War and Peace, Book 15: 1812–13, Chapter 14 summary
Book 15: 1812–13, Chapter 14 of 365 · 4 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 14, Russians return to ruined Moscow after the French leave, first plundering its remains and then restoring trade, housing, worship, and administration. The narrator presents this recovery as the work of many private motives, arguing that the city's essential strength survives the destruction of its buildings and institutions.
What happens
- The narrator compares returning Russians to ants whose activity reveals a colony's strength after its mound is destroyed.
- Cossacks, peasants, and returning residents enter Moscow and take goods from its ruined streets and houses.
- The narrator contrasts destructive French plundering with Russian plundering that brings people and resources back into circulation.
- Authorities redirect peasants toward removing corpses, while food sellers, carpenters, merchants, and clergy restore ordinary activity.
- Officials distribute abandoned goods, property owners dispute ownership and compensation, and Count Rostopchín issues proclamations.
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What do the authorities make peasants with empty carts do?
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