the crowd-第3章

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　in　the　making　of　the　new　power　which　is　springing　up　in　the　midst　of　this　anarchy。　Science　promised　us　truth；　or　at　least　a　knowledge　of　such　relations　as　our　intelligence　can　seize：　it　never　promised　us　peace　or　happiness。　　Sovereignly　indifferent　to　our　feelings；　it　is　deaf　to　our　lamentations。　　It　is　for　us　to　endeavour　to　live　with　science；　since　nothing　can　bring　back　the　illusions　it　has　destroyed。

Universal　symptoms；　visible　in　all　nations；　show　us　the　rapid　growth　of　the　power　of　crowds；　and　do　not　admit　of　our　supposing　that　it　is　destined　to　cease　growing　at　an　early　date。　　Whatever　fate　it　may　reserve　for　us；　we　shall　have　to　submit　to　it。　　All　reasoning　against　it　is　a　mere　vain　war　of　words。　　Certainly　it　is　possible　that　the　advent　to　power　of　the　masses　marks　one　of　the　last　stages　of　Western　civilisation；　a　complete　return　to　those　periods　of　confused　anarchy　which　seem　always　destined　to　precede　the　birth　of　every　new　society。　　But　may　this　result　be　prevented？

Up　to　now　these　thoroughgoing　destructions　of　a　worn…out　civilisation　have　constituted　the　most　obvious　task　of　the　masses。　　It　is　not　indeed　to…day　merely　that　this　can　be　traced。　History　tells　us；　that　from　the　moment　when　the　moral　forces　on　which　a　civilisation　rested　have　lost　their　strength；　its　final　dissolution　is　brought　about　by　those　unconscious　and　brutal　crowds　known；　justifiably　enough；　as　barbarians。　　Civilisations　as　yet　have　only　been　created　and　directed　by　a　small　intellectual　aristocracy；　never　by　crowds。　　Crowds　are　only　powerful　for　destruction。　　Their　rule　is　always　tantamount　to　a　barbarian　phase。　　A　civilisation　involves　fixed　rules；　discipline；　a　passing　from　the　instinctive　to　the　rational　state；　forethought　for　the　future；　an　elevated　degree　of　cultureall　of　them　conditions　that　crowds；　left　to　themselves；　have　invariably　shown　themselves　incapable　of　realising。　　In　consequence　of　the　purely　destructive　nature　of　their　power　crowds　act　like　those　microbes　which　hasten　the　dissolution　of　enfeebled　or　dead　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。PSYCHOLOGI