The Russian possessions in North America during the XVIII-XIX centuries: characteristics of colonization and factors leading to the loss of territory

The article addresses the still-relevant issue of the colonization of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands by Russian pioneers. The authors, employing a synthesis of the formation, modernization, and civilizational approaches, analyze the reasons behind the transfer of the Russian Empire’s possessions to the United States in 1867. The scientific novelty lies in the comparative analysis of elite and economic factors that largely determined the nature of the development of Russian America. The elite factor is examined as the ruling elite’s aspiration to attain greater profits from the activities of the Russian-American Company amidst minimal state support. Conversely, the economic factor is analyzed in the context of the predominance of feudal-serf relations in the Russian economy, which is intricately intertwined with the elite factor. It is argued that for for the successful development of the region, against the backdrop of the changing international environment in the first half of the XIX century, an economic advancement was imperative, which could only be realized through the implementation of extensive reforms in Russia.