--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A form of political behavior marked by…" description: "\"A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, en..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/robert-o-paxton-32148_abandon_a-form-of-political-behavior-marked-by-o_744280.jpg" --- # A form of political behavior marked by obsessive… ![“A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional…” quote by Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/robert-o-paxton-32148_abandon_a-form-of-political-behavior-marked-by-o_744280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/robert-o-paxton-32148_abandon_a-form-of-political-behavior-marked-by-o_744280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/robert-o-paxton-32148_abandon_a-form-of-political-behavior-marked-by-o_744280.jpg) > “A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion.” [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A political movement that obsessively blames societal decay, unites followers through purity and unity, and resorts to violent, law‑less actions to cleanse internally and expand externally. **In simple terms:** Extremist groups blame decline, demand purity, and use violence for power. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge extremist narratives early. Themes fascism nationalism authoritarianism violence populism Mood anxious determined critical Type political analytical warning When to use this quote - political campaigns - community organizing - policy making - education curricula - media analysis Key Concepts social identity collective victimhood elite collaboration Questions to Reflect On - What social conditions enable extremist narratives? - How can societies address legitimate grievances without resorting to extremism? A Different Perspective Such movements can also arise from genuine grievances, making simple condemnation insufficient. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Cleansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleansing/) [Collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaboration/) [Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Compensatory Cults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensatory-cults-5804661/) [Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) [Cults Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cults-unity-5804662/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical/) [Expansion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expansion/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Internals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internals/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Nationalist Militants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalist-militants-5804663/) [Obsessive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessive/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-behavior-1885412/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Preoccupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupation/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue/) [Redemptive Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redemptive-violence-1310157/) [Restraint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restraint/) [Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional/) [Uneasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/) [Victimhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victimhood/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [Knowledge is not a guarantee of good political behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/knowledge-is-not-a-guarantee-of-good-political-behavior-but-ignorance/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [The Social Citizen is the best, most thorough, and most methodologically sophisticated treatment of the role of social networks in political behavior that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-h-fowler/the-social-citizen-is-the-best-most-thorough-and-most/) [James H. Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-h-fowler/) > [The myth of redemptive violence - Caesar, peace, and victory - is in people's bones so deeply, we aren't even aware of it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-myth-of-redemptive-violence-caesar-peace-and-victory-is-in-people/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“I hate wars and revoloutions and these dramas of redemptive violence that turn upon themselves like endlessly long screws and haul entire generations through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/i-hate-wars-and-revoloutions-and-these-dramas-of-redemptive-violence/) [Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/) > [“Every time our government chooses to use military force to bring about change in the world, it once again teaches our children the myth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/every-time-our-government-chooses-to-use-military-force-to-bring/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [“One nurse thought I was "brave." I think she was talking about my steely-eyed, grin-and-bear-it kind of attitude. There were no tears, no complaints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-e-thomas/one-nurse-thought-i-was-brave-i-think-she-was-talking-about-my-steely/) [M.E. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-e-thomas/) > [National politics and elections are dominated by emotions, by lack of self-confidence, by fear of the other, by insecurity, by infection of the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/national-politics-and-elections-are-dominated-by-emotions-by-lack-of/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Forgiveness is the key to breaking the cycle of karma and reincarnation. Forgiveness doesn't mean: "What you did was okay." It simply means, "I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/forgiveness-is-the-key-to-breaking-the-cycle-of-karma-and/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [I don't reverberate to victimhood, probably because of my own life. I refused to become a victim myself, so it's not one of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-starr/i-don-t-reverberate-to-victimhood-probably-because-of-my-own-life-i/) [Kevin Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-starr/) > [If multiculturalism succeeds in making us a nation of independently empowered tribes, each tribe will be deprived of the comfort of victimhood and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/if-multiculturalism-succeeds-in-making-us-a-nation-of-independently/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Liberals are more likely to see people as victims of circumstance and oppression, and doubt whether individuals can climb without governmental help. My own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-brooks/liberals-are-more-likely-to-see-people-as-victims-of-circumstance-and/) [Arthur C. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-brooks/) > [You can’t stand in gratitude if you’re stuck in victimhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-can-t-stand-in-gratitude-if-you-re-stuck-in-victimhood/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [The cultivation - even celebration - of victimhood by intellectuals, tort lawyers, politicians and the media is both cause and effect of today's culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-cultivation-even-celebration-of-victimhood-by-intellectuals-tort/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [There's a grip we sometimes some of us get on our pain and suffering and our past and our wounding that we over-identify with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-carlin-mccall/there-s-a-grip-we-sometimes-some-of-us-get-on-our-pain-and-suffering/) [Kelly Carlin-McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-carlin-mccall/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More by Robert O. Paxton > [Birdscapes moves rather like those swallows, dipping and swerving to pick up all sorts of items of interest. Mynott tells plenty of good birding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/birdscapes-moves-rather-like-those-swallows-dipping-and-swerving-to/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [I think the career of President Mitterrand, which was rather sensational when it was revealed, is probably very typical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/i-think-the-career-of-president-mitterrand-which-was-rather/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [“Looking for fears, indeed, may be a more fruitful research strategy than a literal-minded quest for thinkers who “created” fascism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/looking-for-fears-indeed-may-be-a-more-fruitful-research-strategy/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [“It became harder for them to indulge their initial freedom to mobilize a wide range of heterogeneous complaints, and to voice the scattered resentments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/it-became-harder-for-them-to-indulge-their-initial-freedom-to/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [“An interlocking set of new enemies was emerging: globalization, foreigners, multiculturalism, environmental regulation, high taxes, and the incompetent politicians who could not cope with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/an-interlocking-set-of-new-enemies-was-emerging-globalization/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [Well, he worked for a fairly harmless agency. He worked for the agency that looked after French prisoners of war. Though he was capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/well-he-worked-for-a-fairly-harmless-agency-he-worked-for-the-agency/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [“Fascism is “true" insofar as it helps fulfill the destiny of a chosen race or people or blood, locked with other peoples in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/fascism-is-true-insofar-as-it-helps-fulfill-the-destiny-of-a-chosen/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [Well, I think they're going to learn that an awful lot of French people changed their minds. In 1940, the Third Republic had made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/well-i-think-they-re-going-to-learn-that-an-awful-lot-of-french/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [Fascism is a system of political authority and social order intended to reinforce the unity, energy, and purity of communities in which liberal democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/fascism-is-a-system-of-political-authority-and-social-order-intended/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [Marshal Petain's Vichy regime looked like that new start. A couple of years later, it wasn't so evident that he was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/marshal-petain-s-vichy-regime-looked-like-that-new-start-a-couple-of/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [“The most interesting aspects of the story lie between the two extremes of coercion and popularity. It might be instructive to consider fascist regimes’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/the-most-interesting-aspects-of-the-story-lie-between-the-two/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [I think the French have come to grips with their past, and that was true up until about - until the '70s. And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/i-think-the-french-have-come-to-grips-with-their-past-and-that-was/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [Well, almost everything is open - the political documents, the (unintelligible) of cabinet meetings. What has been opened now and what had been closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/well-almost-everything-is-open-the-political-documents-the/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [There were the events of 1968 when young people began to ask their parents, what did you do in the war? And since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/there-were-the-events-of-1968-when-young-people-began-to-ask-their/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [“The issue of fascism since 1945 is further clouded by polemical name calling. The far Right in Europe after 1945 is loudly and regularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/the-issue-of-fascism-since-1945-is-further-clouded-by-polemical-name/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) [Explore all 16 Robert O. Paxton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) ## More Abandon quotes > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) [Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/) > [The purpose of a spirit filled life is to demonstrate the supernatural power of our living God so that the unsaved multitudes will abandon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/the-purpose-of-a-spirit-filled-life-is-to-demonstrate-the/) [T.L. 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You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't give up because things are hard, but work harder, when you think of giving up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/don-t-give-up-because-things-are-hard-but-work-harder-when-you-think/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I care so deeply about this matter that I'm willing to take on the legal penalties, to sit in this prison cell, to sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-care-so-deeply-about-this-matter-that-i-m-willing-to-take-on-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) [Browse all 1,142 Abandon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert O. 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