In a striking blend of history and science, researchers have unveiled how epidemiological models-typically used to track disease outbreaks-can illuminate the rapid spread of rumours during France’s Great Fear of 1789. This pivotal moment, marked by widespread panic and unrest in rural communities on the eve of the French Revolution, saw fears spiral through villages with alarming speed. Now, detailed analysis published in Nature reveals that the dynamics of these social contagions mirror those of infectious diseases, offering fresh insights into how misinformation cascades through societies in times of crisis.
Epidemiology Models Shed Light on Rumour Dynamics During France’s Great Fear
Recent research employing epidemiological frameworks illuminates how the hysteria during France’s Great Fear of 1789 propagated rapidly akin to an infectious disease. By adapting classical SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) models, scholars characterized the population’s response to malign…
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Author : Samuel Brown
Publish date : 2025-09-02 03:40:00
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