In the title of War and Peace, the Russian word mir can mean “world” as well as “peace.”
The point comes from a historical feature of Russian spelling. Before the 1918 orthographic reform, the words for “peace” and “world” were written differently: миръ referred to peace, while міръ referred to the world or universe. After the reform, the distinction disappeared in ordinary spelling, leaving мир as a modern homonym.
This has led to a long-running interpretive question about Tolstoy’s title. Some readers have proposed translating it as War and World, suggesting a broader philosophical meaning. The standard title remains War and Peace, and Tolstoy’s original pre-reform title is generally read as referring to peace. Still, “world” is a legitimate linguistic association and explains why the title has attracted so much debate.
The novel itself supports both large-scale ideas: it depicts literal warfare while examining society, history, families, and the whole human world surrounding them.