JONESTOWN MASSACRE

Jonestown Massacre

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of “Jonestown Massacre” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “Mass deaths” and its relation with “Jonestown”. The research also analyzes many aspects of “genocide” and tries to gauge its effect on “overall impact on a country”. Finally the research describes various factors which are responsible for “Jonestown Massacre” and tries to describe the overall effect of “Jonestown Massacre” on “the politics of the country”.

FP Unit 5 - Criminology

Jonestown Massacre

In November of 1978, 913 people out of 1,100 people committed suicide in Guyana in a settlement called Jonestown. This settlement was ruled by a person named Jim Jones. He held psychological control over the inhabitants. If Jim Jones had been profiled before Senator Leo Ryan and members of his party were killed, would there have been such an incident?

The authoritarian regime of Guyana's Forbes Burnham was placed in the global spotlight following the November 1978 Jonestown massacre. American Jim Jones, leader of the People's Temple of Christ, had established an agricultural community with more than 1,000 of his followers in western Guyana with Burnham's approval. Following an investigation by U.S. congressman Leo Ryan into claims of abuse committed against its members, Jones and more than 900 of his followers committed suicide. Investigations into the cult's activities led to allegations that the Burnham government had links to the fanatical cult.

Generally, when the individual himself tends to work his way through experiencing these thoughts tend to work and keep them involved in their routine, just to avoid these thoughts occurring in their mind; however the phenomenon only lasts for a small span of time and that the practice itself gives in temporary relief to the patient. In extreme cases, if an individual does not perform the obsessive rituals, it would cause great anxiety to the patient, causing the individual to produce disruptive behavior and attitude, causing problems for himself and the person. There have been many instances, where an individual's household comprises all furniture covered in plastic sheets, in order that the person does not come in contact with the actual service intended.

Jim Jones established the People's Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955. During the late 1960s, the cult moved to California, eventually settling in San Francisco. Jones preached a doctrine of social justice and racial equality. By the mid-1970s, however, allegations arose that members ...