Free will?

Free will?

While reading War and Peace, I was often struck by the first chapter of the books, many of which seemed to be Leo's musings on life and history. In these chapters, particularly Chapter 1 of Book 9, Tolstoy makes the claim that "every act of theirs, which appears to them an act of their own will, is in an historical sense involuntary and is related to the whole course of history and predestined from eternity".

Tolstoy says that man's life is divided into two parts, an individual part that only has as much freedom as his interests are abstract, and the other societal part in which he consciously or unconsciously obeys rules that are presented to him. (Book 9 Chapter 1).

The choices that humans make in life are in some way related to a goal of humanity, and in that sense are inevitable. The impact of these decisions are amplified as a person gains social standing and thus has more power over others.

These claims are obviously controversial and radically challenge the idea of free will. Are we truly free in our decisions, or are we so affected by the laws that govern us, consciously or unconsciously, that our actions are in effect, predetermined? Are there tendencies of human nature that effectively guide us towards an end we don't know that we are pursuing? If so, what are these tendencies (For Tolstoy, they seem to have to do with war and fighting)?