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The True Believer : Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics)
by Eric Hoffer
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Product Details
- Paperback: 192 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.49 x 8.08 x 5.36
- Publisher: Perennial Classics; 1st Perennial classics ed edition (September 3, 2002)
- ISBN: 0060505915
- Other Editions: Hardcover | All Editions
- Average Customer Review:
Based on 66 reviews.
- Amazon.com Sales Rank: 5,397
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Editorial Reviews
Christian Science Monitor
"One of the most provocative books of our immediate day." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
The New Yorker
"Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly...." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
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. The True Believer -- the first and most famous of his books -- was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.Completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today, The True Believer is a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.
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Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant and concise treatise on mass movements, September 30, 2004
The True Believer_ by Eric Hoffer is a short though rather intense and pithy book. His basic premise is that there are traits common to all mass movements, whether they are religious, social, or nationalist in nature. He stresses that while not all movements - and followers of such mass movements, the titular true believer - are identical nevertheless (be they Communism, the French Revolution, Islam, or Christianity) all share certain essential characteristics. He also stresses that he is not making value judgments; that while few would dispute that Nazism was evil many mass movements produced positive benefits (for instance the rapid modernization of Japan and Turkey would not have been possible without a revivalist nationalist movement).
The true believer in any mass movement shares many key characteristics. One is that he or she is discontented and blames the world for his or her problems. Second is that he possesses some sense of power, whether real or imagined (those who are in awe of the world he wrote do not think of change, no matter how miserable); the true believer is not destitute, as those who are living hand-to-mouth, unsure of food on a daily basis, don't join mass movements. Moreover, this power comes from some powerful doctrine or infallible leader and through these things the believer feels he has power. Third, the true believer has a great deal of faith in the future, that he believes that tremendous change is possible. Fourth, the true believer is inexperienced, that generally he is nearly completely ignorant of the difficulties involved in a movement's massive undertakings.
Hoffer identified several of the appealing elements of mass movements to individuals. Though mass movements in their more mature stages attract those who seek self-advancement, they generally at first are appealing to those who seek self-renunciation. They see their lives - and the present in which they live -as irredeemably spoiled. These people seek a rebirth and wish to lose themselves in a mass movement. The true fanatic of a movement is always incomplete and insecure, only finding assurance through whatever he desperately clings to. Hoffers wrote that fanatics sometimes switch movements entirely and the truest fanatics in any movement have more in common with the fanatics in other movements than with moderates, sometimes one becoming the other (Saul becoming Paul, radical Communists becoming radical Nazis, etc.). The fanatic seeks to deal with a pressing sense of self insufficiency with a strong missionary zeal to proselytize and dominate the world.
What types of individuals seek the self-renunciation, rebirth, and transformed future offered by a mass movement? The "new poor" are a key group, those that have a memory of better times, of more affluence and often more power but through circumstances have been deprived of them. The "free poor" are another vital group. Hoffer wrote that freedom "aggravates as much as it alleviates frustration." Freedom of choice places the blame of failure in life squarely on the shoulder of the individuals; they are free to fail and they would rather seek freedom from responsibility. The free poor - perhaps recently freed slaves, perhaps those who once lived under a despotic regime and came to dislike the following anarchy - often seek freedom from being free, valuing equality and fraternity much more than they value freedom. They find in a mass movement a refuge "from the anxieties, barrenness, and meaninglessness of an individual existence."
Hoffer stressed however that not all poor people join mass movements; as noted the abject poor do not join them, nor do those he called the "unified poor," those who are members of compact, tightly knit groups that provide solidarity and support (such as in the past the Chinese family or the Jewish ghettos in Medieval Europe). Leaders of mass movements he noted were aware of these groups and often sought to disrupt or destroy them.
Once within a mass movement the true believer is assimilated. This is facilitated by "make believe" - activities such as parades and by wearing uniforms - that stress the glory of a movement, carrying away viewers by sheer spectacle. Leaders of a mass movement deprecate the present, encouraging a negative attitude to the world as it is and fixing the attention upon the future. Doctrine is key in this, a "fact proof screen" that insulates the individual from the world, a doctrine that is deliberately not wholly intelligible and that requires no small amount of faith to follow.
Mass movements themselves have many similarities. First, all mass movements are competitive. Second, all mass movements are ultimately interchangeable, either changing in character or possessing more than one character, as a religious movement may become a nationalist one or vice versa. For instance Zionism can be seen as a nationalist, social, and religious movement. Third, while mass movements do not require a God they do require a devil, something to focus their wrath on (and if an enemy does not exist it must be invented).
For a mass movement to come to pass, three types of leaders at different stages are required. More often than not, each of these leaders is a different person. First is the man of words, an articulate and intelligent person who undermines faith in the existing order and sets the stage for a mass movement. When conditions are ripe the second leader, the fanatic, appears, one who is comfortable in a world of chaos and is not interested in reform but rather revolution, moving beyond mere dialogue - however important - and enacting real change. However, while a mass movement is pioneered by the man of words and materialized by the fanatic, it is consolidated by the man of action, a person who has experience and can consolidate and stabilize the gains made by fanatics. Those movements that lack this person can burn out, destroyed in trying to achieve ever more impossible goals. The man of action saves a movement from suicidal dissensions and the recklessness of fanatics.
An excellent book, it was well worth reading.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
a must read, September 28, 2004
As for the reviewer who is harshly critical of Hoffer, he obviously didn't read the book or somehow didn't grasp Hoffers assertions. This is a great book that helped me understand the behavior of other people and groups of people. It also helped me understand why the war in Iraq has been tremendously more difficult than anticipated. Our government failed to understand the people and culture of Iraq. This is a book that I will insist my children read when they get old enough. This is probolly one of the 5 best books I have ever read.
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10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Pegs the previous reviewer, June 27, 2004
The reviewer, with his hip Michael Moore attitude, obviously didn't understand the book. He makes reference to the Nazis wanting to surrender to the Allies rather than the Soviets--um, did Hitler/Goebbels/Himmler surrender to *anyone*? The nonideological soldiers, the middle men, they weren't the "true believers", the members of the mass movement who articulated the vision of the Third Reich, who invested their egos into the identity of National Socialism, went down w/ the ship. The suicide rate amongst Germans at the end of WWII was higher than the suicide rate amongst Jews in the concentration camp. Not everyone living under a tyrannical minority is a member of a mass movement, not everyone is a "true believer". As Hoffer said so himself, "The game of history is usually played by the best and the worst over the heads of the majority in the middle." Yeah, the previous reviewer sure did read this book, didn't he! As for the interchangability between Nazis and Commies--it often happened, however it requires some amount of cognitive dissonance to trigger the change. A traumatic event, or a revelation. We see it often on the scale of American culture--David Horowitz and David Brock, Dennis Miller and Ariana Huffington, for example. Fundamentalist Christians become militant atheists. Militant atheists become fundamentalist Christians.
Hoffer's conclusion does not differ much from a LEFT wing psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm, who articulated similair views about tribalism as the result of individual narcissism sublimated into group narcissism. They seem to be working on the same wavelength, at least when it comes to group think, group psychosis.
"A man is likely to mind his own business when it was worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off of his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business."
"Mass movements can rise and spread without the belief in God, but never without belief in a devil." Gee, what irrational side of the political spectrum does *that* describe? ABB?
"Those who find no difficulty in decieving themselves are easily decieved by others."
Hoffer is not perfect and he stretches on some points. He also approaches mass movements from an amoral point of view--ie, if there was some group out there that miraculously had the truth w/ a capital T, whether divine or scientific in a Grand Unified Theory way, it would still be just like other mass movements preying on the same psychological weaknesses. This book is about human nature and the tribal instinct, not specific moral values. A masterpiece nonetheless, that dissects much of the current worldwide political climate.
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5 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
Wacko Hullaballoo!, May 18, 2004
The dust jacket for the original 1951 print sells "The True Believer" as insight into Stalin's "'secret weapon,' his ability to generate enthusiasm and self sacrifice in all manner of people." It's a misleading premise. Stalin and many of Hoffler's other examples are less mass movement leaders than totalitarian dictators! They do not sweep unfulfilled people off their feet, but subdue and rule through force. Myriad peoples struggle to get away from the world's "Stalins," not follow them! The Soviet Union and scores of dictatorships have fallen in recent decades because the "leader" exhausted resources trying to *contain* "his people!" In short, there is no differentiation between "mass movement" and reign of terror! Broadly, Hoffer claims there is a mass movement man/personality, afraid of his own freedom - of facing himself. Why then, did vanquished Nazis (the epitome of Hoffler's "true believers") strive desperately to surrender to the U.S. rather than fall into the hands of Soviets (the other epitome)? Hoffler theorizes that "true believers" would rather go from communist to fascist, or vice versa, rather than become a democrat - for the "true believer," any mass movement is preferable to individuality. Then wouldn't Nazis abhor America's individual freedoms and run instead into the bosom of Stalin's "mass movement?" For the best answer to that, ask folks who ran through barbed wire and climbed a Wall to get to the West.
More troubling is Hoffer's consistent allusion that slaves want to be slaves. For example, Hoffer pulls these theories out of his rump: "The absolute equality among the slaves, and the intimate communal life in slave quarters, preclude individual frustration." And, "The segregated Negro in the South is less frustrated than the non-segregated Negro in the North" (#26, 40). Tell it to Rosa Parks! Much of this book is an insult to oppressed people... and to many of America's guiding principles.
For most of Hoffer's theories, he cherry picks one example from scores of nations and thousands of years. A gullible reader could think up further examples to support Hoffer's claims. And a mildly discerning reader could come up with a handful of counter examples. In short, Hoffer explains mass movements like Nostradamus explains the future.
In fairness, Hoffer is dead on with some points (wink). Like when he says failed or dried up artists "become the most violent extremists in the pursuit of their holy cause" (#37). The example of Hitler "verifies" this theory. And so does my friend Joe. He used to do cartoon sketches of people (giant head, small body). He'd ask what their favorite sport was, and sketch in a tennis racquet or skis, etc. One day he lost his touch -- and he is now the most rabid 49er fan I know!
In Hoffler style, here's my rating guide:
People who give 5 star reviews are eager to praise something outside themselves. A leader who promises answers easily sways them. For example, Italians who cheered Mussolini were 5 star people.
1 star reviewers show disaffection with the book, reflecting their internal emptiness. They are despondent, ripe to be enthralled by a more charismatic book, and are prime candidates for a cult. For example, people who were bored with The Backstreet Boys were easily swept up by the flashy propaganda of N Sync.
4 star people are sad, pathetic losers. They are perhaps most dangerous to global stability.
3 star reviewers are compromisers, clinging to a middle ground. Afraid to choose, they are desperate for a mass movement to choose for them. 3 star movements include Bolshevism, early Christianity, and Hulkamania.
I give 2 stars. And I recommend the writings and life of Orwell (not too much, I mean I don't worship the guy or anything!) for clearer takes on "mass movements" and individuality. Peace out, fellow individuals!
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