Better to sell Alaska than lose it. A century and a half later, this could be the summary of why Alexander II, czar of all the Russias, decided to get rid of his enormous colonial possession in the American continent and sell it to the United States. At that time, the vast Russian empire encompassed more territory than it could defend, and its leaders feared that, after being defeated by the United Kingdom in the Crimean War, it might be tempted to attack it in Alaska from its adjoining Canadian possessions as well. . Russia was seduced by the offer of 7.2 million dollars put on the table by Secretary of State William H. Seward, who was also not exempt from criticism. It would be interesting to know what Vladimir Putin thinks today about handing over to his archenemy.
