Crowds, leaders, and epidemic psychosis: The relationship between crowd psychology and elite theory and its contemporary relevance

The influence of the authors so-called “crowd psychology” on conventional interpretation “irrationality” masses in political life has been widely recognized. More recently, Ernesto Laclau underlined this tradition liberal-democratic views direct, mass democracy. This may be reconstructed starting from different intellectual traditions: crowd psychology, properly speaking, its complementary, “classical” elite theory, and positivist analysis “criminal” “psychopathological” behaviors masses. However, influence, far being confined to liberal distaste for democracy, relevant not only fascist regimes 20th century but also contemporary right-wing populist role life, spite purported antielitism.