the crowd-第3节

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bodies。　　When　the　structure　of　a　civilisation　is　rotten；　it　is　always　the　masses　that　bring　about　its　downfall。　　It　is　at　such　a　juncture　that　their　chief　mission　is　plainly　visible；　and　that　for　a　while　the　philosophy　of　number　seems　the　only　philosophy　of　history。

Is　the　same　fate　in　store　for　our　civilisation？　　There　is　ground　to　fear　that　this　is　the　case；　but　we　are　not　as　yet　in　a　position　to　be　certain　of　it。

However　this　may　be；　we　are　bound　to　resign　ourselves　to　the　reign　of　the　masses；　since　want　of　foresight　has　in　succession　overthrown　all　the　barriers　that　might　have　kept　the　crowd　in　check。

We　have　a　very　slight　knowledge　of　these　crowds　which　are　beginning　to　be　the　object　of　so　much　discussion。　　Professional　students　of　psychology；　having　lived　far　from　them；　have　always　ignored　them；　and　when；　as　of　late；　they　have　turned　their　attention　in　this　direction　it　has　only　been　to　consider　the　crimes　crowds　are　capable　of　committing。　　Without　a　doubt　criminal　crowds　exist；　but　virtuous　and　heroic　crowds；　and　crowds　of　many　other　kinds；　are　also　to　be　met　with。　　The　crimes　of　crowds　only　constitute　a　particular　phase　of　their　psychology。　The　mental　constitution　of　crowds　is　not　to　be　learnt　merely　by　a　study　of　their　crimes；　any　more　than　that　of　an　individual　by　a　mere　description　of　his　vices。

However；　in　point　of　fact；　all　the　world's　masters；　all　the　founders　of　religions　or　empires；　the　apostles　of　all　beliefs；　eminent　statesmen；　and；　in　a　more　modest　sphere；　the　mere　chiefs　of　small　groups　of　men　have　always　been　unconscious　psychologists；　possessed　of　an　instinctive　and　often　very　sure　knowledge　of　the　character　of　crowds；　and　it　is　their　accurate　knowledge　of　this　character　that　has　enabled　them　to　so　easily　establish　their　mastery。　　Napoleon　had　a　marvellous　insight　into　the　psychology　of　the　masses　of　the　country　over　which　he　reigned；　but　he；　at　times；　completely　misunderstood　the　psychology　of　crowds　belonging　to　other　races；＇1＇　and　it　is　because　he　thus　misunderstood　it　that　he　engaged　in　Spain；　and　notably　in　Russia；　in　conflicts　in　which　his　power　received　blows　which　were　destined　within　a　brief　space　of　time　to　ruin　it。　　A　knowledge　of　the　psychology　of　crowds　is　to…day　the　last　resource　of　the　statesman　who　wishes　not　to　govern　themthat　is　becoming　a　very　difficult　matterbut　at　any　rate　not　to　be　too　much　governed　by　them。


＇1＇　His　most　subtle　advisers；　moreover；　did　not　understand　this　psychology　any　better。　　Talleyrand　wrote　him　that　〃Spain　would　receive　his　soldiers　as　liberators。〃　　It　received　them　as　beasts　of　prey。　　A　psychologist　acquainted　with　the　hereditary　instincts　of　the　Spanish　race　would　have　easily　foreseen　this　reception。



It　is　only　by　obtaining　some　sort　of　insight　into　the　psychology　of　crowds　that　it　can　be　understood　how　slight　is　the　action　upon　them　of　laws　and　institutions；　how　powerless　they　are　to　hold　any　opinions　other　than　those　which　are　imposed　upon　them；　and　that　it　is　not　with　rules　based　on　theories　of　pure　equity　that　they　are　to　be　led；　but　by　seeking　what　produces　an　impression　on　them　and　what　seduces　them。　　For　instance；　should　a　legislator；　wishing　to　impose　a　new　tax；　choose　that　which　would　be　theoretically　the　most　just？　　By　no　means。　　In　practice　the　most　unjust　may　be　the　best　for　the　masses。　　Should　it　at　the　same　time　be　the　least　obvious；　and　apparently　the　least　burdensome；　it　will　be　the　most　easily　tolerated。　　It　is　for　this　reason　that　an　indirect　tax；　however　exorbitant　it　be；　will　always　be　accepted　by　the　crowd；　because；　being　paid　daily　in　fractions　of　a　farthing　on　objects　of　consumption；　it　will　not　interfere　with　the　habits　of　the　crowd；　and　will　pass　unperceived。　　Replace　it　by　a　proportional　tax　on　wages　or　income　of　any　other　kind；　to　be　paid　in　a　lump　sum；　and　were　this　new　imposition　theoretically　ten　times　less　burdensome　than　the　other；　it　would　give　rise　to　unanimous　protest。　　This　arises　from　the　fact　that　a　sum　relatively　high；　which　will　appear　immense；　and　will　in　consequence　strike　the　imagination；　has　been　substituted　for　the　unperceived　fractions　of　a　farthing。　　The　new　tax　would　only　appear　light　had　it　been　saved　farthing　by　farthing；　but　this　economic　proceeding　involves　an　amount　of　foresight　of　which　the　masses　are　incapable。

The　example　which　precedes　is　of　the　simplest。　　Its　appositeness　will　be　easily　perceived。　　It　did　not　escape　the　attention　of　such　a　psychologist　as　Napoleon；　but　our　modern　legislators；　ignorant　as　they　are　of　the　characteristics　of　a　crowd；　are　unable　to　appreciate　it。　　Experience　has　not　taught　them　as　yet　to　a　sufficient　degree　that　men　never　shape　their　conduct　upon　the　teaching　of　pure　reason。

Many　other　practical　applications　might　be　made　of　the　psychology　of　crowds。　　A　knowledge　of　this　science　throws　the　most　vivid　light　on　a　great　number　of　historical　and　economic　phenomena　totally　incomprehensible　without　it。　　I　shall　have　occasion　to　show　that　the　reason　why　the　most　remarkable　of　modern　historians；　Taine；　has　at　times　so　imperfectly　understood　the　events　of　the　great　French　Revolution　is；　that　it　never　occurred　to　him　to　study　the　genius　of　crowds。　　He　took　as　his　guide　in　the　study　of　this　complicated　period　the　descriptive　method　resorted　to　by　naturalists；　but　the　moral　forces　are　almost　absent　in　the　case　of　the　phenomena　which　naturalists　have　to　study。　　Yet　it　is　precisely　these　forces　that　constitute　the　true　mainsprings　of　history。

In　consequence；　merely　looked　at　from　its　practical　side；　the　study　of　the　psychology　of　crowds　deserved　to　be　attempted。　　Were　its　interest　that　resulting　from　pure　curiosity　only；　it　would　still　merit　attention。　　It　is　as　interesting　to　decipher　the　motives　of　the　actions　of　men　as　to　determine　the　characteristics　of　a　mineral　or　a　plant。　　Our　study　of　the　genius　of　crowds　can　merely　be　a　brief　synthesis；　a　simple　summary　of　our　investigations。　　Nothing　more　must　be　demanded　of　it　than　a　few　suggestive　views。　　Others　will　work　the　ground　more　thoroughly。　To…day　we　only　touch　the　surface　of　a　still　almost　virgin　soil。



BOOK　I


THE　MIND　OF　CROWDS


CHAPTER　I

GENERAL　CHARACTERISTICS　OF　CROWDS。PSYCHOLOGICAL　LAW　OF　THEIR　MENTAL　UNITY。

What　constitutes　a　crowd　from　the　psychological　point　of　viewA　numerically　strong　agglomeration　of　individuals　does　not　suffice　to　form　a　crowdSpecial　characteristics　of　psychological　crowdsThe　turning　in　a　fixed　direction　of　the　ideas　and　sentiments　of　individuals　composing　such　a　crowd；　and　the　disappearance　of　their　personalityThe　crowd　is　always　dominated　by　considerations　of　which　it　is　unconsciousThe　disappearance　of　brain　activity　and　the　predominance　of　medullar　activityThe　lowering　of　the　intelligence　and　the　complete　transformation　of　the　sentimentsThe　transformed　sentiments　may　be　better　or　worse　than　those　of　the　individuals　of　which　the　crowd　is　composedA　crowd　is　as　easily　heroic　as　criminal。


In　its　ordinary　sense　the　word　〃crowd〃　means　a　gathering　of　individuals　of　whatever　nationality；　profession；　or　sex；　and　whatever　be　the　chances　that　have　brought　them　together。　　From　the　psychological　point　of　view　the　expression　〃crowd〃　assumes　quite　a　different　signification。　　Under　certain　given　circumstances；　and　only　under　those　circumstances；　an　agglomeration　of　men　presents　new　characteristics　very　different　from　those　of　the　individuals　composing　it。　　The　sentiments　and　ideas　of　all　the　persons　in　the　gathering　take　one　and　the　same　direction；　and　their　conscious　personality　vanishes。　　A　collective　mind　is　formed；　doubtless　transitory；　but　presenting　very　clearly　defined　characteristics。　　The　gathering　has　thus　become　what；　in　the　absence　of　a　better　expression；　I　will　call　an　organised　crowd；　or；　if　the　term　is　considered　preferable；　a　psychological　crowd。　　It　forms　a　single　being；　and　is　subjected　to　the　LAW　OF　THE　MENTAL　UNITY　OF　CROWDS。

It　is　evident　that　it　is　not　by　the　mere　fact　of　a　number　of　individuals　finding　themselves　accidentally　side　by　side　that　they　acquire　the　character　of　an　organised　crowd。　　A　thousand　individuals　accidentally　gathered　in　a　public　place　without　any　determined　object　in　no　way　constitute　a　crowd　from　the　psychological　point　of　view。　　To　acquire　the　special　characteristics　of　such　a　crowd；　the　influence　is　necessary　of　certain　predisposing　causes　of　which　we　shall　have　to　determine　the　nature。

The　disappearance　of　conscious　personality　and　the　turning　of　feelings　and　thoughts　in　a　definite　direction；　which　are　the　primary　characteristics　of　a　crowd　about　to　become　organised；　do　not　always　involve　the　simultaneous　presence　of　a　number　of　individuals　on　one　spot。　　Thousands　of　isolated　individuals　may　acquire　at　certain　moments；　and　under　the　influence　of　certain　violent　emotionssuch；　for　example；　as　a　great　national　eventthe　characteristics　of　a　psychological　crowd。　　It　will　be　sufficient　in　that　case　that　a　mere　chance　should　bring　them　together　for　their　acts　to　at　once　assume　the　characteristics　peculiar　to　the　acts　of　a　crowd。　　At　certain　moments　half　a　dozen　men　might　constitute　a　psychological　crowd；　which　may　not　happen　in　the　case　of　hundreds　of　men　gathered　together　by　accident。　　On　the　other　hand；　an　entire　nation；　tho