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Summary Jonestown
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- AQA
All you need to know about Jonestown - The People's Temple. useful when learning about sects and cults, can add to answers to impress examiners and boost marks.
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Jonestown – The People’s TempleThe People’s Temple was set up in 1955 by Reverend Jim Jones and consisted of 20,000
members.
Jones was infuenced by a combinaton of religion and Marxism and wanted to create a
communist community where everybody could live harmoniously together.
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Jim Jones was responsible for the mass suicide of his followers due to the manipulatve
means he used to demoralise and control them.
For example, he convinced others of his beliefs by using religion and claimed to be God and
Buddha on numerous occasions. He also promoted the idea that society would overcome
racism, therefore atractng many African Americans.
Jones was a charismatc leader as his Temple acted as a model for social actvism by
providing for society’s disadvantaged. He presented the People’s Temple as a charitable
organisaton which ran shelters for the homeless and camps for disabled children. Jones and
his wife adopted a black child to show commitment to societal equality.
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The People’s Temple was set up in Jonestown and Jones would not allow people to leave
and kept them there against their will.
Members were required to work up to eleven hours a day in the heat.
Jones confscated passports and medicaton. Armed guards controlled compound. Leters
and phone calls were censored. And members were forced to atend late-night meetngs.
Throughout the compound, Jones’ voice was broadcast through a loud speaker drumming
his ideas and beliefs into the members.
A group of former Temple members and concerned relatves of current members convinced
a Congressman to investgate the setlement in person.
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When the authorites got to Jonestown, they realised that there was something wrong and
tried to shut it down. The Congressman was shot as he tried to help the people being kept
captve. Now knowing that his community was under threat, Jones convinced the residents
to take part in a suicide pact.
Jones had planned the mass suicide and had previously got members to practce taking the
poison as part of a loyalty test.
He convinced the members that they were no longer safe and their people, children and
senior will be tortured. There were guards with guns and crossbows to encourage people to
drink the poisoned juice.
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