The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

The book «The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements» (Человек убежденный. Личность, власть и массовые движения) brought Eric Hoffer worldwide fame: written in 1951, this study by a recognized classic of social thought is dedicated to the nature and content of mass movements of humanity - be it parties, religious movements, national or social revolutions.

What explains the attractiveness for the masses of such ambiguous figures in world history and spiritual culture as Christ, Buddha, Muhammad, Hitler, and Stalin? By identifying patterns, the author provides original, sometimes paradoxical answers. Hoffer earned a reputation as a modern Machiavelli; however, he considered himself a continuator of the traditions of Montaigne, Pascal, and Dostoevsky. Like Nietzsche, he is a thinker of unexpected (and not always pleasant) truths.

The book will be of interest to anyone who is concerned with issues related to mass social movements and power.