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The crowdGustave Le Bon

The crowd

by OpenStories

Original author: Gustave Le Bon

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"The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" by Gustave Le Bon is a book published in 1895. Le Bon explores how individuals transform when absorbed into crowds, losing reason and judgment while gaining impulsiveness and susceptibility to manipulation. He examines crowd characteristics, leadership dynamics, and different crowd types—from criminal mobs to electoral assemblies. The work analyzes how collective psychology shapes beliefs, institutions, and social movements, arguing that crowds possess a dangerous power that challenges individual civilization and rational thought.

The crowd, by Gustave Le Bon. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #445.

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  • 14chapters
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14 Chapters

  1. 1.Introduction: The Era of Crowds2,575 words
  2. 2.Chapter I3,097 words
  3. 3.Chapter II: The Sentiments and Morality of Crowds6,882 words
  4. 4.Chapter III: The Ideas, Reasoning Power, and Imagination of Crowds3,197 words
  5. 5.Chapter IV: A Religious Shape Assumed by All the Convictions of Crowds1,760 words
  6. 6.Chapter I: Remote Factors of the Opinions and Beliefs of Crowds6,280 words
  7. 7.Chapter II: The Immediate Factors of the Opinions of Crowds4,375 words
  1. 8.Chapter III: The Leaders of Crowds and Their Means of Persuasion6,872 words
  2. 9.Chapter IV: Limitations of the Variability of the Beliefs and Opinions of Crowds3,748 words
  3. 10.Chapter I: The Classification of Crowds1,103 words
  4. 11.Chapter II: Crowds Termed Criminal Crowds1,420 words
  5. 12.Chapter III: Criminal Juries2,494 words
  6. 13.Chapter IV: Electoral Crowds3,009 words
  7. 14.Chapter V: Parliamentary Assemblies5,933 words