What if Alaska was still Russian territory

I’m currently reading a book set during the Cold War, the central premise is that its discovered that Alaska is in fact still Russian territory. Shenanigans and hilarious japes ensue.

I was wondering what the repurcussions would have been if this had in fact occured (the setting is the early 1980’s in the book) and perhaps more interestingly what would have been the effect on the Cold War if Russia hadn’t sold Alaska to the US in the first place?

Colescott would have never created this lithograph, and the world would be a sadder place.

Canada wouldn’t be anywhere near as peaceful as it is today. I hate to say it, but U.S. foreign policy is very consistant on sticking its nose into anything it deems a boogieman, and a Soviet Alaska would have been like Cuba. And we all know what happened with Cuba. Canada would either be a xerox copy of the U.S., or the opposite would have happened - U.S. - Canadian relations would be terrible today.

Alaska never would have become Soviet, the red armies never would have made it across the Bering Strait during the Revolution. Not only that, but the US would have dispatched troops there ala Archangel after WWI if there was a domestic communist movement up there.

Who’s to say the the Soviet revolution ever would have happened? I have a feeling that having such a large land frontier against the British Empire in the east would have shifted things a lot.

I do agree that Canada would be a lot less peaceful. Odd that this never occurred to me.

Another thought: Alaska = a Russian Taiwan…

Certainly there can be no factual answer to your OP, so let’s move this to Great Debates. I think it rises above what I would move to IMHO.

samclem GQ moderator

It’s an interesting “if,’ but don’t forget the event that made Alaska – the Great Yukon Gold Rush of 1898 (or something like that). Assuming that Stewart had declined to bid on Alaska in the 1860s the influx of young men from the US and Eastern Canada at the turn of the 19th Century would have turned Alaska into an American ( America including Canada) dominated provence of a distant and declining empire. Look at California after 1849. I suppose that Alaska would have become Canadian by virtue of the demographics and geography of the thing and that Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog King would have had the whole Yukon River as their beat. The Yukon Gold Rush would have deprived Mother Russia of Alaska long before the October Revolution.

The independent state of Quebec aside and the First Nations, what makes you think that Canada isn’t already a Xerox® copy of the United States?

Title and author?

This book. :slight_smile:

“Seward’s Folly” by Graham Lancaster, it was published in 1980 so it might be a bit obscure.

Then Soviet territory would have been a bit closer to the US mainland. And this wouldn’t have made any difference. Then, like today, they could blow the US to oblivion with ICBMs in Europe and Asia. And Alaska would have given them no advantage. Russian subs can travel in international waters, which begin 12 miles off the US coastline.

Are you certain that is the correct spelling of the author’s name?

There is no Amazon listing, not even used. :confused:

It does seem to exist.

Here you go:

I’m shocked that someone would doubt my word, shocked I tell you. :smiley:

Graham Lancaster 1980, Methuen

Gay marriage. Legalised marijuana possession. The Queen. The House of Commons. The metric system. Poutine.

Hmmm…No US publisher?

OK.

No strategic advantage, perhaps. But the Soviets, not the U.S., would have Alaska’s oil.