For Marx, the class struggle in France created the circumstances in which a “grotesque mediocrity” – that is, Napoleon – was morphed into a hero. As far as Tolstoy was concerned, Napoleon was not a particularly good general, and was carried to victory by the courage and commitment of all of the individual French soldiers who won the Battle of Borodino.
马克思和托尔斯泰会说根本不存在什么“伟大领袖”。在马克思看来，法国的阶级斗争创造了拿破仑这样的“怪诞庸才”成为英雄的环境。在托尔斯泰看来，拿破仑算不上特别出色的将军，他的胜利应该归功于打赢波罗底诺战役的法国士兵的勇气和献身精神。