ABSTRACT
The acts of human multitudes, the phenomena of social life, among which people must, of course, include the manifestations of political activity, are obviously psychological acts, and, as such, subject to the laws governing the nervous system of the individual. It is true that a crowd can be roused to fury and to readiness for violence, and also to delirious enthusiasm; it is true that it is capable of incredible cowardice or sublime heroism. But it is characteristic of it that it acts only under leadership, only when there are protagonists who manipulate it, "soul engineers". In November 1917, after the Bolsheviks had come into power, excesses were no rarity, as is well known; the excited crowds frequently attacked people in the street for no reason, on the strength of simple suspicion aroused by anyone present. In south of Russia, in course of political campaign during the civil war, posters, maps, photos, etc., used to be placed in shop windows.
