ABSTRACT

This is the first book to document the extent of political cults on both the right and left and explain their significance for mainstream political organizations. The authors outline the defining characteristics of cults in general, and analyze the degree to which a variety of well-known movements fall within the spectrum of cultic organizations. The book covers such individuals and groups as Lyndon LaRouche, Fred Newman, Ted Grant, Marlene Dixon, the Christian Identity movement, Posse Commitatus, Aryan Nation, militias, and the Freemen. It explores the ideological underpinnings that predispose cult followers to cultic practices, along with the measures cults use to suppress dissent, achieve intense conformity, and extract extraordinary levels of commitment.

part |34 pages

The Nature of Cults

part |48 pages

Cults on the Right

part |59 pages

Therapy Cults and Politics

chapter |20 pages

Fred Newman

Lenin as Therapist

chapter |18 pages

Synanon

Utopia as a Game

part |80 pages

Cults on the Left

chapter |11 pages

Marlene Dixon's Little Army

chapter |17 pages

Gerry Healy: Guru to a Star

chapter |20 pages

Conclusion

Politics as Religion