The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind
The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind
by: Gustave Le Bon | Cherokee Publishing Company | 1982 | ISBN 0877971684 | Pages 219 | PDF | 0.5 MB
One of the greatest and most influential books of social psychology ever written, brilliantly instructive on the general characteristics and mental unity of a crowd, its sentiments and morality, ideas, reasoning power, imagination, opinions and much more. A must-read volume not only for students of history, sociology, law and psychology, but for every politician, statesman, investor, and marketing manager.
Amazon comments:
„A very important book… Influenced Lenin and Mussolini…”
This is a very important book on political theory and tactics. Lebon presents a very incisive study of mass psychology. He's not a popular fellow with some in light of his cynical view of democracy. However, whether or not you agree with his views on this, his views on political tactics are brilliant.
„More insightful than Macchiavelli.”
This is a short book whose pages have a far greater impact than the title might suggest. As many reviewers have already noted, the book simply explains the mechanisms that guide the popualr imagination and outlines the simple principles that enable the few who grasp them to hold control over vast populations. What struck me particulalry was how the recipes for power suggested by Gustave Le Bon are reflected in contemporary neo-liberal economic and socio-cultural agendas. Those who are involved in developing education policies will find the book especially useful. Writing over a century ago,Le Bon criticized the liberal education system and advocated the more common sense practical type of learning that neo-liberal agendas have been pushing for since the late 70's. It also makes a strong case for the impact of simple messages over crowds. Common sense arguments, logic and thoughtful concerns, LE Bon argues, are lost on the masses. Indeed, it is widely believed that this was one of Benito Mussolini's favorite books. We are living ever more in an era of simplistic thinking. By reading this book you will understand how this has occurred and how demagogues rise to power. As with another reviewer, I also stay away from crowds. This book unraveled the unconscious instincts that always make me avoid crowds and anything that is too popular.