| Summary/Abstract |
Many researchers believed that the external threat to Russian colonies in Alaska was the main reason for the sale of Russian America to the United States in 1867. Our research demonstrates that the Russian colonies were in real danger of external invasion only three times: during the Russo-Sweden war (1788–1790), Anglo-Russian war (1807–1812), and Crimean (East) war (1853–1856). But every time, Russian America avoided military clashes. The days before 1867 (when Alaska was sold to the USA), the international situation was favorable, especially for the safety of Russian colonies. Besides, the latter were not entirely defenseless, having some military force (soldiers, navy sailors and officers, heavy cannons, and armed ships). Thus the external threat to Russian colonies is exaggerated in scholarly literature.
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