Totality, Charisma, Authority : The Origins and Transformations of Totalist Movements

This interdisciplinary endeavour portrays the central features of militant movements which hold totality as an important part of their doctrinal core. Revisiting the importance of modernity, utopianism, eschatology, charisma, psychology and the history of ideas, Mihai Murariu pursues a reconstruction of the historical requirements for the emergence of such movements. Making a central use of the concept of totalism, the work establishes a conceptual bridge from antiquity to the contemporary period, whilst also arguing for the suitability of the term in comparison to totalitarianism or political religion. The author also proposes a distinct taxonomy for structural elements, variants, and development phases which may be encountered in totalist movements. Contents • Totality and Totalism: Theory and Concepts • Evolving Perspectives: Eschatology and Utopia • The Totalist Types: Between Renovative and Utopian Strands • Totalism Transformed: Power, Purity, and Truth from Heterodoxy to Ideocracy • The Legion of the Archangel Michael and the "Hybrid" Totalist Type Target Groups • Lecturers and students of political science, security studies, history, sociology, philosophy • Academics, policymakers About the Author Mihai Murariu is an independent researcher, as well as a writer and essayist. His research interests focus on the roots of radicalism, modernity, terrorism, and the interplay between ideology, security and militant movements, and the challenges these bring about in contemporary pluralist societies.-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages I-X Front Matter....Pages 11-11 Introduction....Pages 13-15 The State of Research....Pages 17-46 Method and Terminology....Pages 47-60 Front Matter....Pages 61-61 The Nature of Totality....Pages 63-71 The Concept of Totalism....Pages 73-92 The Totalist Types: Between Renovative and Utopian Strands....Pages 93-114 Front Matter....Pages 115-115 Evolving Perspectives: Eschatology and Utopia....Pages 117-133 From the City of God to the City of Man....Pages 135-155 Conclusion: Ideology and Political Revolution....Pages 157-166 Front Matter....Pages 167-167 Power: Charisma and Authority Structures....Pages 169-190 Purity: Virtuous Communities and Impure Enemies....Pages 191-198 Truth and Territory....Pages 199-207 The Structures of Ideocracy: Space and Hegemony....Pages 209-218 Ideocracy and Systemic Apotheosis....Pages 219-226 Front Matter....Pages 227-227 Historical Background....Pages 229-252 From Ideals to Actions. The Worldview of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu....Pages 253-270 Totality and the Making of the Legion....Pages 271-288 The Legion of the Archangel Michael as a “Hybrid” Totalist Type....Pages 289-308 Front Matter....Pages 309-309 Conclusion: The Pillars of Totality....Pages 311-314 Epilogue: Totality and Relativism....Pages 315-317 Back Matter....Pages 319-338