At the time of the historic Liberation promenade down the Champs Elysées in 1944, Georges Bidault recalls how … Practically no one shouted "Long live France!" but everyone called out "Long live de Gaulle!" In moments of great distress or great joy, the crowd has a natural tendency to turn to one man and make him the symbol of their need to admire or to be protected.

XREF: Connects to crowd psychology, charisma, and leadership dynamics — parallels with other writings on collective identity and the cult of personality.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 924