How to make Alaska British?

MatthewB

Banned
Instead of American, how can we make Alaska part of what becomes Canada?

With British India/Afghanistan on its southern border, Russia won’t want British Canada on its eastern border. So we need some diplomatic games here.
 
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On some reason Alexander II decides to sell Alaska to Brits instead Americans.

And this should be in Before 1900 forum.
 

MatthewB

Banned
On some reason Alexander II decides to sell Alaska to Brits instead Americans.

And this should be in Before 1900 forum.
Hmm.... I agree. I was certain I had places it there. mods, can you shift us to the right place?

The Russians hate the British most of all, Alexander won’t sell to them.
 
The Russians hate the British most of all, Alexander won’t sell to them.

The Russians would have considered selling Alaska to the British, but the Palmerston government was not interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Purchase#Background

Perhaps in the hope of starting a bidding war, both the British and the Americans were approached in 1859. However, British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston steadfastly rejected the offer, arguing that Canada (which was not independent at the time but a number of separate British colonies with varying arrangements for democratic representation) had enough uncharted wilderness to deal with, and that Britain would overstretch its resources in maintaining Alaska as well as its existing territories and colonies. Then the Russians offered to sell the territory to the United States, hoping that its presence in the region would offset the plans of Britain.
 
Could British Columbia or somewhere like that find the $$ to purchase Alaska? I'm assuming probably not, but that would be an interesting POD, with the oil and mineral wealth of Alaska in Canadian hands.
 
No sale to America in the 19th century and the Empire takes over Alaska after the Russian revolution as payment for war debts. Alaska joins Canada after WWII like Newfound Land.
 

Deleted member 94680

No sale to America in the 19th century and the Empire takes over Alaska after the Russian revolution as payment for war debts. Alaska joins Canada after WWII like Newfoundland.

I like this. Alaska stumbles on as a Russian possession/colony until WWI and several ‘scares’ happen with rumours of German raiders, Bolshevik terrorists and eventually White émigrés all using the ‘untamed wilderness’ as a refuge. Finally the British government, in the interests of security and as part payment for the debts of St. Petersburg, sends troops to occupy it during the latter stages of the RCW. With the Soviets too busy fighting in European Russia, by the time they’re strong enough to do anything about it, it’s too late to contemplate attempting to retrieve it. The act is formalised as an article of the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement in 1921.
 
I like this. Alaska stumbles on as a Russian possession/colony until WWI and several ‘scares’ happen with rumours of German raiders, Bolshevik terrorists and eventually White émigrés all using the ‘untamed wilderness’ as a refuge. Finally the British government, in the interests of security and as part payment for the debts of St. Petersburg, sends troops to occupy it during the latter stages of the RCW. With the Soviets too busy fighting in European Russia, by the time they’re strong enough to do anything about it, it’s too late to contemplate attempting to retrieve it. The act is formalised as an article of the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement in 1921.
Interesting. I wonder how the U.S.A would react to this land grab by the British.
 

Deleted member 94680

Interesting. I wonder how the U.S.A would react to this land grab by the British.

I doubt with outright hostility. ITTL they passed up their chance to purchase the territory in the 1800s, so it’s unlikely they view Alaska as “theirs”. If the act is formalised by Treaty as I suggested it isn’t a “land-grab” either, but a transfer of ownership as proscribed by international law. The border between America and Canada in the West is solely the 49th parallel. It’s not as if the British are taking Oregon or something.
 
Russia has never been keen on foreigners running around the place so that's not unreasonable. Now come the mid 20's when the world finds out what a treasure house Alaska is all hell will break out diplomatically.

(minor addition. When Britain finds out what a treasure house Alaska is Canada ain't getting it. What we have here is a profitable colony ripe for settlement and Britain has debts to pay)
 
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Liechtenstein buys Alaska rather than the USA, Johann the Good becomes King of Alaska, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Hans Adam II marries Princess Anne, the only child of Elizabeth II, so when their son, Alexander becomes King of Alaska, Prince of Liechtenstein as well as King of Great Britain, the crowns come together.
 
More practically speaking, how does this effect Alaska cruises in our modern times?

It could actually mean more cruises departing out of US ports. The reason so many leave out of Vancouver now is that in order to get tax free shopping at sea you have to have at least one foreign port call and since the main port calls are in Alaska, leaving from Vancouver checks that box. When we were on the Disney Wonder once, the captain said that if you leave out of Seattle you have to do a half day port call in Victoria and it's kind of a waste of time. Now with the port calls being all in Canadian ports, that problem is solved.
 
Liechtenstein buys Alaska rather than the USA, Johann the Good becomes King of Alaska, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Hans Adam II marries Princess Anne, the only child of Elizabeth II, so when their son, Alexander becomes King of Alaska, Prince of Liechtenstein as well as King of Great Britain, the crowns come together.

I think that princely family of Liechtenstein is Catholic so this might be problem. And in modern day personal unions hardly are thing so British crown just would go next on the line of succession.
 
No sale to America in the 19th century and the Empire takes over Alaska after the Russian revolution as payment for war debts. Alaska joins Canada after WWII like Newfound Land.
Britain did re-lend a fair amount of money they had borrowed from the US to Russia, so having one of the loans–roughly equal in size to the price the Russians tried to sell Alaska for–use the territory as collateral is rather interesting. Whether Tsarist pride would countenance the deal is another matter.
 
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