4c. Leo Tolstoy and Nonviolence

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a member of an aristocratic family in the 19th century Russian empire. He was brought up in the Russian Orthodox Church, but distanced himself from religious institutions. He became a famous author which is perhaps one reason his ideas were picked up. The novel War and Peace, published in 1869, is considered one of Tolstoy’s masterpieces; at over 1,000 pages it is a challenging read both for its length and its deep philosophizing.

After serving in the Russian military and experiencing the horror of war, Tolstoy gradually came to a position of nonviolence. He studied the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament Bible, in particular commandments to love one’s enemies and not resist evil. It may seem ironic, but Tolstoy was excommunicated from the church for these views in 1909. Although sharing a belief in nonresistance with the sectarian religious groups discussed in Module 3, Tolstoy’s position differed in that he believed nonviolence was possible for all of society and not just for religious groups that separated themselves from society. As well, the religious groups were obedient to the state and its right to use force, whereas Tolstoy rejected the authority of the state. Some say he pulled nonviolence outside of the Christian tradition.

Here are some additional features of Tolstoy’s ideas:

• Jesus’ principles of nonviolence, turning the other cheek, and not resisting evil, are universal moral principles, applicable humanity-wide in all religions and to all people;
• the state is by nature violent and so the goal of a nonviolent humanity is to eliminate states; as such, Tolstoy was sometimes called an ‘anarcho-pacifist’ (anarchists denied the legitimacy of the political state);
• Tolstoy called for nonparticipation in any coercive function of government, which included payment of taxes;
• the most important manifestation of nonresistance is refusal to perform military service; he was thus a strong supporter of Conscientious Objectors in Russia;
• patriotism is contrary to pacifism and goes against the law of love;
• nonviolence extended to one’s relationships with animals and so Tolstoy became vegetarian;
• Tolstoy rejected ownership of land, because force was required to defend one’s land;
• no matter how complicated the reasons, violent acts all have a final stage – someone has to pull a trigger or push a button – thus the most reliable way to eradicate violence is to start with the final stage, with an individual’s refusal to participate in violence.

As noted earlier in the course, Tolstoy can be described as an "absolute pacifist." Can you imagine how the world would look if it was modelled on Tolstoy’s ideas of nonviolence? No states? No land ownership? It would seem very utopian. 

Although Tolstoy did not start an identifiable ‘peace movement,’ there were and are many people who called themselves Tolstoyans. For example, Tolstoyan colonies were established in England in the late 19th century. In 1910, Mohandas K. Gandhi started an intentional community called Tolstoy Farm outside Johannesburg, South Africa. Gandhi also said that Tolstoy’s book titled The Kingdom of God is Within You “overwhelmed him.” The two also exchanged letters.

Tolstoy’s ideas had particular impact on war resistors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in countries that had conscription – mandatory military service. In his own country, he became an advocate for Conscientious Objectors (we’ll learn more about this in Module 5) who were treated harshly, including imprisonment. His followers, called Tolstoyans, were suppressed in the Soviet Union during the Stalin era.