Summary
Tolstoy steps back from the story to examine how power and command actually work in the real world. He argues that we misunderstand cause and effect when it comes to leadership. We think Napoleon's orders caused his armies to invade Russia, but Tolstoy shows this is backwards thinking. Commands only get executed when they align with what's already possible and happening. Napoleon gave millions of orders throughout his reign—most were ignored or forgotten. The ones that got carried out weren't special because of Napoleon's will, but because circumstances made them possible. Tolstoy then explains how all organizations naturally form pyramid structures, like a cone. At the bottom are the many people who do the actual work—soldiers who fight, workers who build, nurses who care for patients. Moving up the cone, fewer people give more commands but do less hands-on work. At the very top sits one person who commands everything but touches nothing directly. This isn't just military structure—it's how every workplace, government, and group organizes itself. The people at the bottom have the most direct impact on what actually happens, while those at the top have the least direct participation but the most commanding authority. This insight reveals why so many orders from above fail—they come from people furthest removed from the actual work and reality on the ground.
Coming Up in Chapter 360
Having dissected how power really works, Tolstoy prepares to deliver his final thoughts on what all of this means for understanding history, human nature, and our place in the grand sweep of events.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Only the expression of the will of the Deity, not dependent on time, can relate to a whole series of events occurring over a period of years or centuries, and only the Deity, independent of everything, can by His sole will determine the direction of humanity’s movement; but man acts in time and himself takes part in what occurs. Reinstating the first condition omitted, that of time, we see that no command can be executed without some preceding order having been given rendering the execution of the last command possible. No command ever appears spontaneously, or itself covers a whole series of occurrences; but each command follows from another, and never refers to a whole series of events but always to one moment only of an event. When, for instance, we say that Napoleon ordered armies to go to war, we combine in one simultaneous expression a whole series of consecutive commands dependent one on another. Napoleon could not have commanded an invasion of Russia and never did so. Today he ordered such and such papers to be written to Vienna, to Berlin, and to Petersburg; tomorrow such and such decrees and orders to the army, the fleet, the commissariat, and so on and so on—millions of commands, which formed a whole series corresponding to a series of events which brought the French armies into Russia. If throughout his reign Napoleon gave commands concerning an invasion of England and expended on no other undertaking so much time and effort, and yet during his whole reign never once attempted to execute that design but undertook an expedition into Russia, with which country he considered it desirable to be in alliance (a conviction he repeatedly expressed)—this came about because his commands did not correspond to the course of events in the first case, but did so correspond in the latter. For an order to be certainly executed, it is necessary that a man should order what can be executed. But to know what can and what cannot be executed is impossible, not only in the case of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in which millions participated, but even in the simplest event, for in either case millions of obstacles may arise to prevent its execution. Every order executed is always one of an immense number unexecuted. All the impossible orders inconsistent with the course of events remain unexecuted. Only the possible ones get linked up with a consecutive series of commands corresponding to a series of events, and are executed. Our false conception that an event is caused by a command which precedes it is due to the fact that when the event has taken place and out of thousands of others those few commands which were consistent with that event have been executed, we forget about the others that were not executed because they could not be. Apart from that, the chief source of our error in this matter is due to the fact that in the historical accounts a whole series...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Distance-Authority Trap
The further someone is from actual work, the more commanding authority they hold and the less their orders align with reality.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when authority is divorced from competence by recognizing organizational pyramid structures.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone giving you orders has less direct experience with the actual work than you do—then adjust your response accordingly.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Chain of Command
The formal line of authority from top to bottom in any organization. Tolstoy shows how orders flow down through layers of people, getting interpreted and changed at each level.
Modern Usage:
Every workplace has this - from CEO to manager to supervisor to front-line worker.
Hierarchical Structure
The pyramid shape of power that Tolstoy describes, where many people at the bottom do the actual work while fewer people at the top make decisions. The higher you go, the less direct contact you have with the real work.
Modern Usage:
Think hospital administrators making policies while nurses deal with actual patients, or corporate executives deciding store policies while cashiers face angry customers.
Divine Will vs Human Agency
Tolstoy's philosophical point about whether events happen because God wills them or because humans make choices. He argues that individual human commands are less powerful than we think.
Modern Usage:
Like when we blame one person for a company's success or failure, ignoring all the other factors involved.
Spontaneous Command
Tolstoy's argument that no order appears out of nowhere - every command builds on previous orders and circumstances. Leaders don't create action from nothing.
Modern Usage:
When your boss takes credit for an idea that actually came from months of team discussions and groundwork.
Consecutive Orders
The reality that what looks like one big decision is actually thousands of small, connected commands given over time. Napoleon didn't order 'invade Russia' - he gave millions of smaller orders that led there.
Modern Usage:
Like how launching a new product isn't one decision but hundreds of emails, meetings, and small choices that build momentum.
Execution vs Authority
Tolstoy's insight that the people with the most authority to give commands often have the least ability to execute them directly. Real power lies with those who do the actual work.
Modern Usage:
The nurse who actually saves lives has less official power than the hospital administrator who never touches a patient.
Characters in This Chapter
Napoleon
Example of misunderstood leadership
Tolstoy uses Napoleon to show how we wrongly credit individual leaders with causing massive events. Napoleon gave millions of orders, but only the ones that matched existing conditions got executed.
Modern Equivalent:
The CEO who gets credit for company success but actually just happened to be there when market conditions were right
Key Quotes & Analysis
"No command can be executed without some preceding order having been given rendering the execution of the last command possible."
Context: Tolstoy explaining why commands don't work in isolation
This reveals that successful leadership isn't about giving powerful orders, but about understanding what's already possible. Commands only work when the groundwork is already there.
In Today's Words:
You can't just tell people to do something and expect it to happen - you need to set up the conditions first.
"Napoleon could not have commanded an invasion of Russia and never did so."
Context: Challenging our assumptions about how historical events happen
Tolstoy argues that what we call 'Napoleon's invasion' was really millions of small decisions and circumstances. No single person commanded such a massive undertaking.
In Today's Words:
The boss didn't really 'decide' to expand the company - it was thousands of small choices by many people that made it happen.
"Only the expression of the will of the Deity, not dependent on time, can relate to a whole series of events occurring over a period of years or centuries."
Context: Opening the chapter with thoughts on divine will versus human planning
Tolstoy suggests that only God can plan events across long time periods. Humans live moment to moment and can only influence immediate circumstances.
In Today's Words:
Only God can see the big picture - the rest of us are just dealing with whatever's in front of us right now.
Thematic Threads
Power
In This Chapter
Tolstoy exposes how real power flows from circumstances and alignment, not from commanding authority or individual will
Development
Evolved from earlier battle scenes to this broader analysis of how power actually operates in all organizations
In Your Life:
You might notice how the most effective managers at work are often those closest to the actual daily operations, not the ones with the biggest titles
Class
In This Chapter
The pyramid structure inherently creates class divisions between commanders who don't work and workers who don't command
Development
Builds on earlier themes of social hierarchy by showing how organizational structure creates and maintains class separation
In Your Life:
You experience this whenever you feel frustrated that people making decisions about your job have never actually done your job
Reality vs Illusion
In This Chapter
Commands appear to cause action, but Tolstoy reveals that successful commands only work when they align with what's already happening
Development
Continues the theme of surface appearances versus underlying truth that runs throughout the novel
In Your Life:
You see this when workplace initiatives only succeed if they match what employees were already willing or able to do
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
The pyramid structure affects how people relate to each other, creating barriers between levels that prevent real communication
Development
Expands earlier relationship themes to show how organizational structure shapes human connection
In Your Life:
You might notice how hard it becomes to maintain genuine relationships with people once there's a significant power or status difference between you
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
According to Tolstoy, why do most orders from leaders fail while only some succeed?
analysis • surface - 2
How does the pyramid structure of organizations create a disconnect between those who command and those who execute?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern in your own workplace, family, or community - people at the top making decisions that don't match reality on the ground?
application • medium - 4
When you receive orders or requests that seem impossible or unrealistic, how could you respond in a way that acknowledges both the command and the reality?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about why good intentions from leaders often create bad outcomes for workers?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Pyramid
Draw the organizational pyramid for your workplace, family, or any group you belong to. Put yourself on the pyramid and identify who gives you orders and who follows your directions. Then trace one recent decision or command from the top down to see where it succeeded or failed and why.
Consider:
- •Notice how information changes as it moves up and down the pyramid
- •Identify where the biggest gaps exist between command and reality
- •Consider how your position affects what you see and don't see
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you received an order or request that seemed impossible. How did you handle it? Looking back, what was the disconnect between the person giving the command and the reality you faced?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 360: The True Nature of Power
In the next chapter, you'll discover real power works differently than it appears on the surface, and learn leaders often get credit for things they didn't actually control. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.