying they knew anything about that

It was absolutely enormous, gave the US a 2nd front against British NA and naval bases on the North Pacific.

Major gold deposits were discovered in Alaska about three years after the purchase. Oil production centered in Texas until the 1970's.

It was a big fuck you from Russia to the UK and a good deal for americans.

>>3064560
because Russia couldn't hold it against the British

>>3064578
>Spend the equivalent of $100 million today
>Get a massive chunk of land full of mineral resources.
>Purchase the Louisiana Territory for $300 million today.
>Get some of the most productive farmland on the planet and tons of new land to settle your burgeoning population in.
Did the US have the best land purchases in history?

The better question is why was Russia stupid enough to sell such a massive, resource rich slice of land? I know they were going through economic troubles at the time so it was easy money but it was pretty short sighted of them. Just imagine if Alaska was still russian today, the geopolitical implications would be interesting as fuck.

>>3064659
It would probably just be another russian gulag.

>>3064659
It wasn't ressource rich at the time. Ressources don't exist if you don't know they're there.

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>>3064659
Imagine the Russian tank divisions ready to steamroll North America.

>>3064659
Russia needed money

>>3064659
read the thread mang

>>3064560
Why? Canada is geopolitically the same as the United States.

>>3064631
Countries were in debt and realized they couldn't support overseas colonies.

>>3064560
Why didn't the indigenous tribes have any say in the matter?

>>3064659
Russia realized that they couldn't hold Alaska in the case of a war with the British. They don't have the capability to defend Alaska from an invasion from Canada, and consequently eastern Siberia as well.

Selling Alaska to the US created a buffer which halted British expansion in North America by giving it to the Americans. The US would remain on good terms with Russia until 1917.

>>3064805
Because they had no power

>>3064617
>implying they didn't...
So, you are retarded.

>>3064805
Why would they?

>>3064560

There was a time when the US government fully intended to take over Canada at some point. They wanted to annex the entire North American continent. Somehow, it just didn't end up working out that way. I guess they feared the Canadian warrior.

>>3065322
You pussies never left the Commonwealth. Nobody fears the Canadian soldier, they fear the Eternal Anglo that the Canadian soldier hides behind

Thars' gold in them hills!

>>3065322
We should, frankly. The Canadians don't know how to properly utilize the land they've been given. Quebec can go free.

Plus it would make map autists everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.

>>3064560
The solution to this is simple,
Annex Canada.

>>3064560
Because it's eventually not going to be disconnected.

Yeah, you know what I'm sayin' Canada. We comin' for dat ass.

>>3065322
Love this meme

>>3064603
>he don't know the reasons why Alaska was sold
>he don't know that resources were not discovered at the point when it was sold
>he visiting /his/ for some reasons

Russia and the USA were allied together against Britain. Russia felt like they couldn't hold on to Alaska because of the Royal Navy, but they felt better giving it up peacefully to the US rather than losing face in having it taken from them by Britain.

>>3065313
they didn't, I'm so sorry that you're wrong

>>3064560
Better try to determine how many Russians were there. The maximal number I have read was 2000. But 500-1000 looks more based.
Connection with main USA part was one of main task, but British empire was too strong and saved Vancouver.

>>3065341
>Plus it would make map autists everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.
No it wouldn't. Supermassive continental blobs are even more disgusting than exclaves.

>>3064560
Gettin' the commies away from murica