What to Do? Thoughts Evoked by the Census of Moscow
Written by Leo Tolstoy
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Reading guide
Themes, characters and key ideas in What to Do? Thoughts Evoked by the Census of Moscow, written by Chaptra AI.
- about 6 hours
- advanced
- critical
- philosophical
- earnest
Tolstoy's "What to Do?" is a powerful non-fiction essay born from his direct observations during the 1882 Moscow census, where he confronted the stark reality of urban poverty. It documents his profound moral crisis and subsequent radical critique of societal structures, particularly the division of labor, private property, and the institutions of state and church, which he views as perpetuating inequality. The book vehemently argues against conventional charity, proposing instead a fundamental reordering of life based on manual labor, self-sufficiency, and a return to Christian principles of love and simplicity as the only true path to alleviate suffering and achieve a just society. It is a deeply personal yet universally applicable call to action, urging individuals to examine their own complicity and choose a life of moral integrity over material accumulation.
“I saw that the cause of the sufferings of the people was that I and my kind were living off them, and that in order to make the people better, I must stop living off them.”
Key themes
- Poverty and Social Injustice
- This is the foundational theme of the book, sparked by Tolstoy's direct encounters with extreme poverty during the Moscow census. He moves beyond mere observation to a deep analysis of how societal structures—private property, the division of labor, and the concept of money—systematically create and perpetuate injustice, leading to the exploitation and suffering of one class by another.
- Moral Responsibility and Personal Transformation
- Tolstoy argues that true change begins not with external reforms or institutional charity, but with an internal moral awakening and a radical transformation of individual life. He emphasizes that each person, especially the privileged, bears a direct responsibility for their complicity in the system of injustice and must actively choose to live ethically.
- The Nature of Labor and Wealth
- Tolstoy fundamentally redefines labor, distinguishing between productive, life-sustaining work and parasitic, exploitative work. He argues that true wealth lies in self-sufficiency and communal well-being derived from physical labor, rather than in monetary accumulation or the consumption of goods produced by others' suffering. He critiques the division of labor that separates intellectual from physical work.
Worth discussing
To what extent do Tolstoy's observations about poverty and wealth in 19th-century Moscow remain relevant in contemporary society?
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