This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“When our individual interests and
prospects do not seem worth living for, we are in desperate need of something
apart from us to live for. All forms of
dedication, devotion, loyalty and self-surrender are in essence a desperate
clinging to something which might give worth and meaning to our futile, spoiled
lives.” – Eric Hoffer, Chapter II: The Desire for Substitutes, Page 22
“The discarded and rejected are often the raw material of a
nation’s future. The stone the builders
reject becomes the cornerstone of a new world.
A nation without dregs and malcontents is orderly, decent, peaceful and
pleasant, but perhaps without the seed of things to come. It was not the irony of history that the
undesired in the countries of Europe should have crossed an ocean to build a
new world on this continent. Only they
could do it.” – Eric Hoffer, Chapter IV: The Role of the Undesirables in Human
Affairs, Page 29
“The vigor of a mass movement stems from the propensity of
its followers for united action and self-sacrifice. When we ascribe the success of a movement to
its faith, doctrine, propaganda, leadership, ruthlessness and so on, we are but
referring to instruments of unification and to means used to inculcate a
readiness for self-sacrifice. It is
perhaps impossible to understand the nature of mass movements unless it is
recognized that their chief preoccupation is to foster, perfect and perpetuate
a facility for united action and self-sacrifice.” – Eric Hoffer, Chapter XII:
Preface, Page 57
Is This An Overview?
Mass movements are a method for people to change society, a
method for the individual to change themself.
Each movement might make different claims, but their methodology is the
same. Movements enable collective
action, but at the cost of individual’s identity and sovereignty. Each individual defers to the values and
views of the group, rather than proclaim their own values. Movements are perpetuated when members are
willing to participate in collective action and self-sacrifice.
Movements enable change.
People who have accepted their conditions and are comfortable with their
lives are not susceptible to a movement.
Those who want change are the dispossessed, the disillusioned, the
discarded, the rejected, those who cannot find meaning in their lives. Those who want change think that the future
holds more value for them than the present.
They are willing to substitute their own lack of self-worth and meaning
by seeking to change others and dedicate themselves to a cause. Lack of self-worth enables the person to want
to relegate the responsibility of choosing to others, to be free of freedom, to
be free of one’s own individual failures and frustrations.
Members of the group become willing to harm others, as their
cause is perceived as righteous.
Persecution justifies more persecution as those acts validate the
movements beliefs. Movements have an
enemy which must be vanquished for the better future to come about. An enemy provides a common source of hatred,
which unifies the members and reduces the opposition’s resistance.
Caveats?
The references to mass movements
is of the totalitarian variety. Not all
movements are totalitarian, and various movements have factions that use
different methods other than repression.
Not all change requires totalitarianism.
What this book provides is a way to identify totalitarian
movements. Explains how and why
totalitarian movements develop.
