You’re reading my newsletter, Terra Nullius, on the weird and interesting intricacies of the countries and places that make up our world. It currently goes out to over 1,000 people every week. You can subscribe by clicking below: Before even attempting to begin this article, I need you to understand how large 4 million square kilometres is. If it helps, that’s the size of about half of the USA, or around seven of France. If, as many newspapers believe, you can only quantify size through the medium of football pitches, it’s around 560 million of them.
The company "subjugated" indigenous peoples by discouraging settlement by Europeans? As for the company's monopoly being shattered by the Metis, that never actually happened. The Metis were able to trade directly into the U.S, but only diverted part of the company's trade. It was the decline in the demand for furs that led the company to sell out in return for judiciously chosen land grants; a decline that also led to Russia selling Alaska in 1867.
The company "subjugated" indigenous peoples by discouraging settlement by Europeans? As for the company's monopoly being shattered by the Metis, that never actually happened. The Metis were able to trade directly into the U.S, but only diverted part of the company's trade. It was the decline in the demand for furs that led the company to sell out in return for judiciously chosen land grants; a decline that also led to Russia selling Alaska in 1867.