The expression "en masse" (from French) means "in bulk," "wholesale," "as a whole," "all together." It emphasizes collective action rather than individual choice.
Origin
The phrase comes from French, where en masse literally translates as "in the mass." It entered international usage, Russian included, as a fixed expression describing phenomena affecting large groups of people.
Usage in Russian
In Russian speech, "en masse" is used most often in journalism and in philosophical and social texts. It carries a note of criticism or irony, referring to thoughtless, herd-like behavior or mass phenomena in which individuality is lost.
In this context, the phrase underscores that people who sell their souls don’t do so as a deliberate, personal choice, but in submission to some universal current, under the sway of a collective idea.