Why did Russia sell Alaska in 1867?

Why did Russia sell Alaska? In 1867 the Russian Empire sold more than a million square kilometres of North America to the United States for 7.2 million dollars — about two cents an acre. This short documentary follows the fur trade, the Russian-American Company at Sitka, the Crimean War, and why St Petersburg chose to sell to Washington rather than lose the colony to Britain. Empires aren't usually known for giving land away. Russia's push into Alaska was a sea-otter rush with a few hundred Russians on the ground, a company on government life-support, and a coastline the Royal Navy could have taken whenever it liked. After Crimea, Grand Duke Konstantin argued: sell it while a friendly buyer still existed. The treaty was signed in the small hours of 30 March 1867. Gold and later oil made the price look absurd. From St Petersburg in 1867, it was rational. To find out watch this short history documentary. Chapters 00:00 Russia's expansion and the fur trade 00:46 The Russian-American Company and Sitka 02:31 Declining profits and sea otter extinction 02:48 The Crimean War and strategic concerns 03:51 Gold rush and British pressure 04:14 Tsar Alexander's decision to sell 04:29 William Seward and the negotiation 04:58 The treaty signing and handover 06:15 Why Russia sold Alaska 08:20 The irony of gold discoveries after 🔔 Subscribe:    / @pastexplained-f8c   #alaskapurchase #russianamerica #1867