PC: US-Imperial Russia alliance during the American Civil War

I recall reading that US-Russia relations were very good at the time, and Russia was sympathetic to the Union cause (Alexander II saw the Emancipation Proclamation as similar to his own abolition of serfdom). Would an alliance between the two during or shortly after the war be as impractical as it seems?
 
Alliance to what purpose? There is very little Russia could offer that would be relevant to the political interests of the United States, and almost nothing the USA could do that would help Russia. The countries could be on the friendliest of terms not least because of this, but an alliance supposes that you have some kind of shared goal or potential enemy. Relations between Washington and London would need to deteriorate dramatically for Britain to assume that role, and I cannot see anyone else in it.
 
This would happen only if Britain and the U.S. were at war, which is pretty unlikely. Even then, Russia has little to gain and some to lose.
 
Let's give the OP a hand and say for the sake of argument some sort of treaty is signed, not a mutual defense pact or anything, but a precursor to Seward purchasing Alaska. Maybe a most-favored nation reciprocity between the two, special rights in Alaska. Russia had a previous attempt on Hawai'i perhaps Russia agrees to formally denounce any claims based on previous trading posts and recognize a US sphere of influence, maybe the US recognizes Russian border claims against British claims in the Alaskan panhandle in return. It doesn't have to be much, just the beginning of a good friendship.

Probably doesn't do much as far as butterflies- perhaps cooler US-British relations but not by much; perhaps the US and Britain have a harder time coming to a compromise on the Alaskan/British Columbia border (but the US got just about everything it wanted in OTL anyways); perhaps Teddy Roosevelt mediating the Russo-Japanese War is even more pro-Russian though I can't imagine that's possible, Teddy saved Russia's ass. Don't think it could have led to such good relations that Teddy drags us into a war against Japan and turn the tide for a Russian victory but maybe with another POD or two someone could make a realistic TL where Roosevelt brings us into war against Japan. Does this put Japan on the Central Powers side during WWI, or perhaps Japan is so isolated they don't join WWI against Germany or invade Manchuria and Japan doesn't join the Axis and the Pacific theater of WWII doesn't happen or if it does, Japan sees an America led by another Roosevelt and wants revenge for what happened 40 years earlier. Lots of possibilities.
 
Let's give the OP a hand and say for the sake of argument some sort of treaty is signed, not a mutual defense pact or anything, but a precursor to Seward purchasing Alaska. Maybe a most-favored nation reciprocity between the two, special rights in Alaska. Russia had a previous attempt on Hawai'i perhaps Russia agrees to formally denounce any claims based on previous trading posts and recognize a US sphere of influence, maybe the US recognizes Russian border claims against British claims in the Alaskan panhandle in return. It doesn't have to be much, just the beginning of a good friendship.

Probably doesn't do much as far as butterflies- perhaps cooler US-British relations but not by much; perhaps the US and Britain have a harder time coming to a compromise on the Alaskan/British Columbia border (but the US got just about everything it wanted in OTL anyways); perhaps Teddy Roosevelt mediating the Russo-Japanese War is even more pro-Russian though I can't imagine that's possible, Teddy saved Russia's ass. Don't think it could have led to such good relations that Teddy drags us into a war against Japan and turn the tide for a Russian victory but maybe with another POD or two someone could make a realistic TL where Roosevelt brings us into war against Japan. Does this put Japan on the Central Powers side during WWI, or perhaps Japan is so isolated they don't join WWI against Germany or invade Manchuria and Japan doesn't join the Axis and the Pacific theater of WWII doesn't happen or if it does, Japan sees an America led by another Roosevelt and wants revenge for what happened 40 years earlier. Lots of possibilities.
teddy did not save russia's ass by that point in the war the Japanese were overextended and at breaking point and in the military echelons the peace came as a sigh of relief. People really overestimate Japanese militaries prowess in the war when for the most part the doctrine used by the Japanese troops at least during the initial and middle stages of the war was to send waves and waves of badly equipped peasant/rural soldiers upon the entrenched Russian lines. They still won most land battles simply showed that their opponents were even worsely equipped and even more badly trained. Te land war was essentially a fight between a mediocre/poor army vs an uttery underequipped/even poorer and worser army.

True the Japanese won most of the battles but casualties for both sides was roughly the same in terms of land forces. In fact form what I researched Japanese officials were relived at the generous terms of the treaty since they knew how close Japan had come to losing it all. Could they have gotten more probably indemnities depending on how the war turned out but the facts on the ground were that Japan could not have really asked for more since the army and finances of the Japanese state were exhausted and Japan was heavily in debt. Besides Japan got most of what it wanted sans northern Sakhalin and indemnities and their was a reason both sides compromised.
 
Top