Tolstoy: Principles for a New World Order

Summary

Tolstoy: Principles for a New World Order by David Redfearn was published in 1992 by Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd, London. The book was written at the prompting of Fred Harrison, who encouraged Redfearn to explore Tolstoy's engagement with Henry George's ideas (Redfearn 1992, p.8). Redfearn acknowledges gratitude to Harrison, Shirley-Anne Hardy, and Professor Robert V. Andelson for suggestions (Redfearn 1992, p.8).

The book traces the intellectual connection between Tolstoy's moral philosophy and Henry George's economic analysis. Redfearn argues that Tolstoy's advocacy of "common before private rights to land" was a central pillar of his philosophy, and that Tolstoy's Georgism was not incidental but foundational to his social thought (Redfearn 1992, p.10). The book covers Tolstoy's critique of the State, his relationship to Henry George's economic ideas, and the relevance of both thinkers for post-Cold War "new world order" questions.

Core Findings

Tolstoy on Land and the State (Chs. 7–8)

Redfearn documents Tolstoy's argument that "depriving men of the land they need to work on not only takes away their freedom and reduces their wages just as effectively as does owning their bodies, but also involves fewer responsibilities" (Redfearn 1992, p.72). Tolstoy saw the abolition of serfdom in Russia (1861) as followed by "a general worsening of the former serfs' standard of living, simply because the total area of land available for their cultivation was approximately halved, and they had to pay for their highly assessed allotments by way of either rent or redemption of a state loan" (Redfearn 1992, p.72–73).

Tolstoy argued that the state's abolition of slavery was done "under pressure, and when it was evident that there was a better way of robbing people of their rightful earnings" — namely, depriving them of access to land (Redfearn 1992, p.72). He drew parallels between Russian serfdom and American slavery, noting that "the negro slaves had no reason to be grateful for their emancipation; for the alternative offered to them, namely to work for their former owners for wages, brought about no essential alleviation of their plight" (Redfearn 1992, p.73).

Tolstoy on Henry George (Ch. 10)

Redfearn traces Tolstoy's encounter with Henry George's ideas, beginning with George's early observations in San Francisco. George noticed that "while in old countries wages are low, in new countries they are always high" — a paradox that led him to his central insight about land (Redfearn 1992, p.94). George's moment of illumination came when he asked a teamster about land prices near Oakland: "Like a flash it came upon me that there was the reason of advancing poverty with advancing wealth. With the growth of population, land grows in value, and the men who work it must pay more for the privilege" (Redfearn 1992, p.96).

Redfearn presents George's definitions as refined in his final works: - Land: "All the material universe outside of man and his products" (Redfearn 1992, p.97) - Labour: "All human exertion, mental or physical, directed towards the production of wealth" (Redfearn 1992, p.97) - Wealth: material things produced by human labor using land (Redfearn 1992, p.97) - Capital: "wealth used in the production of more wealth" (Redfearn 1992, p.97) - Rent: "The share of wealth that accrues to the owners of land by virtue of their ownership" (Redfearn 1992, p.97)

The "Golden Regiment" — Tolstoy's Moscow Experience (Ch. 9)

Redfearn describes Tolstoy's 1881 move to Moscow, where he found urban poverty that "shocked him profoundly" and "set him off on his new career of world reformer" (Redfearn 1992, p.76). Tolstoy witnessed beggars being arrested by police — "the standard reaction everywhere of subordinate officials, on whom the State depends" (Redfearn 1992, p.75). This experience crystallized his critique of state violence and his commitment to land reform.

The State vs. Government Distinction (Ch. 8)

Redfearn draws a crucial distinction between "the State, to which Tolstoy objected on account of both its violent origins and its continuing exploitative purposes backed by violence, and 'government,' a term whose usage in the sense of a body of people vested with legislative and executive authority has been intentionally avoided" (Redfearn 1992, p.73). Tolstoy had "no objection" to the peasant assemblies (mir and volost) that were "reinvested with powers of self-government" in 1861 (Redfearn 1992, p.74).

Critics of Tolstoy's Georgism (Ch. 8)

Redfearn addresses critics who argue Tolstoy "had not proved anarchy desirable" and that states "sometimes protect the poor against the rich" (Redfearn 1992, p.70). Redfearn counters by noting Tolstoy himself "expressly admitted that no such proof is possible" — that neither the necessity nor the harmfulness of the state can be proven by abstract reasoning (Redfearn 1992, p.72). Tolstoy compared the state to an eggshell: "the time will come when we shall outgrow this dependence, just as the chick outgrows its need for the protection of the eggshell. The State will then inevitably disappear" (Redfearn 1992, p.72).

Policy Recommendations

• Single tax / land value taxation: Tolstoy advocated George's proposal that land rent be collected for public revenue
• Non-violent resistance to state: Tolstoy argued individuals should "refuse either to take oaths of allegiance to [rulers], or to obey their orders to perform any immoral action" (Redfearn 1992, p.73)
• Peasant self-government: Tolstoy supported the mir (village assembly) and volost (canton assembly) as models of community governance (Redfearn 1992, p.74)

Nuances and Limits

• Redfearn is an advocate for both Tolstoy and George; the book is explicitly a "defence of them against misguided criticism" (Redfearn 1992, p.8), so it is not a neutral scholarly assessment
• The book's 1992 publication date means it predates the full post-Soviet archival opening; some historical claims about Russia may need updating
• Tolstoy's Georgism is presented as coherent and well-founded; critics receive less sympathetic treatment
• The connection between Tolstoy's literary work and his Georgism could be explored more fully

Key Quotes

"If one's personal judgement is to decide the question of what constitutes danger for other people, there is no case of violence that cannot be justified on the ground of danger threatening somebody." — Tolstoy (quoted by Redfearn), p. 31

"My duty towards my Neighbour is to love him as myself, and to do to all men as I would they should do unto me: To love, honour and succour my father and mother: To honour and obey the King, and all that are put in authority under him: To submit myself to all my governors, teachers, spiritual pastors and masters: To order myself lowly and reverently to all my betters." — English Catechism (quoted by Redfearn), p. 32

"The first two injunctions are in the pure spirit of Christianity. The third emphasises family loyalty, the natural source of continuous security from generation to generation. The rest, from 'To honour and obey the King' onwards, is wholly foreign to the spirit of the gospels, and directly contrary to the example set us by Christ in his own life. It can have been composed only with the cynical intention of bending Christian morality to suit the temporal and materialistic requirements of an unscrupulous ruling class." — Redfearn, p. 32

"Tolstoy inveighed mercilessly against the Russian Orthodox Church for its support of a State based on, and maintained by, violence, and for its specious arguments in favour of neglecting Christian principles on this account." — Redfearn, p. 31

"Even given a population that was 100 per cent rationalist, the teachings of Christ and the example of his sweet reasonableness could still be of inestimable value." — Redfearn, p. 30

"The established Churches still do not feature prominently in opposition to war, even by such means; and indeed the aircraft, named Enola Gay, that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima was blessed by a U.S. Army chaplain before its departure." — Redfearn, p. 31

Bears On

• Leo Tolstoy — the book's central subject
• Henry George — Tolstoy's intellectual influence
• Single Tax — the policy both advocated
• Land-Value Tax — the mechanism both supported
• Single-Tax Narrative — Tolstoy as international single-tax advocate
• Community Creates Land Value — Tolstoy's "common before private rights to land"
• Georgism — Tolstoy's contribution to Georgist thought
• Fred Harrison — prompted the book's writing

See Also

• David Redfearn — author page
• Leo Tolstoy
• Henry George
• Single Tax
• Single-Tax Narrative
• Fred Harrison
• Community Creates Land Value

Sources

1. David Redfearn, Tolstoy: Principles for a New World Order (London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1992). — primary source for all claims
2. Henry George, Progress and Poverty (1879) — the work that influenced Tolstoy, discussed extensively in Ch. 10.
3. Tolstoy's letters to Tsar Nicholas II and Grand Duke Nikolay Mikhaylovich — reproduced as appendices (from R.F. Christian, ed., Tolstoy's Letters, 1978, Athlone Press).