Chapter 234
When Leaders Panic and People Act
At that very time, in circumstances even more important than retreating without a battle, namely the evacuation and burning of Moscow, Rostopchín, who is usually represented as being the instigator of that event, acted in an altogether different manner from Kutúzov. After the battle of Borodinó the abandonment and burning of Moscow was as inevitable as the retreat of the army beyond Moscow without fighting. Every Russian might have predicted it, not by reasoning but by the feeling implanted in each of us and in our fathers. The same thing that took place in Moscow had happened in all the…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Performer vs. the Problem-Solver
Think of a current situation in your life where there's a problem that needs solving - at work, in your family, or your community. List the people involved and categorize them: Who talks the most about the problem? Who posts about it? Who calls meetings? Now identify who actually takes concrete steps to fix things, even if they get less attention. Write down what you notice about the difference between these two groups.
Consider:
- •The loudest voice isn't always the most effective one
- •People who need credit for helping might be more focused on their image than the actual problem
- •Sometimes the most important work happens quietly, without fanfare
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you caught yourself performing helpfulness rather than actually helping. What was driving that need to be seen as helpful? How might you approach similar situations differently in the future?
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
You Might Also Like
Lessons from War and Peace
Theme-by-theme analyses that connect this book to modern life skills.
Building Authentic Relationships
Watch Natasha's first dance, Anatole's playbook, and the epilogue marriage that includes reproach.
8 chapters·Explore AnalysisEmbracing Simplicity
Start with a tavern in the rain, then Karataev, Nicholas at the plow, and the domestic language after the war.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisFacing Mortality
Stay with Andrei under the Austerlitz sky, then at Yaroslavl, when pride finally has no work left.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisFinding Meaning in Chaos
Follow Pierre from the salon and the inheritance through Borodino to Karataev's prison circle, and see purpose arrive when the systems fail.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisQuestioning Success
Put Pierre's fortune and Hélène's match next to Napoleon in occupied Moscow, and ask what the triumph was for.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisUnderstanding Free Will vs Fate
Sit with Tolstoy at Borodino and in the Second Epilogue, and watch the great-man story come apart.
6 chapters·Explore Analysis
Deep diving the literary elements.