When Herzen was writing his words, Moscow was not only busy successfully putting down the Poles, reasserting its rule there for another half-century, but also, together with China, carving up Central Asia, known then as Turkestan.
Lorsque Herzen écrivait ces mots, Moscou n’était pas seulement en train d’asservir les Polonais avec brio, réaffirmant sa force pour un autre demi-siècle.