Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 217
First, Tourish and Wohlforth address right-wing groups and their call for white supremacy.
The authors explain the foundations of Christian Identity philosophy within the framework of
the literature on the psychology of prejudice and hate. Groups such as Aryan Nations, Posse
Comitatus, and the Ku Klux Klan are put in their historical context. Similarly, significant
connections are made to such figures as survivalist Randy Weaver (Ruby Ridge) and William
Pierce, author of The Turner Diaries, a book that was influential in the development of
Timothy McVeigh‘s ideological belief system of violence and hate. An interesting addition to
this section is the chapter on Lyndon LaRouche, who, in his own political evolution, traveled
from extreme left to extreme right. LaRouche‘s activities go back to 1947, from Trotskyism,
through the radical Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in the ‗60s, to his own National
Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC), which gradually transitioned further and further to the
right. Discussed are LaRouche‘s links to fascist and neo-Nazi groups and activities, including
his overt anti-Semitism and penchant for outrageous conspiracy theories. Many readers
may not realize the extent of LaRouche‘s involvement in our country‘s political processes.
For example, members of his organization have won primary slots in various state-level
elections and have launched state ballot initiatives and LaRouche regularly runs for
President and proposed himself as economic advisor to President Clinton. These depictions
of some of the white- supremacist groups and the LaRouche variation of fascism provide
ample evidence of our need to take these organizations seriously and to encourage further
study of them.
On the left, Tourish and Wohlforth focus on four groups: two are Marxist in orientation, and
two Trotskyite. The latter two, the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) and the Committee
for a Workers International (CWI) – at least in their U.K. incarnations – affected some
degree of political clout. Nonetheless, most leftist cults tend to be far more ineffectual, often
becoming caricatures of themselves and they tend to have quite small memberships.
Apparently, this has not deterred the leaders of such groups from having lives of excess – in
goods, sex, and/or power – and the followers from leading spartan lives of hard work and
self-denial. The two Marxist groups discussed in the book are the Democratic Workers Party
(DWP) and the Communist Party, U.S.A. (Provisional), a.k.a. the National Labor Federation
(NATLFD). Only NATLFD is still in existence, with small outposts in select cities around the
country. Left-wing groups are best known perhaps for the generation of an alphabet soup of
names (in this case, WRP, CWI, DWP, NATLFD) and their myriad front groups, indicative of
their use of deception in implementing their political programs and as a tool for recruitment.
Tourish and Wohlforth describe this phenomenon in detail, as well as introducing other
important concepts, such as the significance of ―clique formation‖ (p. 157) and similarities
to religious and other forms of guruism and cultism. As an example, the authors make an
interesting analogy between WRP leader Gerry Healy‘s philosophical distortions of Lenin‘s
Philosophical Notebooks and David Koresh‘s belief that he knew the secret meaning of the
Seven Seals. Given that many readers may not be familiar with political cults, their ideas
and terminology, or their actual practices, the authors do an excellent job of drawing
comparisons and making links to discussions in other parts of the book or to other well-
known cult examples. This makes the material less arcane and of greater relevance to more
readers.
Chapters in the remaining three parts of the book feature illustrative groups on the right
and on the left, and select therapy cults known to have a political thrust. While these are
not in-depth studies, they summarize key personalities, developments, and events,
presenting fascinating histories of the growth and evolution of each group, their purported
goals and political activities, along with concise summaries of the basic theoretical and
emotional justifications used by each group to draw in and hold members.
First, Tourish and Wohlforth address right-wing groups and their call for white supremacy.
The authors explain the foundations of Christian Identity philosophy within the framework of
the literature on the psychology of prejudice and hate. Groups such as Aryan Nations, Posse
Comitatus, and the Ku Klux Klan are put in their historical context. Similarly, significant
connections are made to such figures as survivalist Randy Weaver (Ruby Ridge) and William
Pierce, author of The Turner Diaries, a book that was influential in the development of
Timothy McVeigh‘s ideological belief system of violence and hate. An interesting addition to
this section is the chapter on Lyndon LaRouche, who, in his own political evolution, traveled
from extreme left to extreme right. LaRouche‘s activities go back to 1947, from Trotskyism,
through the radical Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in the ‗60s, to his own National
Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC), which gradually transitioned further and further to the
right. Discussed are LaRouche‘s links to fascist and neo-Nazi groups and activities, including
his overt anti-Semitism and penchant for outrageous conspiracy theories. Many readers
may not realize the extent of LaRouche‘s involvement in our country‘s political processes.
For example, members of his organization have won primary slots in various state-level
elections and have launched state ballot initiatives and LaRouche regularly runs for
President and proposed himself as economic advisor to President Clinton. These depictions
of some of the white- supremacist groups and the LaRouche variation of fascism provide
ample evidence of our need to take these organizations seriously and to encourage further
study of them.
On the left, Tourish and Wohlforth focus on four groups: two are Marxist in orientation, and
two Trotskyite. The latter two, the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) and the Committee
for a Workers International (CWI) – at least in their U.K. incarnations – affected some
degree of political clout. Nonetheless, most leftist cults tend to be far more ineffectual, often
becoming caricatures of themselves and they tend to have quite small memberships.
Apparently, this has not deterred the leaders of such groups from having lives of excess – in
goods, sex, and/or power – and the followers from leading spartan lives of hard work and
self-denial. The two Marxist groups discussed in the book are the Democratic Workers Party
(DWP) and the Communist Party, U.S.A. (Provisional), a.k.a. the National Labor Federation
(NATLFD). Only NATLFD is still in existence, with small outposts in select cities around the
country. Left-wing groups are best known perhaps for the generation of an alphabet soup of
names (in this case, WRP, CWI, DWP, NATLFD) and their myriad front groups, indicative of
their use of deception in implementing their political programs and as a tool for recruitment.
Tourish and Wohlforth describe this phenomenon in detail, as well as introducing other
important concepts, such as the significance of ―clique formation‖ (p. 157) and similarities
to religious and other forms of guruism and cultism. As an example, the authors make an
interesting analogy between WRP leader Gerry Healy‘s philosophical distortions of Lenin‘s
Philosophical Notebooks and David Koresh‘s belief that he knew the secret meaning of the
Seven Seals. Given that many readers may not be familiar with political cults, their ideas
and terminology, or their actual practices, the authors do an excellent job of drawing
comparisons and making links to discussions in other parts of the book or to other well-
known cult examples. This makes the material less arcane and of greater relevance to more
readers.
Chapters in the remaining three parts of the book feature illustrative groups on the right
and on the left, and select therapy cults known to have a political thrust. While these are
not in-depth studies, they summarize key personalities, developments, and events,
presenting fascinating histories of the growth and evolution of each group, their purported
goals and political activities, along with concise summaries of the basic theoretical and
emotional justifications used by each group to draw in and hold members.
