The period of tsarist conservatism at the end of the nineteenth century emphasized study of the classics and intellectuals were not allowed to delve into the natural sciences. Because Moscow was far removed from the center of power--then in St Petersburg--it became the hotbed of developments in the natural sciences and established a solid scientific structure.
十九世紀末，由於沙皇治國保守，重古典文哲，不願知識分子過份探究自然科學，因此遠離政權中心列寧格勒的莫大，天高皇帝遠，成了自然科學發展的溫床，奠立了堅實的科學架構。