From Publishers Weekly

The origins of religious and ideological oppression lie in monotheism, with its dangerous claims to a monopoly of grace and virtue: so argues Moore (Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy), a longtime Harvard lecturer in sociology, in this punchy, provocative but deeply problematic book. The Old Testament, he writes, is pervasively concerned with pollution and cleanliness and with the right to legitimate aggression against offenders. This antipathy toward moral pollution is then magnified by Christianity, which "took over ancient Hebrew vindictive intolerance, amplified it, and institutionalized it"-although Moore neglects to note the yoking of Christianity to the Roman empire. Monopolistic value systems were secularized in 18th-century France, bringing an intolerant insistence on revolutionary purity that would later be bequeathed to Stalin, the Nazis and Mao (whose aggressive instincts the author contrasts with the tolerance of Confucianism before the pernicious impact of the West). The thesis is bold and simple, but extremely fragile. Moore's attempt to draw a direct ideological line between the Old Testament and the Holocaust is torpedoed by his own admission that during the conflicts between the Protestant and Catholic monotheisms of 16th-century France (to which he devotes a full chapter), "Religion served mainly as a cover for other forms of hatred." His analysis is impressionistic and superficial: for example, in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, described hyperbolically as the worst slaughter of noncombatants in premodern times, "Ordinary human viciousness at its worst came to the fore, not for the first time and certainly not for the last." The book's shock value does not compensate for its lack of deeper reflection. (Apr.)

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Review

"Barrington Moore delivers a powerful account of how Western civilization--in both its Christian and its secular revolutionary traditions--has nurtured a strong sense of divide between the pure 'we' and the impure and polluting 'enemy'. This, he compellingly argues, explains much of the mass murder so dominant in our history." -- Michael Mann, University of California, Los Angeles

"Moore has, over many decades, demonstrated a knack for selecting original topics with timely significance. This book is no exception.... Justly celebrated for his analysis of the social structural determinants of political outcomes, Moore never lost sight of the importance of cultural factors. The constellation of ideas and beliefs that move people to action is an abiding theme in his life's work. Moral Purity reveals the extent to which cultural factors occupy a central place in Moore's approach to the study of popular movements. This is a stimulating, highly original set of essays by a master of comparative historical analysis with an extremely fertile sociological imagination." -- Victoria Bonnell, University of California, Berkeley

"With the Iranian Pasdaran, the Afghan Taliban, and the American New Christian Right, Moore's concerns have deep contemporary resonance. He has, however, chosen to reflect on action against alleged impurity by reaching far back into history.... The result is a thought-provoking series of essays." -- Charles Tilly, Columbia University

Highly original and thought-provoking. -- History: Journal of the Historical Association