In Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Prince Andrey enumerated the factions within the Russian high command during Napoleon’s invasion. You usually see the full range or a subset of these dynamics as a group responds to situations.
- Rigid military theorists
- Non-planners favoring spontaneous actions
- Courtiers reconciling the first two groups
- Advocates of surrendering to Napoleon
- Adherents to Barclay de Tolly
- Adherents to Bennigsen, calling for Barclay to be replaced
- Devoted worshippers of the Tsar
- Place seekers chasing crosses and promotions (the largest group)
- Older politicians who can withdraw from conflicting opinions and take an objective view
Andy Yee 