The Crowd

T H E CROWD A Study of the Popular M i n d Gustave Le B o n DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC. Mineola, New York Publisher's Note: Some of the opinions presented in this book reflect attitudes that were common among some writers on social issues during the final years of the nineteenth century, in Europe and the United States, but no longer are common. Bibliographical Note This Dover edition, first published in 2002, is an unabridged republication of the second English-language edition of the work originally published in France as La psychologie des joules in 1895 and first published in English in 1896 by T. Fisher Unwin, London. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Le Bon, Gustave, 1841-1931. [Psychologie des foules. English] The crowd : a study of the popular mind / Gustave Le Bon. p. cm. An unabridged republication of a standard English translation of the work originally published in 1895 in France as La psychologie des foules. ISBN 0-486-41956-8 (pbk.) 1. Crowds. I. Title. HM871 .L4 2001 302.3'3—dc21 2001028670 Manufactured in the United States of America Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 Preface T he following work is devoted to an account of the characteristics of crowds. The whole of the common characteristics with which heredity endows the individuals of a race constitute the genius of the race. When, however, a certain number of these individuals are gathered together in a crowd for purposes of action, observation proves that, from the mere fact of their being assembled, there result certain new psychological characteristics, which are added to the racial characteristics and differ from them at times to a very considerable degree. Organised crowds have always played an important part in the life of peoples, but this part has never been of such moment as at present. The substitution of the unconscious action of crowds for the conscious activity of individuals is one of the principal characteristics of the present age. I have endeavoured to examine the difficult problem presented by crowds in a purely scientific manner—that is, by making an effort to proceed with method, and without being influenced by opinions, theories, and doctrines. This, I believe, is the only mode of arriving at the discovery of some few particles of truth, especially when dealing, as is the case here, with a question that is the subject of impassioned controversy. A man of science bent on verifying a phenomenon is not called upon to concern himself with the interests his verifications may hurt. In a recent publication an eminent thinker, M. Goblet d'Alviela, made the remark that, belonging to none of the contemporary schools, I am occasionally found in opposition of sundry of the conclusions of all of them. I hope this new work will merit a similar observation. To belong to a school is necessarily to espouse its prejudices and preconceived opinions. iii iv Preface Still I should explain to the reader why he will find me draw conclusions from my investigations which it might be thought at first sight they do not bear; why, for instance, after noting the extreme mental inferiority of crowds, picked assemblies included, I yet affirm it would be dangerous to meddle with their organisation, notwithstanding this inferiority. The reason is, that