Prussia also reacted to the news of the Alaska Purchase with some concern. The newspaper Le Temps observed that the American acquisition would have particular significance for British America, but also declared that, “the importance of the event that the telegraph has just informed us of is not limited to the New World.” While Napoleon was particularly concerned about Russian intentions in Europe, the French public was alarmed by the news of the purchase as well. Of all the continental European countries, France displayed the most concern at the announcement of the Alaska Purchase. The Austrian paper, the Neue Freie Presse, for example, speculated that the government of the United States had “obligated itself in an agreement for the cession of Russian America in support of the Russian government in the Orient and using the American Navy if necessary.” The cession of Russian America was consistent with Russia’s emergence from isolation, and had gained the growing nation two things: money for its treasury and an alliance. consul in Frankfurt on Main, wrote, “what deep and exciting impression the first short and abrupt telegraphic report of that unexpected change of territory produced amongst the different political circles of Europe.” There were rumors that the Alaska deal included America’s promise to back Russia up on its territorial ambitions in Europe and the Near East. “It is, indeed, astonishing,” William Murphy, U.S. officials serving in Europe remarked that the news had taken everyone completely by surprise. In the midst of this international turmoil, the sudden announcement that Russian America had been ceded to the United States elicited a variety of reactions across Europe. Many nations saw the purchase as an important step in the formation of a Russian-American alliance and feared what such a relationship might bring.Įurope in the 1860s was a rapidly changing landscape, fueled by nationalism in its various forms and the international rivalry that was usually a byproduct. Reactions to the Alaska Purchase were often strongest in Canada and Great Britain, for obvious reasons of territorial proximity, but there were also serious concerns in France, Prussia, and the Ottoman Empire. Though many people know the basic outline of this story, few realize the international impact of the sale. Secretary of State William Seward signed the treaty that would ultimately transfer ownership of Russian America to the United States. ![]() In the early hours of March 30, 1867, Russian Minister Edouard de Stoeckl and U.S. Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Project Jukebox September 19, 2022Įuropean Reactions to The Alaska Purchase.UAF Archives Open House October 16, 2022.2022 Candidate Questionnaire October 21, 2022.Eyewitness Series Booklet #8 October 21, 2022.Alaska Fisheries: A Guide to History Resources.Links and Resources for Cannery Projects.The Seward Shame Pole: Countering Alaska’s Sesquicentennial.The Legacy of Sitka’s First Ten Years Under the American Flag, 1867-1877.How the Treaty of Cession led to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.European Reactions to The Alaska Purchase.The Treaty of Cession & Alaska Native Rights.Eyewitness Accounts to Alaska Transfer Ceremony. ![]() ![]()
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