The Age of the Crowd
A Historical Treatise on Mass Psychology

This 1985 book explores both the development of mass psychology and the implications on the political and social life.

Serge Moscovici (Author)

9780521277051, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 5 September 1985

418 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.61 kg

The Age of the Crowd is at one level an historical account of the development of mass psychology, and at another an analysis of its implications for prevalent political and social life. It was the prophecy of Gustave Le Bon in 1895 that the twentieth century would be 'l'âge des foules' that gave Serge Moscovici the title for his book, and it presents a systematic exposition of Le Bon's ideas and those of Gabriel Tarde, demonstrating convincingly their influence on the theories of collective psychology advanced by Sigmund Freud. These theories are re-examined by Professor Moscovici in a fascinating commentary on political life: Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky all in some way applied them in their leadership styles with consequences that are all too familiar. The scenario painted by this volume is a disturbing one. Serge Moscovici's acute analyses of mass phenomena raise fundamental questions concerning the foundations of democracy.

Author's note
Introduction
Part I. The Study of the Masses: 1. The individual and the masses
2. The revolt of the masses
3. What do we do when faced with the masses?
4. Eastern and western varieties of despotism
Part II. Le Bon and the Fear of Cowards: 1. Who was Gustave Le Bon?
2. The Machiavelli of mass societies
3. Four reasons for saying nothing
4. The discovery of the masses
5. Mass hypnosis
6. The mental life of crowds
Part III. The Crowd, Women and Madness: 1. Collective matter: the impulsive and conservative crowd
2. Collective form: the dogmatic and utopian crowd
3. The leaders of the crowd
4. Charisma
5. The strategies of propaganda and mass suggestion
6. Conclusion
Part IV. The Leader Principle: 1. The paradox of mass psychology
2. Natural crowds and artificial crowds
3. The leader principle
Part V. Opinion and the Crowd: 1. Communication is the valium of the people
2. Opinion, the public and the crowd
3. The law of the polarisation of prestige
4. The Republic in France: from a democracy of the masses to a democracy of publics
Part VI. The Best Disciple of Le Bon and Tarde: Sigmund Freud: 1. The black books of Dr Freud
2. From classical to revolutionary mass psychology
3. The three questions of mass psychology
4. Crowds and the libido
5. The origin of affective attachments in society
6. Eros and mimesis
7. The end of hypnosis
Part VII. The Psychology of the Charismatic Leader: 1. Prestige and charisma
2. The postulate of mass psychology
3. The primal secret
Part VIII. Hypotheses About Great Men: 1. 'The man Moses'
2. The family romances of great men
3. Creating a people
4. Mosaic and totemic leaders
Part IX. Secular Religions: 1. The secret of a religion
2. The prohibition of thought
3. The cult of the father
Conclusion: the planetary age of the crowd
Notes
References
Index of names
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]