Origins of Political Extremism: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond
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Writen byManus Midlarsky - PublisherCambridge University Press
- Year 2011
Political extremism is one of the most destructive and nihilistic forms of human expression. Manus I. Midlarsky examines the roots of political extremism, explaining that ephemeral gains and mortality salience are fundamental causes. This theoretical framework is applied to various forms of extremism, including fascism in Italy, Hungary, and Romania, Nazism, radical Islamism, and communist regimes in the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia. The author also explores the militaristic actions of Japan, Pakistan, and Indonesia, as well as extreme nationalism in Serbia, Croatia, the Ottoman Empire, and Rwanda. Additionally, the book addresses Polish anti-Semitism after WWII and separatist violence in Sri Lanka.
