This process, in the case of revolutions, spirals out of control. Then, too often, all hell breaks loose. The breaking down of social order leads to a Hobbesian state of nature where every party is at risk of political violence, and often opts to use it themselves pre-emptively. Mass executions and situations bordering on genocide often ensue.

* “You imagine that you are fighting against the mob, but actually you are becoming a part of it. Within the mob there is no justice and no argument and no reasoning, no space for inquiry or investigation. The only good move is not to play.”