The idea of the novel "War and Peace" arose with Tolstoy in 1856. A work was created from 1863 to 1869.
The confrontation with Napoleon in 1812 is the main event in the history of the beginning of the 19th century. The role of war in the novel War and Peace was very important. The philosophical thought of Leo Tolstoy was embodied largely due to its image. In the composition of the novel, war occupies a central place. Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich connects the fate of most of his heroes with her. The war became in their biography a decisive stage, the highest point in spiritual formation. But this is the climax of not only all the plot lines of the work, but also the historical plot, which reveals the fate of the entire people of our country. The role of war in the novel "War and Peace" will be discussed in this article.
War is a test carried out not according to the rules
She became a test for Russian society. Leo Nikolayevich The Patriotic War is seen as the experience of an extraordinarily living unity of people. It took place nationwide on the basis of the interests of the state. In the writer's interpretation, the war of 1812 is a popular war. It started from the time of the fire in the city of Smolensk and did not fit any tradition of previous wars, as Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy noted. The burning of villages and cities, the retreat after numerous battles, the fire of Moscow, the blow of Borodin, the capture of looters, guerrilla warfare, the re-entry of vehicles - all this was a clear departure from the rules. From the political game that Napoleon and Alexander I fought in Europe, the war between Russia and France turned into a popular one, on the outcome of which the fate of the country depended. At the same time, the highest military authorities were unable to control the condition of the units: its dispositions and orders did not correlate with the actual state of affairs and were not executed.
The paradox of war and historical regularity
The main paradox of the war Lev Nikolayevich saw in the fact that Napoleon’s army, having won almost all the battles, eventually lost the campaign, collapsed without noticeable activity on the part of the Russian army. The content of the novel "War and Peace" shows that the defeat of the French is a manifestation of the laws of history. Although at first glance it may inspire the idea that what happened is irrational.
The role of the battle of Borodino
Many episodes of War and Peace describe military operations in detail. At the same time, Tolstoy is trying to recreate a historically true picture. One of the main episodes of World War II is, of course, the battle of Borodino. It made no sense to either the Russians or the French in terms of strategy. Tolstoy, arguing his own position, writes that the immediate result was and was for the population of our country that Russia was dangerously close to the death of Moscow. The French almost destroyed their entire army. Lev Nikolayevich emphasizes that Napoleon and Kutuzov, accepting and giving the Battle of Borodino, acted senselessly and involuntarily, while submitting to historical necessity. The consequence of this battle was the unreasonable flight of conquerors from Moscow, the return along the Smolensk road, the death of Napoleonic France and the five hundred thousandth invasion, on which, for the first time, an arm of the strongest enemy was laid upon Borodino. This battle, therefore, although it did not make sense from the standpoint of military strategy, was a manifestation of the inexorable law of history. It was inevitable.
The abandonment of Moscow
The abandonment by the inhabitants of Moscow is a manifestation of the patriotism of our compatriots. This event, according to Lev Nikolaevich, is more important than the retreat of Russian troops from Moscow. This is an act of civic consciousness manifested by the population. Residents, not wanting to be under the rule of the conqueror, are ready to make any sacrifices. In all cities of Russia, and not just in Moscow, people left their homes, burned cities, destroyed their own property. The Napoleonic army faced this phenomenon only in our country. Residents of other conquered cities in all other countries simply remained under the rule of Napoleon, while even giving a solemn welcome to the conquerors.
Why did the residents decide to leave Moscow?
Lev Nikolaevich emphasized that the population of the capital left Moscow spontaneously. A sense of national pride moved the inhabitants, not Rastopchin and his patriotic "chips." The very first educated, wealthy people who very well knew that Berlin and Vienna were safe and that the inhabitants during the occupation of these cities by Napoleon had fun with the French, whom Russian men and, of course, women loved, were the very first to leave the capital. They could not have acted differently, since there was no question for our compatriots about whether it would be bad or good in Moscow under the control of the French. You could not be in the power of Napoleon. It was simply unacceptable.
Partisan Movement Features
An important feature of the war with Napoleon was a large-scale guerrilla movement. His Leo Tolstoy calls "the club of the people's war." People beat the enemy unconsciously, as dogs gnaw a rabid, deserted dog (a comparison of Lev Nikolaevich). People destroyed in parts a great army. Lev Nikolaevich writes about the existence of various "parties" (partisan detachments), the sole purpose of which is the expulsion of the French from Russian land.
Without thinking about the “course of affairs,” intuitively, the participants in the people's war acted as prompted by historical necessity. The true goal pursued by the partisan detachments was not to destroy the entire army of the enemy or to capture Napoleon. Only as a fabrication of historians who study according to the letters of generals and sovereigns, according to reports, relations of the events of that time, according to Tolstoy, there was such a war. The goal of the "club" was the task that every patriot understood - to clear his land of invasion.
The attitude of Leo Tolstoy to war
Tolstoy, justifying the liberation war of 1812, condemns the war as such. He evaluates it as contrary to the whole nature of man, his mind. Any war is a crime against all of humanity. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Andrei Bolkonsky was ready to die for his fatherland, but at the same time he condemned the war, believing that this was "the most disgusting thing." This is a meaningless slaughter. The role of war in the novel War and Peace is to prove it.
Horrors of war
In the image of Tolstoy, the year 1812 is a historical test that the Russian people passed with honor. However, it is at the same time suffering and grief, the horrors of extermination of people. Moral and physical torment is experienced by everyone - the "guilty" and the "right", and the civilian population, and soldiers. Toward the end of the war, it is no coincidence that the feeling of revenge and insult is replaced in the soul of the Russians with pity and contempt for the defeated enemy. And the fate of the heroes was reflected in the inhumane nature of the events of that time. Killed Peter and Prince Andrew. Finally broke the death of her youngest son Countess Rostov, and also accelerated the death of Count Ilya Andreevich.
Such is the role of war in the novel War and Peace. Lev Nikolaevich as a great humanist, of course, could not limit himself to patriotic pathos in her image. He condemns the war, which is natural if you familiarize yourself with his other works. The main features of the novel "War and Peace" are characteristic of the work of this author.