The Crowd · Chapter
Crowds Termed Criminal Crowds explained
This chapter examines the psychological nature of crowds that commit acts legally defined as criminal.
What happens
This chapter examines the psychological nature of crowds that commit acts legally defined as criminal. Le Bon argues that such crowds are not psychologically criminal because they act under powerful suggestion, believing they are fulfilling a duty. He illustrates this with the murder of the governor of the Bastille and the September massacres, showing that crowds exhibit suggestibility, credulity, exaggerated sentiments, and a rudimentary sense of justice, often combining ferocity with tenderheartedness.
Themes in this chapter
Psychology of Crowds
The chapter details the psychological state of crowds, including suggestibility, credulity, and automatic behavior.
Irrationality and Credulity
Crowds are shown to act on suggestion and irrational beliefs, such as the cook believing he deserves a medal for murder.
Morality of Crowds
Crowds exhibit a dual morality, combining ferocity with tenderheartedness and a rudimentary sense of justice.
Characters to notice
- Crowds
The primary subject of the chapter, analyzed for their psychological characteristics and criminal behavior.
- Taine
Historian whose contemporary sources are used to describe the September massacres.
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator who recounts the example of the cook who killed the governor of the Bastille.
- Saint Bartholomew
Mentioned as a historical parallel to the September massacres.
Key passages
“The usual motive of the crimes of crowds is a powerful suggestion, and the individuals who take part in such crimes are afterwards convinced that they have acted in obedience to duty, which is far from being the case with the ordinary criminal.”
Crowds commit crimes because they are strongly influenced by suggestion, and afterward they believe they were doing their duty, unlike typical criminals.
Key distinction between legal and psychological criminality.
“The general characteristics of criminal crowds are precisely the same as those we have met with in all crowds: openness to suggestion, credulity, mobility, the exaggeration of the sentiments good or bad, the manifestation of certain forms of morality, etc.”
Criminal crowds share the same traits as all crowds: they are suggestible, credulous, changeable, exaggerate emotions, and display a kind of morality.
Reinforces the universality of crowd psychology.