What would have happened during the Cold War if the US had not bought Alaska in 1867 from Russia?

Would the USSR have invaded Canada being they would have shared a land border putting possibly a million Russian troops on the US northern border? Maybe have the USSR Fleet in the Great Lakes passing within sight of Detroit on the Detroit River?

Dopler2012-10-21T19:37:09Z

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The Russians could have invaded Canada anyway. We have basically zero military presence up there to defend ourselves against a cross-Arctic attack. In fact, Russia wouldn't even have needed to invade us; they could just fly bombers right over us into the USA, which is precisely why NORAD was created.

The Cold War wasn't about land battles, or who borders who. *Both* sides were afraid to initiate an actual conflict because both sides knew that it would lead to a nuke fight. Nobody wins in a nuke fight...complete destruction to both countries involved, and a huge radiation problem for other countries nearby. Neither sided was willing to take those risks, and Russia being in possession of Alaska wouldn't change that.

ammianus2012-10-21T20:13:02Z

No difference,as Britain would probably have taken control of Alaska instead of USA - the Russians had already offered to sell Alaska to Britain,but they weren't interested at the time,so Russia then offered it to USA.

Had USA also turned the opportunity down,the most likely scenario is that Russia would either have gone back to Britain and sold Alaska at a bargain price,or just withdrawn from the area altogether.Britain would then almost certainly have moved in a nd taken Alaska over - the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s would have seen to that if nothing had been done before.

So,the West would still have been in control of Alaska during the Cold War even if USA had not purchased it from Russia.

?2016-10-04T11:28:44Z

interior the way issues are going, all people gets the jitters. might desire to this be a clean escalation of the arms race looming over the horizon?. it form of feels to be that a clean chilly conflict is build up. the previous chilly conflict became into risky sufficient, yet became into saved on top of issues by using the pursuit of international kin by using the superpowers. yet with this new chilly conflict, there is not any international kin by any skill. The tensions proceed to construct-up with out any diplomatic communicate between the superpowers. If activities are allowed to proceed like this with out any exchange interior the distant places coverage of the superpowers, international conflict III would be a fact.

Anonymous2012-10-21T22:47:51Z

I'd be living in Russia instead of the US right now