Chapter 357
The Problem of Power
Having abandoned the conception of the ancients as to the divine subjection of the will of a nation to some chosen man and the subjection of that man’s will to the Deity, history cannot without contradictions take a single step till it has chosen one of two things: either a return to the former belief in the direct intervention of the Deity in human affairs or a definite explanation of the meaning of the force producing historical events and termed “power.” A return to the first is impossible, the belief has been destroyed; and so it is essential to explain…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"why did six hundred thousand men go to fight when Napoleon uttered certain words, seems to us senseless"
Context: Questioning power
Familiarity blocks inquiry.
In Today's Words:
Tolstoy says we find it senseless to ask why six hundred thousand men fought when Napoleon spoke because power feels natural. Habit hides the real question about mass obedience. Ask what makes crowds move before you name the speaker at the front. Track who gains leverage and who bears the private cost.
"He had the power and so what he ordered was done. This reply is quite satisfactory if we believe that the power was given him by God."
Context: Circular power
God or gap.
In Today's Words:
Saying he had power so orders were done satisfies only if God gave the power. Without divine appointment the answer explains nothing. When someone cites authority alone, ask what relation makes obedience happen. Without divine appointment that loop explains nothing about why masses obey. Track who gains leverage and who bears the private cost.
"Power is the collective will of the people transferred, by expressed or tacit consent, to their chosen rulers."
Context: Legal definition
Theory vs history.
In Today's Words:
Jurisprudence defines power as collective will transferred to rulers by consent, neat on paper but brittle in revolutions and conquests. Legal theory can describe offices without explaining mass movement. Test abstract power against actual transfers and failures. Track who gains leverage and who bears the private cost.
"the activity of the millions who migrate, burn houses, abandon agriculture, and destroy one another never is expressed in the account of the activity of some dozen people"
Context: Missing masses
History's blind spot.
In Today's Words:
Millions who migrate burn and kill never appear in accounts of a dozen leaders who did not do those acts. Official history often erases the people who actually moved. Look for the crowd doing the work not only the portrait on the cover. Track who gains leverage and who bears the private cost.
Thematic Threads
Power Defined
In This Chapter
Jurisprudence vs historical revolutions
Development
Second Epilogue climax
In Your Life:
You might accept boss orders as power without asking what makes compliance happen.
Masses vs Leaders
In This Chapter
Millions act; dozens get credit
Development
Book-long Napoleon critique
In Your Life:
You might look past workers to the executive photo.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Why is Napoleon's order unsatisfying as explanation?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
He had power only explains if God gave it; otherwise we must define relation to people.
- 2
How do three historian schools fail?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Unconditional transfer, conditional with unknown terms, or vague aims; all contradict in practice.
- 3
What does the Crusades example show?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Movement began without clear leaders; stopped when impulse faded though popes commanded.
- 4
Why cannot moral genius explain Louis XI or Metternich?
application • deepOne way to read it
Power is not Hercules force or superior morality; relation to people must be defined.
- 5
When have you blamed a visible person for a systemic shift?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Name a mass change credited to one figure when many forces were at work.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Hidden System
Choose a recurring problem in your workplace, family, or community that people usually blame on specific individuals. Draw or write out what you see: Who gets blamed? What visible behaviors do people focus on? Then dig deeper: What pressures, systems, or constraints might be creating these behaviors? What would change if you addressed the system instead of blaming the person?
Consider:
- •Look for patterns that repeat even when different people are involved
- •Consider financial pressures, time constraints, or conflicting expectations
- •Ask what would happen if you removed the 'problem person' but left everything else the same
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you were blamed for something that felt bigger than your individual choices. What systems or pressures were you responding to that others couldn't see?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 358: The Myth of Great Man Leadership
Tolstoy calls the transfer of collective will an unverified hypothesis and compares historians who credit the animal at the head of the herd to those who ignore pasture and herdsman.
