The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

Mass movements are one of the most terrifying forces in recent history; cataclysmic social upheavals that shatter states and lead to war, famine, and genocide. In this dense, philosophical tome, Hoffer examines the common features of mass movements, from Semitic religions, to Nazis and Communism. All mass movements draw on a particular alliance between the worst elements of society, and the frustrated literati, creating an image of an idealized future that justifies any violence inflicted on the present. The fanatic does not want to be free, but rather desires to be free from freedom.

While this book is decades old, and hence a little dated, its lessons are still invaluable when applied to contemporary politics. What might seem facile directed at the moments of today has great truth when applied with a little historical perspective.