Why do the Russians speak French in "War and Peace"?

Question

It seems that most of the time the characters speak French, and sometimes will go into Russian. Just wondering why.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Speaking French showed how well educated a person was that time. that was fashion to speak French for Boigie and royal people

Answer 2

In Western Europe, for four hundred years, after vernacular languages had replaced Latin, the three dominant languages were French, English and German--because scientists and artists wrote much more in those languages than they did in Spanish, Swedish, Magyar, Czech or even Italian. The Russians were a tribal society dragged into Western culture--on its margins anyhow--by Peter the Great By the time of Napoleon, it was customary for richer persons and nobles of the Russian Empire to master French as the chief diplomatic and artistic language.
The Russians moreover had no first-rank novelists of their own at that time--so they read the French works and copied their dress, their manners and their furnishings. The irony is--Napoleon then invaded the leading Francophiles in the world.

Answer 3

It was considered genteel to speak French. Educated Russians at the time of the Napoleonic wars spoke French. In the Early 20th century, is was fashionable to speak English. There is a Sherlock Holmes mystery in which the story turns on the fact that there is a certain royal house whose members habitually speak English.

Answer 4

It was fashion when lev Tolstoy was writing "War and Peace"

Answer 5

confusing task. research into a search engine. that may help!

Answer 6

because they want to...lolz idk thtz probably it