By many they are considered as natural forces, as supernatural powers. They evoke grandiose and vague images in men’s minds, but this very vagueness that wraps them in obscurity augments their mysterious power. They are the mysterious divinities hidden behind the tabernacle, which the devout only approach in fear and trembling.”( The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind – Gustave Le Bon)

He became a Grand-Croix of the Legion of Honour in 1929. He published his last work, entitled Bases scientifiques d'une philosophie de l'histoire, in 1931 and on 13 December, died in Marnes-la-Coquette, Île-de-France at the age of ninety. [42] In 1860, he began medicinal studies at the University of Paris. He completed his internship at Hôtel-Dieu de Paris, and received his doctorate in 1866. From that time on, he referred to himself as "Doctor" though he never formally worked as a physician. During his university years, Le Bon wrote articles on a range of medical topics, the first of which related to the maladies that plagued those who lived in swamp-like conditions. He published several other about loa loa filariasis and asphyxia before releasing his first full-length book in 1866, De la mort apparente et des inhumations prématurées. This work dealt with the definition of death, preceding 20th-century legal debates on the issue. [9] Life in Paris [ edit ] Portrait of Gustave Le Bon, c. 1870Söyler, Mehtap (2015). The Turkish Deep State: State Consolidation, Civil-Military Relations and Democracy. Routledge. p.70. ISBN 9781317668800. So it remains a frightening multiplication table of manipulation and control on sinister grounds and the sobering realization that individuals, relatively limited in their capabilities, are forming states like insects, guided in their performance by the collective intelligence.

Sometimes, a crowd will be guilty of murder, arson, and all kinds of crimes. In this sense, the crowd seems to have a very low moral standard. But sometimes, a crowd may also display good qualities, such as altruism, sacrifice, and devotion. We can say that this sort of crowd has a high sense of morality. Crowds also play the role of providing moral education for individuals. Even in a crowd of extremely vicious people, an individual can temporarily show strict moral discipline just because he or she is a member of the crowd. For example, in the “September massacres” in Paris, criminals who found wallets and jewels on the victims put the items neatly on the conference table instead of taking them for themselves, even though they could have easily done so. From this, we can see that crowds could have both high and low moral standards. La Psychologie Politique et la Défense Sociale (1910); ("The Psychology of Politics and Social Defense") the contrary, descend to a very low level. 4. THE INTOLERANCE, DICTATORIALNESS AND CONSERVATISM OF CROWDS. Firstly, affirmation must be concise and compelling, and should avoid reasoning and arguing. Affirmation is one of the most effective ways to make a certain idea take root in the minds of the crowd. It can even make rigorous reasonings and arguments seem feeble. The author gave an example of a speech given by the leader of an assembly. He said: “That land is haunted by fever, and has jails, but this is exactly where the vessel will bear off. That place imprisons notorious politicians and murderers who disregard the government, the two can eventually have their heart-to-heart conversation!” This leader created a vivid image using vivid words. This image constantly emerged in the minds of the audience, in which the country was suffering from fever, and where there was a vessel that could take them away. Such words can not only strongly stimulate the supporters, but also make the opponents feel threatened and intimidated, as they might be regarded as “notorious politicians” and sent to prison. Therefore, affirmation like this often makes people surrender. Fierce affirmation and sworn pledges are the most effective ways to intimidate the crowds. The effects are even more evident in times of crisis. For example, when giving speeches, the orators during the French Revolution usually first condemned the evil and vigorously propagated the virtues. They then cursed the tyrants, after which they finally declared that they would rather die than live without liberty. All the people hearing this would stand up, applaud, and cheer. In this way, affirmation can greatly stir up emotion in a crowd, and it is the persuasion method most commonly used by crowd leaders. Barrows, Susanna (1981), Distorting Mirrors – Visions of the Crowd in Late 19th Century France, Yale University PressHow numerous are the crowds that have heroically faced death for beliefs, ideas, and phrases that they scarcely understood!”( The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind – Gustave Le Bon)

So aktuell die Problematik ist, so borniert erscheinen einige der Ausführungen des Autors, der seine subjektive Meinung stark in diverse Passagen einfließen lässt, was ein unverzeihlicher Fehler für Sachliteraten ist. Jaap van Ginneken. Crowds, psychology, and politics, 1871-1899. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992. pp. 131. The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind is a book written by Gustave Le Bon, the French social psychologist, and was first published in 1895. The Crowd is one of the best-selling books, and its influence stretches to the present day because of its strong opinions and claims. In the book, Le Bon claims that there are several characteristics of crowd psychology: "impulsiveness, irritability, incapacity to reason, the absence of judgment of the critical spirit, the exaggeration of sentiments, and others.”Hourani, Albert (1962). Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939. Cambridge University Press. p. 173. ISBN 9780521274234. Charles-Marie Gustave Le Bon was born in Nogent-le-Rotrou, Centre-Val de Loire on 7 May 1841 to a family of Breton ancestry. At the time of Le Bon's birth, his mother, Annette Josephine Eugénic Tétiot Desmarlinais, was twenty-six and his father, Jean-Marie Charles Le Bon, was forty-one and a provincial functionary of the French government. [6] Le Bon was a direct descendant of Jean-Odet Carnot, whose grandfather, Jean Carnot, had a brother, Denys, from whom the fifth president of the French Third Republic, Marie François Sadi Carnot, was directly descended. [7] The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind ( French: Psychologie des Foules; literally: Psychology of Crowds) is a book authored by Gustave Le Bon that was first published in 1895. [1] [2]