The Austerlitz-to-Borodino Contrast

War and Peace

The novel contrasts Austerlitz's pursuit of glory with Borodino's acceptance of suffering and collective duty.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Austerlitz Expectations Austerlitz Expectations from "War and Peace". Glory Anticipated Young officers and rulers expect a decisive battle that will confirm military theories and imperial prestige.

Austerlitz Expectations from "War and Peace". Glory Anticipated Young officers and rulers expect a decisive battle that will confirm military theories and imperial prestige.

Glory Anticipated Young officers and rulers expect a decisive battle that will confirm military theories and imperial prestige. Court Atmosphere The army carries the confidence of reviews and ceremonies into the field. Hidden Fragility The soldiers lack a shared reason for fighting.

Austerlitz Rout Austerlitz Rout from "War and Peace". The Army Says It Has Lost The Russian army collapses when fear and confusion become more powerful than discipline.

Austerlitz Rout from "War and Peace". The Army Says It Has Lost The Russian army collapses when fear and confusion become more powerful than discipline.

The Army Says It Has Lost The Russian army collapses when fear and confusion become more powerful than discipline. Moral Defeat Prince Andrei discovers that the feeling of defeat can determine a battle before material destruction is complete. False Greatness The commanders' plans are exposed as fragile arrangements over unpredictable human action.

Borodino Readiness Borodino Readiness from "War and Peace". Soldiers Await Suffering At Borodino, the Russian troops prepare quietly, knowing that the coming battle may kill them.

Borodino Readiness from "War and Peace". Soldiers Await Suffering At Borodino, the Russian troops prepare quietly, knowing that the coming battle may kill them.

Soldiers Await Suffering At Borodino, the Russian troops prepare quietly, knowing that the coming battle may kill them. Shared Purpose Their strength lies in the army spirit rather than confidence in a perfect plan. Moral Difference They no longer fight for a courtly abstraction but for home, land, and survival.

Borodino Endurance Borodino Endurance from "War and Peace". Holding the Ground The Russian army loses half its strength yet refuses to surrender the road to Moscow.

Borodino Endurance from "War and Peace". Holding the Ground The Russian army loses half its strength yet refuses to surrender the road to Moscow.

Holding the Ground The Russian army loses half its strength yet refuses to surrender the road to Moscow. Tactical Ambiguity The battlefield changes hands repeatedly and commands often fail. Spiritual Victory The French emerge unable to continue the kind of war they came to wage.

War Beyond Rules War Beyond Rules from "War and Peace". The Cudgel Replaces the Rapier Russian resistance abandons the formal conventions that had governed earlier European campaigns.

War Beyond Rules from "War and Peace". The Cudgel Replaces the Rapier Russian resistance abandons the formal conventions that had governed earlier European campaigns.

The Cudgel Replaces the Rapier Russian resistance abandons the formal conventions that had governed earlier European campaigns. Irregular Justice Guerrillas and peasants strike at isolated French forces without waiting for authorized commands. National Transformation The conflict becomes a war of survival in which conventional victory is no longer the measure.

December 1805 before the Battle of Austerlitz

December 1805 during the Battle of Austerlitz

August 25 1812 before the Battle of Borodino

August 26 1812 during the Battle of Borodino

October-December 1812 during the People's war