Why didn't Russia seize California when it could?

score:8

Accepted answer

It was horribly too far away.

One thing is stablishing some minor settlements and trade activities, and a very different one is conducting a military expedition.

Siberia was not developed to support such an effort locally, and most of the southern coastline of what is now the Russian Far East was part of China (which ceded it to Russia as part of the Treaty of Aigun.

So, the options to bring military force were:

  • Send them by land, through Siberia1, to... where? there were some ports, but they were up North and none was big enough to build a fleet.

  • Send them by ship from Saint Petersburg. They will have to go either around the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn.

    • Going through the Cape of Good Hope would lenghthen the travel,

    • Going through Cape Horn would mean not being able to resupply2 in the Spanish held coastline, since Argentina to California.

    And of couse, the fleet would pass near the Spanish coastline, giving the Spanish fleet a chance to attack3.

  • Same of the above, but from the Black Sea. Pretty much the same, except for the added issue of the risk of meeting the Spanish fleet at the passing of Gibraltar.

I mean, Spain was far from California, but compared with that kind of travel, it was practically next door with it. Spain could move troops to Central America and make a "short" land trip to California, and had troops available in better stablished colonies4.

And all of that5 to grab a lot of far away, completely undeveloped land, of which Russia already had lots.

Add to all of it that the ruling mentality was, until WWII, that Europe was the center of the world and the rest of it was important only as a way of getting resources for the metropoli, and it is easy to understand that such an enterprise would have been considered pointless.

1And not current day Siberia, but a Siberia far less developed, with worse roads, less towns --> lots of supply problem.

2Unless they assaulted Spanish towns... but those were far better developed than California was.

3Of course, Spain at the time was not a maritime power, but neither was Russia, and Spain would have its bases closer.

4At the time they were pretty busy fighting independentist movements, though.

5Well, and the risk of getting in trouble with some other power.

Upvote:-1

Did you ever hear of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars?

A generation of on and off conflicts that devastated Europe and killed millions and changed everything. Wouldn't you expect that people and even their rulers were just a wee little bit tired and frightened of killing and war after that?

Thus the governments of Europe adopted the Congress system or Concert of Europe in 1815 which continued until at least the early 1820s and did not totally break down until the Crimean war of 1853-1856. They were reluctant to risk major European wars for most of the period before Russia sold Alaska to the US in 1867.

And of course if Russia did decide to risk war with Spain by attacking Spanish colonies, how could Spain and any allies retaliate? They could send a fleet through the Mediterranean and Black Sea to attack and maybe destroy the Russian naval bases in the Crimea. And they could have used another tactic from the Crimean war of the 1850s and sent a fleet to the Baltic. What was the worst that a Spanish fleet in the Baltic could have possibly done? Captured the city of Saint Petersburg that just happened to be the Russian capital, that's what!

After Mexico became independent in 1821. Russia could have invaded and taken over California. But if the Russians landed a brigade or something in California the Mexicans could have sent a division or two to recover California. And possibly Spain and other European powers might have sent ships and soldiers to help drive the Russians out of California.

In the 19th century Russia and the USA were often on good terms. But if the Russians conquered California they would soon lose American friendship and suspect that the US government as interested in sending an army overland to take over California.

Upvote:5

TL;DR: Russia was not interested.

Fort Ross did only sea otter hunting; all attempts to grow food on any reasonable scale failed. California in general was a desert with half-wild grazing and no arable land, except maybe some of New Helvetia (which started wheat production only as late as 1840, and even that was barely sustainable). Of course lumber was great, but I doubt Russia has any interest in more lumber.

Mexico was equally uninterested. When in 1836 von Wrangel talked to Mexican government about legitimization of Fort Ross, they agree on the only condition that Russia would establish diplomatic relationship with Mexico. Tzar Nicolas said that he'd never recognize this ungodly Republic. So much for the either side interest.

I don't even want to start on the ghastly logistics of a military expedition to California.

PS: Russia had a small window of opportunity to expand into Oregon Territory before 1805, but Paul was preoccupied with the Maltese knighthood.

Upvote:5

Russia had no Pacific fleet until after the Americans came to California and Oregon. It only obtained the area around Vladivostok in 1860, the future base of the Pacific fleet.

In fact, Russia had no navy until the time of Peter the Great (1690s). Even then, it was far behind the fleets of Britain and France in the 18th century.

As late as 1905, Russia had a terrible time sending its Baltic fleet to the Far East (for the battle of Tsushima Straits). This was in an era of coal and steam powered ships, and when the Suez Canal was in use. It would have been very difficult to send sail-driven ships around the Cape of Good Hope (or Cape Horn, through Spanish held waters) and from there to Alaska, which is why Russia didn't try.

Russia sold Alaska to the United States because its grip on it was tenuous at best. California was even further south (that is, away from Siberia) and harder to manage. Even if Russia could somehow "seize" California, it couldn't hold it very long against Spanish, American and British pressure. Assuming that Russia had somehow gotten hold of, and held California, it would probably have been included in the "Alaska" sale.

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