The Crowd · Chapter
A Religious Shape Assumed by All the Convictions of Crowds explained
This chapter argues that the convictions of crowds invariably assume a religious form, characterized by worship of a superior being, blind submission, intolerance, and fanaticism.
What happens
This chapter argues that the convictions of crowds invariably assume a religious form, characterized by worship of a superior being, blind submission, intolerance, and fanaticism. This religious sentiment is not limited to traditional deities but extends to political leaders, heroes, and ideologies. The chapter uses historical examples—the Roman Empire, Napoleon, the French Revolution, the Reformation, and the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre—to demonstrate that crowd-driven upheavals stem from the collective religious soul of the masses, not from individual despots. It concludes that even atheistic beliefs, when adopted by crowds, take on the same intolerant and cult-like qualities.
Themes in this chapter
Morality of Crowds
Crowds exhibit a dual morality, capable of extreme sacrifice and violence when driven by religious-like convictions.
Power of Beliefs and Ideas
Beliefs assume a religious shape in crowds, leading to blind submission, intolerance, and fanaticism.
Irrationality and Credulity
Crowds do not reason; they accept or reject ideas as a whole and are highly suggestible, leading to extreme convictions.
Leadership and Suggestion
Leaders like Napoleon become gods for crowds, inspiring worship and obedience through suggestion.
Characters to notice
- Napoleon
Cited as a god-like figure for crowds, inspiring fervent worship and sacrifice for fifteen years.
- Fustel de Coulanges
Quoted for his work on Roman Gaul, arguing the Roman Empire was maintained by religious admiration for the emperor.
- Taine
Criticized for studying the French Revolution only as a naturalist, missing the psychological and religious roots of crowd behavior.
- Robespierre
Mentioned as a figure whose role in the Reign of Terror was an expression of the crowd's religious soul, not his individual power.
- Saint Bartholomew
Referenced as a historical event driven by the religious sentiments of crowds, not by a king's will.
- Jesus
Implicitly referenced as a founder of a religious creed who inspired fanatical crowd sentiments.
- Muhammad
Implicitly referenced as a founder of a religious creed who inspired fanatical crowd sentiments.
- Buddha
Implicitly referenced as a founder of a religious creed who inspired fanatical crowd sentiments.
Key passages
“When these convictions are closely examined, whether at epochs marked by fervent religious faith, or by great political upheavals such as those of the last century, it is apparent that they always assume a peculiar form which I cannot better define than by giving it the name of a religious sentiment.”
Crowd convictions, whether in times of religious fervor or political revolution, always take on a religious character.
Defines the core thesis that crowd beliefs are inherently religious in form.
“The Jacobins of the Reign of Terror were at bottom as religious as the Catholics of the Inquisition, and their cruel ardour proceeded from the same source.”
The Jacobins during the Reign of Terror were just as religiously motivated as the Catholic Inquisitors, both driven by fanaticism.
Draws a parallel between revolutionary and religious fanaticism.
“The hero acclaimed by a crowd is a veritable god for that crowd. Napoleon was such a god for fifteen years, and a divinity never had more fervent worshippers or sent men to their death with greater ease.”
A crowd's hero becomes a god; Napoleon was worshipped as a deity, inspiring devoted followers willing to die for him.
Illustrates how leaders are deified by crowds.
“The violence of the Revolution, its massacres, its need of propaganda, its declarations of war upon all things, are only to be properly explained by reflecting that the Revolution was merely the establishment of a new religious belief in the mind of the masses.”
The French Revolution's violence and propaganda are best understood as the establishment of a new mass religious faith.
Interprets the Revolution as a religious phenomenon.
“The massacre of Saint Bartholomew or the religious wars were no more the work of kings than the Reign of Terror was the work of Robespierre, Danton, or Saint Just. At the bottom of such events is always to be found the working of the soul of the masses, and never the power of potentates.”
Historical massacres and wars are driven by the collective soul of the masses, not by individual rulers like kings or revolutionary leaders.
Emphasizes the crowd's agency over individual leaders in historical upheavals.
