Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931) was a French thinker, considered the founder of Social Psychology. Le Bon was a polymath, a scholar who traversed diverse areas, but became famous for his approach to social psychology. He wrote numerous works on the subject, among which stand out: "
Psychology of Crowds: A Study of the Popular Mind" and "The Opinions and Beliefs." It would be hardly possible to study topics related to mass behavior without studying and relying on Gustave Le Bon's studies. In "Psychology of Crowds:" Le Bon suggests that crowds are like a servile herd and, therefore, they could not exist without the presence of a leader with a strong personality, well-defined beliefs, and a powerful will.
The history of humanity shows, up to the present day, how masses prefer leaders with a strong personality over a consistent ideology, lucidity, management skills, among other qualities rare in politicians. Originally published in 1911, "Psycology of Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" is an incredibly relevant work that helps the reader interpret much of what is happening in the USA politics, and many other countries, nowdays.
