ABSTRACT
In the majority of cases the crowd needs leaders who, instinctively feeling the significance and the power of the crowd, lead it as skillful demagogues, much more through the power of suggestion than through persuasion. Suggestion given by a hero, a leader, a master of the situation is adopted by the crowd and is reflected from one person to another until every single head begins to swim, until every single mind is stirred up. Suggestion has a no less obvious role, in all movement of minds and particularly in the historical events in which masses of persons were an active force. During terrible social epidemics, it is enough to start a rumor concerning the poisoning of water sources in order for a frenzied crowd to start looking for poisoners and to threaten with death those unfortunates on whom even a shadow of suspicion falls.
