Tolstoy's History of France

Tolstoy believed that historical figures were merely vehicles for historical processes beyond the reach of any individual. Yet history does so, it seems to me, refute tolstoy's view. And in this respect, it seems more like the arts than the sciences. Let us consider some examples. An obvious one is britan in 19 forty, an outside observer might have concluded that her situation in that year was hopeless, and that the best she could expect was a negotiated peace. Continued resistance, let alone victory, seemed quite improbable. But Churchill made the improbable happen. How did he do it? Oliver franks once told me that no one could understand churchill unless he had actually