War and Peace Lesson Plan

In Book 3, Part 1, Chapter 5 Tolstoy says:

“Davout was… precise, cruel, and as unable to express his devotion except by cruelty. In the organism of States such men are necessary, as wolves are necessary in the organism of nature, and they always exist.”

Do you think this assertion is true or not? What examples to do you see in the text or in history to support your view? What does it say about how Tolstoy sees the nature of history as expressed in Book 3, Part 1, Chapter 1?

Students should take a stance about whether they agree with this assertion and provide examples from the text or history to support their view. Students may point out that while this may be less true...