15:25 30.03.2017(updated 15:34 30.03.2017)

The 19th century purchase of Alaska by the United States from Russia is plagued by a plethora of historic myths on both sides of the Pacific, but the reality of the day was grounded in the politics and geopolitical games being played out at the time, experts told Sputnik on Thursday.

ANCHORAGE (Alaska), (Sputnik), Tatyana Lukyanova — Thursday marks the 150th anniversary of Russia's transfer of ownership of Alaska to the United States. The 19th century deal continues to stir passions and historic arguments in both countries. Some believe the myth that Alaska was leased for 99 years but was never claimed back by the Soviet Union in 1967. Others think that the US gold payment sunk along with the ship carrying it in the Gulf of Finland without ever making it into Russian coffers. In the United States, the myth that the deal caused widespread resentment among the country's population is possibly one of the most persistent.

"Unfortunately, details get lost when we go for the shorthands to explain complex historical events… But there is a better reason for the unpopularity of the deal. The thing is, it supports this idea that Alaskans have always been misunderstood, mistreated by the government, which always conducted political affairs that go against their wishes, their independence, their will to be free and productive," Steve Haycox, professor emeritus of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage, said.

Many Alaskans harbor the sentiment that Washington is out of touch with the local population. The 2016 presidential election served as an illustration of this when the state voted in droves for the anti-establishment figure of Donald Trump, with just around 35 percent supporting his institutionally embedded rival Hillary Clinton. The state is solidly Republican but almost 6 percent also backed the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.

More:

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201703301052119568-alaska-purchase-myths/

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IZAKOVIC