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Full Idea
In historical societies such as ancient Egypt only a minority at the top of the social scale - the king, the aristocracy and the priests - needed any psychological mechanism towards social cohesion; all the rest merely obeyed.
Gist of Idea
In early societies the leaders needed cohesion, but the rest just had to obey
Source
Bertrand Russell (Authority and the Individual [1949], 2)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'Authority and the Individual' [Unwin 1977], p.24
A Reaction
This is why even now I take obedience to be a key right-wing virtue, though it is usually reinforced through national myths and distorted proganda. Quasi-worship of the leader also seems to be a major ingredient. Obedience unifies armies.
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