English

The Influence of Race in History

In this brilliant 1888 paper Doctor Gustave Le Bon, the Father of Social Psychology, analyzes the critical role a people's race plays in influencing history. Le Bon points out that psychology and not anatomical characteristics is what differentiates races, and therefore "peoples whose mental constitution is similar will have similar destinies when they are placed in analogous circumstances, even though they might differ very much by their exterior aspect." In addition, Le Bon found that what is most important in determining the success of a race is not intelligence, but rather character. The author also, besides discussing at length the often disastrous outcomes that occur when two races which differ greatly are intermixed, comes to the conclusion that "the progressive differentiation between the races" in one of "the inevitable consequences arising from the progress of civilization." Many more interesting aspects of this paper's topic are explored by Le Bon, whose findings and conclusions have stood the test of time.

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