'The Psychology of Revolution' Summary

Gustave Le Bon’s The Psychology of Revolution delves into the psychological forces that drive revolutionary movements, particularly emphasizing the role of collective behavior and crowd psychology. Le Bon argues that revolutions are driven more by emotion, impulse, and subconscious influence than by rational planning. When individuals become part of a crowd, he suggests, they lose their individuality and become vulnerable to the emotional sway of the group, leading to heightened susceptibility to suggestion and often irrational behavior.

In his analysis, Le Bon focuses on how charismatic leaders and skilled orators can manipulate crowds, sparking dramatic and often violent social transformations. He uses the French Revolution as a primary case study to illustrate how crowds act on collective emotional impulses, which he sees as leading to destructive outcomes rather than productive change. Le Bon is generally skeptical of the outcomes of revolutions, seeing them as events that generate disorder and irrationality more than genuine progress.