The Crowd

The Crowd, one of the most famous books of social psychology in history, was instrumental in establishing this field of research by analysing crowd behaviour in great detail. Not only did the book have an impact on Freud, but it also had an impact on twentieth-century masters of crowd control like Hitler and Mussolini, who may have utilised the book's observations as a guide to inflaming public passions. According to the author, "The people have never been thirsty for the truth. Those who can provide them with illusions are readily their masters, while those who try to undermine their illusions are invariably their victims."