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Russia once tried to sell Alaska to Liechtenstein.

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Rumpelstil

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Russia once tried to sell Alaska to Liechtenstein.
In the end they sold it to the US.

Now imagine that Russia had really sold Alaska to Liechtenstein.
What might have happened then?
 
Here is the question again: What if Alaska got sold to Liechtenstein?

There is a dubious but believable historical rumor that Alexander II of Russia planned to offer Alaska to the House of Liechtenstein before it was instead sold to the Americans. What if, in some other timeline, Alexander II and the House of Liechtenstein agree to the exchange of Alaska?

As one can imagine, seeing as Liechtenstein is landlocked, it's most realistic to assume that Austria would become the de facto sovereign of the territory. How are Pacific politics altered by this? Is the arctic suddenly a bold new Alpine frontier? Does it wind up being inconsequentially resold to the British or the Americans, or perhaps the burgeoning Japanese? Is it tossed about in the world wars? Can we make Alaska matter?
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It would have become a separate entity under the House of Liechtenstein, and it also would be quite depopulated, because the House of Liechtenstein would have have a harder time developing it and luring settlers (and the Russian settlers that were already in large numbers abandoning Alaska would leave as OTL). Most likely the House of Liechtenstein would have sold it to someone else after some time.
 
Rumpel said:
Liechtenstein might have invited the Japanese or the the Chinese to come and settle in Alaska.
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Or British (Canadian) and American settlers would have moved there anyways (if gold is found as OTL that's almost guaranteed, on the other hand that would require people being there to find the gold... but as gold was first found in Yukon on the British/ Canadian side of the border, and then the rush expanded to Alaska, I think these things might happen as OTL). So Alaska under the House of Liechtenstein would first have problems finding settlers (Alaska under the US had similar issues early on, and the Russian colonu went bankrupt because no one wanted to live there, and many just returned back to Russia), and then when the gold rush happens, it would be swarmed by Americans and Canadians looking for gold.

The point is The House of Liechtenstein would lack both capacity and interest to do anything with Alaska, and if alot of people move there they'd want to be under a government that does have that capacity (and can defend them, which the House of Liechtenstein wouldn't be able to do). The reason there would probably not have been any invitation for Japanese and Chinese settlers is.... racism. People were even more racist against Asians back then than they are today.
 
Liechtenstein in those days was somehow connected to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
And Austria-Hungary would surely have managed to rule and administrate an area like Alaska.
 
We wouldn't have seen John Wayne make a "North to Liechtenstein" movie.
 
Rumpel said:
Liechtenstein in those days was somehow connected to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
And Austria-Hungary would surely have managed to rule and administrate an area like Alaska.
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The Principality of Liechtenstein was unofficially basically a Austrian vassal. It was not an official relationship though, but it was how they could exist as "independent". The House of Liechtenstein and the Principality of Liechtenstein are not the exact same thing though. The Principality was the actual small microstate, the House of Liechtenstein was the ruling dynasty. The House of Liechtenstein getting Alaska DOES NOT mean the Principality gets it. It will just be a territory that happens to have the same ruler. Though I could see Austria having interests for sure, but the problem that always comes up regarding an Austrian colonial empire would come up again. Austria had very little capacity to manage an overseas empire, and not having an Atlantic coast was one of the main problems, the other being the nature of the Austrian and later Austro- Hungarian Empire as a multinational empire that had to spend much of it's effort keeping itself together.
 
joluoto said:
the other being the nature of the Austrian and later Austro- Hungarian Empire as a multinational empire that had to spend much of it's effort keeping itself together.
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I see it another way.
The Austro- Hungarian Empire was multi-national enough to stomach another nationality: Alaska! :)
 
We almost didn't buy Alaska. Everyone was saying it was useless, too cold.


.
 
Rumpel said:
I see it another way.
The Austro- Hungarian Empire was multi-national enough to stomach another nationality: Alaska! :)
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Most of those will be Americans and Canadians coming because of gold. And before gold Alaska would have issues getting anyone there, probably worse than OTL. Of course then it would be hard pressure to sell Alaska to either the US or Britain because they'd be in a better position to develop and defend the place.
 
swing_voter said:
We almost didn't buy Alaska. Everyone was saying it was useless, too cold.


.
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At the time, yes, it was a failed Russian colony, the Russians were actively trying to get rid of. Many critisized the US purchase as a waste of money.
 
For one Liechtenstein wouldn't have to send its criminals to serve their time in Austria.
 
Dayton3 said:
For one Liechtenstein wouldn't have to send its criminals to serve their time in Austria.
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I still think it interesting to think of all the consequences.

And it would have been quite an advantage for the Imperial Austrian Navy to have some bases in Alaska.
 
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