Tolstoy reminds us the war had no “cause” in the conventional sense of the word.
Summary:
Returning to what caused the war, Tolstoy again points out that everyone’s actions during the war were compelled by innumerable personal characteristics, habits, situations, psychologies, and egos. There was no big plan everyone was working towards. The participants didn’t even possess the freedom or understanding which would have been necessary to collectively execute a big plan. In fact, the people really high up in the social hierarchy had even less freedom of action than people of low social status. Tolstoy cites many examples of this. It’s only when we look back on it later that we make up a story to explain what happened, but this is merely a fabrication made in hindsight. For example, people today like to say that Russia cleverly allowed Napoleon to go far into Russia. But in fact, at the time, this was the last thing the Russians wanted.
quote from the chapter:
Alexander refused negotiations because he felt himself to be personally insulted. Barclay de Tolly tried to command the army in the best way, because he wished to fulfill his duty and earn fame as a great commander. Rostóv charged the French because he could not restrain his wish for a gallop across a level field; and in the same way the innumerable people who took part in the war acted in accord with their personal characteristics, habits, circumstances, and aims. They were moved by fear or vanity, rejoiced or were indignant, reasoned, imagining that they knew what they were doing and did it of their own free will, but they all were involuntary tools of history, carrying on a work concealed from them but comprehensible to us. Such is the inevitable fate of men of action, and the higher they stand in the social hierarchy the less are they free.
The actors of 1812 have long since left the stage, their personal interests have vanished leaving no trace, and nothing remains of that time but its historic results.
Book 10, Chapter 1
Tolstoy reminds us the war had no “cause” in the conventional sense of the word.
Summary:
Returning to what caused the war, Tolstoy again points out that everyone’s actions during the war were compelled by innumerable personal characteristics, habits, situations, psychologies, and egos. There was no big plan everyone was working towards. The participants didn’t even possess the freedom or understanding which would have been necessary to collectively execute a big plan. In fact, the people really high up in the social hierarchy had even less freedom of action than people of low social status. Tolstoy cites many examples of this. It’s only when we look back on it later that we make up a story to explain what happened, but this is merely a fabrication made in hindsight. For example, people today like to say that Russia cleverly allowed Napoleon to go far into Russia. But in fact, at the time, this was the last thing the Russians wanted.
quote from the chapter:
Alexander refused negotiations because he felt himself to be personally insulted. Barclay de Tolly tried to command the army in the best way, because he wished to fulfill his duty and earn fame as a great commander. Rostóv charged the French because he could not restrain his wish for a gallop across a level field; and in the same way the innumerable people who took part in the war acted in accord with their personal characteristics, habits, circumstances, and aims. They were moved by fear or vanity, rejoiced or were indignant, reasoned, imagining that they knew what they were doing and did it of their own free will, but they all were involuntary tools of history, carrying on a work concealed from them but comprehensible to us. Such is the inevitable fate of men of action, and the higher they stand in the social hierarchy the less are they free.
The actors of 1812 have long since left the stage, their personal interests have vanished leaving no trace, and nothing remains of that time but its historic results.
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