The French Revolution and the Psychology of Revolution / Edition 1

by Gustave Le Bon

Overview

In his discussion of the general psychological causes of revolution, LeBon draws detailed illustrations of fundamental points from the French Revolution, especially the period from 1789 to 1800. LeBon's treatment of psychological causes is not confined to crowd actions or to the immediate descriptions of violent episodes in revolutions. He draws upon contemporary French clinical psychology to describe the pathological characteristics of the revolutionary leadership in France and explains many of the events of the period as a consequence of their influence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878556977
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/30/1980
Series:	Social Science Classics Series
Pages:	337
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

The Psychology of Revolution; I: The Psychological Elements of Revolutionary Movements; Book I: General Characteristics of Revolutions; I: Scientific and Political Revolutions; II: Religious Revolutions; III: The Action of Governments in Revolutions; IV: The Part Played by the People in Revolutions; Book II: The Forms of Mentality Prevalent During Revolution; I: Individual Variations of Character in Time of Revolution; II: The Mystic Mentality and the Jacobin Mentality; III: The Revolutionary and Criminal Mentalities; IV: The Psychology of Revolutionary Crowds; V: The Psychology of the Revolutionary Assemblies; II: The French Revolution; Book I: The Origins of the French Revolution; I: The Opinions of Historians Concerning the French Revolution; II: The Psychological Foundations of The Ancien RéGIME; III: Mental Anarchy at the Time of the Revolution and the Influence Attributed to the Philosophers; IV: Psychological Illusions Respecting the French Revolution; Book II: The Rational, Affective, Mystic, and Collective Influences Active During the Revolution; I: The Psychology of the Constituent Assembly; II: The Psychology of the Legislative Assembly; III: The Psychology of the Convention; IV: The Government of the Convention; V: Instances of Revolutionary Violence; VI: The Armies of the Revolution; VII: Psychology of the Leaders of the Revolution; Book III: The Conflict Between Ancestral Influences and Revolutionary Principles; I: The Last Convulsions of Anarchy—the Directory; II: The Restoration of Order. The Consular Republic; III: Political Consequences of the Conflict Between Traditions and Revolutionary Principles During the Last Century; III: The Recent Evolution of the Revolutionary Principles; I: The Progress of Democratic Beliefs Since the Revolution; II: The Results of Democratic Evolution; III: The New Forms of Democratic Belief; Conclusions