Here was a man who was orphaned at the age of five, lost his eyesight at seven, gained it back miraculously by 15, and did odd jobs to survive, finally becoming a longshoreman. For most of his life, Hoffer worked a variety of working-class jobs, including being a longshoreman in San Francisco for 25 years. The belief that such evil falls along partisan lines is outright delusion. Yet even a century ago, Bernays was explaining similar strategies. You are correct. All failures of the movement to accomplish their goals can also be blamed on the enemy. Creativity provides inner joy which both acts as an antidote to the frustrations with external hardships. The Fanatic often promises things which are impractical or impossible, but this is not a problem for true believers. Electing strongmen leaders, tyrannical governments and promoting strict social control. People who feel appreciated by others and in control of their life don’t want to join a mass movement. On the other hand, a “true believer” who becomes part of a mass movement feels frustrated, forgotten and individually powerless. All mass movements appeal to similar human frustrations, whether they are political, social or religious. They don’t believe their life can improve through individual action, so they join a holy cause to regain a sense of power in the world and hope for their future. The “New Poor” are a different group of people than the extremely poor. Yet slowly all those jobs were transferred to overseas factories where labour costs were cheaper. People wanted us understand: Why should you care about this book? Joining a movement gives a frustrated and hopeless person a sense of power again. (p. 41). He says myths highlight the way we should all live to create a better world. When we hear that someone is very powerless and discontent, we probably imagine a very poor person—someone who is stressed about having enough money to feed their kids each day. First, by noticing when political leaders are trying to provide us with scapegoats for our personal shortcomings. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in February, 1983. But Eric Hoffer says very poor people usually don’t join mass movements for the simple reason their life is already energized with purpose. Why do people join mass movements like Communism, Nationalism or Fascism? Ultimately, The True Believer identifies factors, characteristics, or personas that create the perfect storm for a cultural movement to manifest itself, grow, and move towards an active state. there have been numerous works suggesting that Trumpism is a cult or a new religion. After writing his first book, The True Believer, he went on to publish over ten others. If a doctrine is not unintelligible, it has to be vague; and if neither unintelligible nor vague, it has to be unverifiable. All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action; all of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance; all of them are capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments of life; all of them demand blind faith and single-hearted allegiance …, The assumption that mass movements have many traits in common does not imply that all movements are equally beneficent or poisonous. For example, the American Revolution became the US Government, the Christian movement became the Church, and so on. Feeling hopeless, such people participate in movements that allow them to become part of a larger collective. As they say, history doesn’t repeat but it does rhyme. That wasn’t part of the deal! These structures exist until another mass movement comes along to reshape them. Hoffer, seeking to better understand the prognosis of large social movements and how they gain and lose members, applies numerous … Hitler looked on the German Communists as potential National Socialists: “The petit bourgeois Social-Democrat and the trade-union boss will never make a National Socialist, but the Communist always will.” Captain Röhm boasted that he could turn the reddest Communist into a glowing nationalist in four weeks. The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. People join mass movements when they feel frustrated and powerless, 3. The book is a critique of ideological fanaticism, tracing it to its psychological roots. Hoffer discusses the sense of individual identity and the holding to particular ideals that can lead to fanaticism among both leaders and followers. People who feel fulfilled and in control of their life don’t care to change the existing system. How was this possible? Thus the doctrines of the mass movement must not be questioned—they are regarded with certitude—and they are spread through “persuasion, coercion, and proselytization.” Persuasion works best on those already sympathetic to the doctrines, but it must be vague enough to allow “the frustrated to … hear the echo of their own musings in … impassioned double talk.” (p. 106)  Hoffer quotes Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels: “a sharp sword must always stand behind propaganda if it is to be really effective.” (p. 106) The urge to proselytize comes not from a deeply held belief in the truth of doctrine but from an urge of the fanatic to “strengthen his own faith by converting others.” (p. 110). With belief, they feel strong, certain. JGM. What surprises one, when listening to the frustrated as the decry the present and all its works, is the enormous joy they derive from doing so. In both cases, the taste of a better life motivates them to join mass movements. He wrote in his spare time after doing shifts on the San Francisco docks, where he continued to work, even after becoming a successful author. The Man of Words is an intellectual who criticizes established institutions, casts doubt on old beliefs and undermines the existing order. More than anything, they want to lose awareness of their inadequate individual self and become an anonymous member of a unified group. Every day, they are engaged in keeping their family sheltered and fed. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring on them an absolute truth or remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves—and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole. If someone doesn’t have the ability to create fulfillment in their life, then freedom becomes a problem. When World War 2 ended, almost every Nazi member believed they were not guilty of the horrific crimes that had been committed. (pp. As every religious movement becomes an organized religion and every political revolution becomes a new government. When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money—that’s a result. Alone, they feel vulnerable and undefended against the dangers of life. ISBN-13: 9780060505912. Trump is the cause and his demise is anticipated with glee. To illustrate this point, consider Communists and National Socialists. People join mass movements to become free of their individual self. EMBED. However, they don’t organize the movement themselves. I heavily encourage this book to all of my readers. The third stage is led by Men of Action, who seal the once-dynamic mass movement into a solid structure that can last. For example, Gandhi’s nationalist movement in India freed over one billion people from British rule, so today many people call him “Father of the Nation.” Nationalism also drove the American Revolution of Independence, the French Revolution for democracy, the destruction of World War 2 and the rapid modernization of Japan. For though ours is a godless age, it is the very opposite of irreligious. A lack of self-awareness is the root of much evil. Such people are resentful and blame others for their problems. Passionate hate unifies members of a mass movement, 6. A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. And psychological. The early days of every mass movement are explosive, dynamic and free-flowing. all of them demand blind faith and singlehearted allegiance. There must be something more—and there is. It is part history, part psychology, part politics. A mass movement is what Eric Hoffer calls all social, political and religious movements. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They become true believers in a mass movement that “appeals not to those intent on bolstering and advancing a cherished self, but to those who crave to be rid of an unwanted self because it can satisfy the passion for self-renunciation.” (p. 12). At this point, the “practical men of action” take over and try to lead the new order by further controlling their followers. Before they believed, Hoffer writes, they felt small, confused, destined for nothing. He must come at the right time, filling people with hope and the vision of a glorious future. And I have a post about the book here – https://reasonandmeaning.com/2017/01/23/harry-frankfurt-on-bullshit-and-lying/. The first stage of every mass movement is led by Men of Words, who undermine existing social institutions and group bonds. Hoffer says that while mass movements may look very different at first, they are all driven by the same aspects of human psychology. On the other hand, Karl Radek looked on the Nazi Brown Shirts (S.A.) as a reserve for future Communist recruits. 1951. It exemplifies the powers of creative thinking and critical analysis at their best, providing an insight into two crucial elements of critical thinking. When millions of people died in famines (Wikipedia) due to the Soviet Union’s new policies, Stalin blamed the kulaks yet again. Moreover, mass movements need an object of hate that unifies believers, and “the ideal devil is a foreigner.” (p. 93) Mass movements need a devil. Yet as every movement becomes mature, it hardens into solid unchanging traditions. As Hoffer puts it near the end of his work: “All mass movements … irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred, and intolerance.” (p. 141), __________________________________________________________________________. They plant seeds in the minds of a society which will later grow into a mass movement. WHY does your company exist? And WHY should anyone care?” Answering these questions will help us build stronger and more meaningful bonds in the members of our communities. In those camps, he discovered the importance of finding a meaningful purpose to our lives beyond pleasure or consumption. This is a warning sign they are trying to tap into powerful human motives to gain power. I recommend reading Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letter. A great hope overcomes the natural human resistance to change. The fanatic is perpetually incomplete and insecure. The True Believer Eric Hoffer Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Men of Words prepare the ground for every mass movement, 7. Men of Action stabilize mass movements, Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, our summary of Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, When millions of people died in famines (Wikipedia), our summary of Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson, our summary of Propaganda by Edward Bernays, divide children against their fathers and mothers. Summary of Eric Hoffer’s, The True Believer September 4, 2017 Book Re The passionate attachment is the essence of his blind devotion and religiosity, and he sees in it the sources of all virtue and strength … He sacrifices his life to prove his worth … The fanatic cannot be weaned away from his cause by an appeal to reason or his moral sense. When a mass movement comes along preaching systemic change as the answer, it greatly appeals to this part of human nature. The present reviewer is merely trying to claim Hoffer’s support for his own personal politics, not present an objective review of Hoffer’s classic book. The “New Poor” are the most frustrated group of people. It does not maintain that all movements are identical, but that they share certain essential characteristics which give them a family likeness. Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published. In America, this was a group of “New Poor” people. 80-81). Their life is hard and difficult, but certainly meaningful. Let’s understand each of these one-by-one. For example, the communist revolution in Russia didn’t happen when the peasants were the most poor, but only after they experienced an improvement in their conditions and freedom. The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Eric Hoffer’s The True Believer and Trump, https://reasonandmeaning.com/2017/01/23/harry-frankfurt-on-bullshit-and-lying/, Summary of Bill Joy's, "Why the future doesn't need us,”, Summary of Judith Jarvis Thomson's, "A Defense of Abortion". Freedom of expression, freedom from those in power and freedom to do what we want. Book: Title: The True Believer Book: Author: Eric Hoffer Book: ISBN: Not Applicable Book: Copyright: 1951 Book: Publisher: The New American Library He continues in that profession till he retired. I would normally be inclined to just say, “Be better”, but without someone like me pointing it out to you on a constant basis, you probably can not. The psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote the amazing book Man’s Search For Meaning which talks about the lessons he learned surviving a concentration camp during WW2. Harper & Brothershttps://thealternativeleft.blogspot.ca/2017/02/the-true-bel... 1951. The True Believer is a manuscript that attempts to grant justification as to why people would be drawn to a mass movement. This information is essential for dissidents to understand. She’s brilliant and insightful. (BibleGateway), our full summary of Start With Why by Simon Sinek. For example, early Christianity borrowed many ideas from Pagan religions like Easter and the Christmas tree. But what Hoffer calls the “new poor,” those who previously had wealth or status but who believe they have now lost it, are potential converts. Yet when we look back in history to Germany during the 1920s and 1930s, it was common to see the “true believers” of Communism becoming National Socialists and vice versa. Mass movements also attract the partially assimilated—those who feel alienated from mainstream culture. In 1983 he received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work. Eric Hoffer was a working-class American autodidact who authored a variety of treatises on moral and social philosophy. A mass movement is a form of social, economic, or religious movement where a large group of people attempt to rise up and evoke a change away from the status quo. And during his presidency, he waged trade wars to totally renegotiate major trade agreements like NAFTA. WHY do you get out of bed in the morning? Yes. He also wrote about the danger of not accepting responsibility for one’s own frustrations: “Obviously if I am determined to overlook my own part in the failure to resolve my own frustrations, if I am determined to find a scapegoat for my problems, then I am just a stone’s throw away from the mentality that was responsible for Hitler’s final solution, or for the Spanish inquisition, or for Lenin’s cultural cleansing.” Read more in our summary of Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson. (pp. One has to get to heaven or the distant future to determine the truth of an effective doctrine … simple words are made pregnant with meaning and made to look like symbols in a secret message. So how can we make sense of history when millions of people appeared to want the opposite? Like “If the Communists win Europe and a large part of the world, it will not be because they know how to stir up discontent or how to infect people with hatred, but because they know how to … How they were able to cause horrific events like the Holocaust. It’s a challenging read not because of the writing, Hoffer writes simply and clearly, but because of the sizable questions he packs into each page. The author breaks down all those movements into various types of people, suggesting why they might be attracted to such groups and how they differ from one another. But in reality, the “hatred of a true believer is actually a disguised self-loathing …” and “the fanatic is perpetually incomplete and insecure.” (p. 85) Through their fanatical action and personal sacrifice, the fanatic tries to give their life meaning. This only makes sense when we understand they had joined the movement to be free from individual accountability. The True Believer: Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer is a tremendous read. Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Support, 'Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.' So people who are failing will always say it is the fault of: the economy, “the system,” the government, capitalism, high taxes… anything outside themselves. Why do millions of people sometimes decide to follow a single leader fanatically? By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? Thank you John Messerly, I’ve just found this page and I really enjoy what I’ve read, I am writing on July 1st, 2020 and there are a lot of events of an ‘Outlier’ nature happenings in Society that are difficult to digest, It does seem that ‘Someone’ is really moving to install a ‘Post Democratic’ regime in the Good ole USA, While I do understand why America voted for ‘Trump’ and I would have voted for him myself, if I had been able, I now see that in the end he is just one Player on stage, dutifully reading the script and playing his part to the best of his ability, the genesis of today’s problems predate Trump by many years! The Frenchmen of the enlightenment who debunked the church and the crown and preached reason and tolerance released a burst of revolutionary and nationalist fanaticism which has not abated yet. Published in 1951, it depicts a variety of arguments in terms of applied world history and social psychology to explain why mass movements arise to challenge the status quo. The New Poor are the most likely group to join mass movements. This is an unconventional book to study. To put it simply, all mass movements gain followers through appealing to a common set of personal emotions, frustrations and motivations. Notice how the author of this review can see True Believers in a right wing cause while he ignores those in left wing causes. Every mass movement takes this to another level and nurtures a fanatical hatred against someone or some group of people. Decades ago, working in manufacturing was one of the best jobs in the country. It is essential to have a tangible enemy, not merely an abstract one.”. In the modern developed world, … The “New Poor” are most likely to join mass movements, 5. We have a huge problem with fascism and cultism. Such delight cannot come from the mere venting of a grievance. A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness, and meaninglessness of an individual existence. So believers ignore truths that contradict their fervent beliefs, but this hides the fact that. […] It is not actual suffering but the taste of better things which excites people to revolt. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Almost 100 years ago, Edward Bernays wrote the book Propaganda, which provides clear insight into both political propaganda and advertising. I recommend you check out our full summary of Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It covers different movements that have occurred throughout history, including communism and socialism. Is this what Trump meant when he said he could shoot someone in public and his supporters would stay loyal? In this situation, it feels like a relief to surrender responsibility to a powerful leader. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil. He cannot generate self-assurance out of his individual sources … but finds it only by clinging passionately to whatever support he happens to embrace. (p. 85). For the national socialists, it was the Jewish people. Second, we can use these ideas to create more unity within the groups we are part of, including our families, colleagues and businesses. They are those whose income, security and status in society has fallen… or those who rose from extreme poverty. Fanatics bring new mass movements into being, 8. In response to the many comments I’ve received that disagree with the sentiments here expressed,(many of them so extraordinarily vile I stopped posting them), I know that I am unlikely to change anyone’s mind, but if you would like to expand your mind read the quality material that can be found here: https://reasonandmeaning.com/2018/02/02/best-new-books-on-politics/. This is why in 1930s Germany, Communists and National Socialists would sometimes “switch sides.”. It’s well-known that communism attacks the authority of the parents and family unit, and even Jesus talked about how he had come to divide children against their fathers and mothers. Hoffer says that mass movements begin when discontented, frustrated, powerless people lose faith in existing institutions and demand change. The intellectual doesn’t want you just to obey, he wants you to get down on your knees and praise the one who makes you love what you hate and hate what you love.”, Hoffer, “The history of this country was made largely by people who wanted to be left alone. Hundreds and thousands of years ago, the most powerful mass movements were religious. Hoffer emphasizes that creative people—those who experience creative flow—aren’t usually attracted to mass movements. Put another way, Hoffer says: “Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the loss of faith in ourselves.” (p. 14) Leaders inspire these movements, but the seeds of mass movements must already exist for the leaders to be successful. In the modern developed world, most of us would say more freedom is good. Creativity also relieves boredom, a major cause of mass movements: There is perhaps no more reliable indicator of a society’s ripeness for a mass movement than the prevalence of unrelieved boredom. And while mass movements typically blend nationalist, political, and religious ideas, they all compete for angry and/or marginalized people. The True Believer became widely read after then-president Dwight Eisenhower recommended it as an essential book. This will help you become a better leader, communicator and citizen. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! The last stage of every mass movement is led by Men of Action, who bring structure and order. They know strong emotions will motivate more people to go and vote for them. People do not want to join a new mass movement if they already feel protected belonging to an existing tightly knit tribe, whether that is a family or a local tribe or a religious group. thanks, I just perused her writings and you are correct. First is the Man of Words, second is the Fanatic, and third is the Man of Action. Frankl wrote, “What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.” Learn more in our summary of Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. All mass movements appeal to the same personal frustrations, 2. The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements is a non-fiction book authored by American philosopher Eric Hoffer. You will always see left wing politicians yelling about how rich people don’t pay enough taxes or right wing politicians shouting about the government wasting your money. An enemy serves as an effective scapegoat, allowing a True Believer to redirect attention from their own shortcomings. This could easily be seen as Hoffer's starting point. Yet in recent history, the powerful movements have become more nationalist and social. The true believer is everywhere on the march, and both by converting and antagonizing he is shaping the world in his own image. Then fanatics take over. Their fanaticism transforms them; losers become winners. The book passes no judgments, and expresses no preferences. That single-mindedness, that intolerance, is the core question of Hoffer's book: what kind of people become fanatics? The first lines of Hoffer’s book clearly state its purpose: This book deals with some peculiarities common to all mass movements, be they religious movements, social revolutions or nationalist movements. In Walden Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." (This was one of Will Durant’s findings in The Lessons of History.) It is short but packed full of information. For example, most experts were surprised by the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. They don’t want radical change because they’re happy to pursue their goals and dreams within the existing system. Each stage requires a different leader. Like most Cold War authors writing in this genre, Hoffer finds that communism, fascism, and religious movements have things in common, but he is careful to avoid turning the book into a clear-cut iteration of horseshoe theory. And status in society that used to be doing well in life rituals and hierarchy prejudice, we do strike. And socialism criticizes established institutions, casts doubt on old beliefs and undermines existing! We have a tangible enemy, not merely an abstract one. ” free trade wasn... Movement, 7 people sometimes decide to follow a single leader fanatically is an important to. 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