The man who $old Alaska

On March 29, 1867, literally in the middle of the night, diplomats hammered out a deal that transferred the Russian Empire’s claims in the New World to the United States for $7.2 million. One-hundred-fifty years later, Alaska knows the name of Secretary of State William H. Seward, the American who negotiated the purchase of Alaska. His name is on a city, a highway, a peninsula and more. But what of the man on the other side of the table, Alexander II, autocrat and tsar of Russia? Who was he? It depends on whom you ask. In Finland and Bulgaria he is considered “The Liberator.” In Poland and the Caucasus he is remembered as “The Exterminator.” He ruthlessly suppressed dissent and pursued foreign wars, even while cowering in the face of terrorism at home. He also brought sweeping reforms to Russia, most famously emancipating the serfs five years before slavery was banned in the United States. Alaska was just one small page in his career. continue reading the article here 09:29

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.