The Crowd · Character

Robespierre

The revolutionary whose Jacobin fervor Le Bon reads as a religious passion, proving that crowds demand a god before anything else.

supporting

First appearance: the crowd

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Robespierre and the Jacobins of the Reign of Terror are held up as proof that political conviction and religious faith share the same fierce, intolerant root. Le Bon argues that the Terror's cruelty sprang from the same source as the Inquisition's, and that crowds will worship a hero as a veritable god, whether the idol is Napoleon or an abstract creed. His example drives home the book's unsettling thesis that fanaticism is not a relic of the past but a permanent feature of collective belief.

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Character Web

9 connections

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Relationship types

Psychological
Other

Character groups

Historical Prestige Archetypes
Crowd Leadership Theorists
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

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Relationships

Crowds
psychological · ambivalent

Relationship notes

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In the story

Robespierre appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

A Religious Shape Assumed by All the Convictions of Crowds
Mentioned as a figure whose role in the Reign of Terror was an expression of the crowd's religious soul, not his individual power.
The Leaders of Crowds and Their Means of Persuasion
Cited as an example of a leader hypnotised by Rousseau's philosophical ideas, using Inquisition methods to propagate them.
The Leaders of Crowds
Cited as an example of a leader hypnotized by philosophical ideas, using Inquisition-like methods to propagate them.
Prestige
Used as an example of how prestige is lost when success fails; the crowd turned on him after his fall from power.
The Changeable Opinions of Crowds
Referenced as a name that once evoked religious devotion among republicans.
Parliamentary Assemblies
Cited as an example of a leader with narrow intellect and strong conviction who exercised great influence; his speeches are described as incoherent yet powerful due to his prestige.
Endnotes
Referenced in a footnote about committees; he wielded absolute power while speaking in their name but was lost when he separated from them.

Chapter companion notes

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