The Growing Mouse: A Collaborative TL

Shronkey2021

Banned
1867: Tsar Alexander II of Russia offers to sell the land of Alaska to the House of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein, wanting protection from major powers like France and Britain, and also seeing good things in the area, accepts.
 
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Tabs

Tabs

Well, I’m interested. Liechtenstein buying Alaska is such a silly idea, and I’m honestly shocked nobody has made a TL of it yet (as far as I know). Watched.


Atterdag said:
How does owning Alaska protect Liechtenstein? If anything it makes itself more of a target.
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You bring up something important for the writer here: Austria-Hungary actually was a protector of Liechtenstein, not an aggressor at the time (unless I’m horribly wrong correct me if I am). Liechtenstein’s biggest threat with Alaska would be Britain, due to Canada.
 
GrandMaster

GrandMaster

Tabs said:
Liechtenstein buying Alaska is such a silly idea
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Yet it is something that was actively proposed in our timeline (this being due to the good relations between the Houses of Liechtenstein and Romanov, the ruling families of Liechtenstein and Russia).
 
Tabs

Tabs

GrandMaster said:
Yet it is something that was actively proposed in our timeline (this being due to the good relations between the Houses of Liechtenstein and Romanov, the ruling families of Liechtenstein and Russia).
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I know, I’m just saying it’s funny how Liechtenstein of all places was offered it.

also, I’m part of this timeline now. I’ll be collabing with the OP, as I’ve always found this POD interesting. Let’s see how it goes.
 

Shronkey2021

Banned
1867: Liechtenstein (with the help of Russia) sends 2,000 settlers to Alaska to colonize the land. The first, and largest, of the settlements, New Vaduz, is made.
 

DTF955Baseballfan

1868: Austria-Hungary, fresh off the troubles thatled to the Dual Monarchy having to be formed, appreoaches Liechtenstein and works out a deal to send a number of political refugees to the new colony. Feeling the need to expand their colony - they already sent off more than 5% of their own poulation to colonize New Vaduz - they agree.

(I'm not sure where else to go with this but it seems very plausible since A-H is their protector. So, I might not come back to this but it's good to give another spot to build on.)
 

DTF955Baseballfan

1868 (I had time for one more as I thought of this):
1868: Due to the smallppulation, the number of men leaving created enough of a vaccum in society that a number of elderly people -recalling times before the first Consitution in 1818 (when most everythign was on the rural comunity level) - petitionsfor womens' suffrage "because there will, otherwise, be only a handful of ruling elitewithout women taking part."

This is promptly ignored and criticized by the Catholic Church, but it demonstrates an unintended consequence of hundreds of young men going off to Alaskain search of adventure, braving the "almost impossible elements" of the Great North.
 

Shronkey2021

Banned
1868: Liechtenstein becomes the center for many mocking political cartoons, calling the decision "Johann's Folly".

One political cartoon, and the most famous one of them all, shows Johann II about to eat a giant plate of Alaska in a restaurant

While the waiter says "But sir, surely you want to try smaller options. That is way too big for you!"

Johann replies: "Nonsense! I'll be fine!"
 
Admiral Bloonbeard

Admiral Bloonbeard

Shronkey2021 said:
@Admiral Bloonbeard

This proposal actually happened, and Liechtenstein would probably need help from Russia and Austria-Hungary.
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historyofyesterday.com

How One of the Smallest Countries in the World Bought Alaska

How one small but very wealthy country nearly brought Alaska
historyofyesterday.com historyofyesterday.com


"The deal fell out due to the Liechtenstein royal family’s concerns about governing such a large amount of land so far away from their capital. The lack of resources of Alaska also played a part in their rejection of the deal as, at the time, only furs were extracted from the vast tundra. It would only be at the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century that Alaska’s true potential would be discovered."


I'm actually very curious about how this TL would lead to, since it's a major improvement over your previous ones.
 

DTF955Baseballfan

1868: In the waning days of the Congress, with Sewardhaving failed to purchase Alaska, a treaty to purchase the Denis Virgin Islands goes through instead, whereas it might not have otherwise. "Secretary Seward," one paper said, "had tired for years to expand the country, now that slavery was not an issue. Finally, he will have been able to obtain something."

Negotiations for Samana in the Dominican Republic are put off till the next year and a new amdinistration, but the purchase of that port for a base is seen as less likely.
 

Shronkey2021

Banned
1869: President Grant meets up with Prince Johann II during a state visit in New Vaduz.

America agrees to a deal to send 5,000 political refugees to the colony, with Grant saying "It is better to feed a growing mouse than to be the cat."

In the end, over 11,000 people now live in Alaska.
 

DTF955Baseballfan

1869: With "encouragement" by Federal forces, including possible payment, Thomas Dixon, Sr. is one of the men who brings his family to Alaska, in order to create a "great bastion of whiteness," in Dixon's words. One of his sons, Thomas Dixon, Jr., will one day write a trilogy about the lives of Southerners, with "The Great White NOrth" being the 2nd of three books (After "The Leopard's Spots") detailing the struggles of Southerners during REconstruction which led to their being considered "political refugees" and deciding to take advantage of the opportunities offered in Liechtensteinian Alaska, where they "tried to overwhlm the Catholics and Orthodox there" with their numbers.
 
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