The Slavs wish to join in spirit with Russia, the only independent, organised Slavic state, and their global representative. We may now state this openly: that following our most recent negative experiences, the harsh disappointments of these latter days, our hearts have opened wide to Russia.
Štúr’s maturing to a Russophilism, which progresses from a respect and fascination with the one Slavic ‘tribe’ that still plays an independent role on the European stage, to an active propagation of political union with the Tsarist Empire, is a curious mixture of a cold, logical thought process, and an urge toward idealism that seems at times wilfully uncritical. In 1852, at the mature age of 37, Štúr has eaten from more than one dish, as the Slavic saying goes. Having dedicated his life to the caus
