How Did Jim Jones Use Communism

Our third example with notorious cult leader Jim Jones, the force behind the “Jonestown Massacre” that took place in 1978. Using the manipulation of other’s ideals, specifically religion and communism, Jones was able to convince over 1000 people to join his religious cult (History.com Staff, 2010). Jim Jones was a well-known communist during the McCarthyism era which threatened his freedom while also inspiring him to construct a safe place for American communists like himself. He used Christianity as his platform and started his own church, one that enforced and supported communist views. Using these ideals, he was able to appeal to people with similar views. These people followed Jones to “Jonestown”, Guyana, South America, where he set up
Translation was the idea that if he and his entire cult committed mass suicide, they would move on to another planet and live peacefully as a communist-only group (Edmonds). Jones continued to push this idea, and was able to convince the cult to commit mass suicide by explaining to them that a potential exodus with the Soviet Union fell through (Jonestown Audiotape Primary Project). He manipulated them by telling them that intelligence associations were targeting the Temple and that “men would parachute in here on us, shoot some of our innocent babies, torture our seniors, and convert the survivors to fascism” (Jones, 1978). Using these reasons, he was able to manipulate 909 of his followers (History.com Staff, 2010) into drinking cyanide-laced purple Kool-Aid in order to “save themselves from fascism” (Jonestown Audiotape Primary Project). Using communist ideals and master manipulation, he was able to orchestrate the largest deliberate loss of U.S. lives at that point (Biography.com Editors, 2014). In manipulating other’s ideals, he was able to convince an entire group that what they were doing was what was best for both themselves and the cult as a