Jonestown 1978; a jungle where over 900 people had been abused and forced to work in fields under the blistering sun. People lived and died on the will of their deranged leader. It was a place where identity, individualism, and lives were lost under the regime of Jim Jones.  The religious leader founded the Peoples Temples in 1955 and falsely advertised a utopia in which society was free from prejudice and criticism, laying out the foundation for the future where all races would be treated in equal terms, however, the movement ended in a mass-suicide killing  910 people.  Due to his insanity, communist leadership and the mass murder-suicide of his cult, Jim Jones created a lasting impact by further proving the negative repercussions associated with communism and cults as his crimes are remembered throughout history.

Historians devised several causes as to how such an incident could occur and how  members were drawn to the cult and ultimately brainwashed into giving up their lives for a so-called noble cause. The Peoples Temple Cult had been advertised as a group free from prejudice which attracted minority groups and black members. According to an article published by PBS, “Members joined because they believed a society where people of all races could live and work together (Race and the Peoples Temple).” During the time period when Jim Jones’ cult had been stationed in California in 1965, he had formed alliances with powerful politicians and fought for the rights of the poor and black citizens. Jim Jones had an adopted black son who had endured racism as well as 80 percent of his followers which provided him with a reason to notify the public as to why he wanted to move his cult headquarters to Jonestown, Guyana. Further investigation proved that the real reason for him wanting to go to Jonestown was so he could be free from criticism and the press as more information began to surface about his mental instability and his hostility towards his followers. According to the Vocational and Career Collection, “Jones preached...that God was love and love was socialism and that therefore God was socialism...he substituted flesh and blood for the traditional invisible entity (Drew, 26).” The leader had started to believe that he was God and viewed communism with a positive perspective. He had grown to appreciate Stalin and Hitler and adapted to their way of authority. Jonestown was where he could tighten his control over his members without having to answer to the concerned American public. The leader’s insanity was becoming increasingly dangerous as his communist way of leadership over the cult began. 

Jim Jones had formed a stronghold over his follower’s lives and each day his insanity increased and the chances of survival for his members decreased as his drug and alcohol use began to soar and his pre-planned mass-suicide took place. Jones’ mental and physical health were both on the decline and still he refused medical treatment. It was as if he had a death wish and he was going to take his followers down with him. In the article Indiana Jones’ Temple of Doom it is stated, “Suffering from hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, persistent fever, and cough...he refused to leave the compound for medical treatment...he treated himself to antibiotics and alcohol (Drew, 28).” Paranoia had consumed Jim Jones since he thought to leave the compound even just for medical treatment would end up in him being arrested since he was being investigated for abuse, kidnapping and money laundering. His control over his follower’s had extremely tightened, Jones assumed he was constantly being investigated and that leaving would destroy his so-called utopia and everything he had built. Jonestown had become a real-life dystopian society; the members of the Peoples Temple Cult were not allowed to leave and traitors were severely beaten and even killed. He forced his members to participate in “White Nights” which were rehearsals for a mass-suicide. Congressman Leo Ryan had become concerned after hearing the rumors of the conditions at Jonestown and planned a visit to Guyana with his team which included reporter Robert Houston. The reporter’s son Bob has been found dead in one of San Francisco's railroad yards just after he had quit the Peoples Temple Cult. During his short visit, Leo Ryan had convinced Jim Jones to let him leave with members who did not want to stay in Jonestown. On the way back to the plane the group, which included 15 cult members, were ambushed and killed by gunmen sent by Jones. After the horrific incident, Jim Jones had gathered all of his followers and falsely informed them that soldiers would be parachuting into Jonestown any minute and it was time to “drink the potion”. According to the article, A survivor’s story Escape from Jonestown, Jim Jones stated, “Don’t be afraid to die. This is a revolutionary suicide This is not a self-destructive suicide (Dodd, 52).” People of the Jonestown community had been forced to drink a type of kool-aid laced with cyanide. The members of the cult had been so heavily brainwashed and the negative psychological effect they experienced from being a part of such a movement lead to the death of over 900 people including 300 children. In the end the insane leader committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the head. The mass-murder suicide of his cult was the direct impact Jim Jones had on the world as it is remembered as one of the world’s most dreadful crimes. 

With the rest of the world in shock from what happened in Jonestown, new attention was brought towards such groups who would go to such extreme measures to make a so-called statement of faith. Although the rest of the members of the cult back in America dissolved the Peoples Temple, other cults were “inspired” by the mass killing and wanted to contribute to the idea. According to the article Indiana Jones’ Temple of Doom, “The Denver-based Concerned Christians, who hoped their actions would evoke the Second Coming of Christ, joined ranks with Heaven’s Gate comet-following suicides in California in 1997 (Drew, 52).” Several other cults had embraced the thought of mass killings to make a statement of their beliefs and values after the Jonestown massacre. Followers from these other cults were killed or had mysteriously disappeared. The world started to come to a conclusion regarding these dangerous cults and were more cautious and decided to take the movements more seriously. In the article Mass suicides Occur at Jonestown, Guyana, it is stated, “Psychologists continue to study such movements and their leaders, to understand why people are drawn to them and how they can become dangerous...as evidence was uncovered of devil worship and even human sacrifice (Mass suicides Occur at Jonestown, Guyana).”  Authorities continue to investigate the warning signs which show possible endangerment to the members of such groups. People have started to arrive at the realization that joining a cult could possibly mean risking their lives and happiness after hearing the gruesome stories of Jonestown and other cults. The lasting impact Jim Jones left on the world was to additionally prove the unsafe repercussions related to communism and cults.

Jim Jones had affected his member's psychological thinking and mentally brainwashed them into committing suicide for a “profound” cause. Because of his insanity and communist authority which lead to the mass death of his followers, Jim Jones created a lasting impact by helping the world realize the dangers that come with being a part of such a movement. People finally opened up their eyes to recognize these cults and risks that come with them after hearing about the Jonestown Massacre. The effects of the horrendous crime will continue to ripple throughout time and history as other cult leaders continue to follow in Jones’ footsteps.  

Works Cited 

Drew, Bettina. “Indiana Jones’s Temple of Doom.” Nation, vol. 268, no. 4, Feb. 1999, pp. 25–28. EBSCOhost,proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=voh&AN=1463477&site=eds-live&scope=site. 

“Mass Suicides Occur at Jonestown, Guyana.” Great Events, vol. 8, Salem Press, 1999, p. 1030. EBSCOhost,proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=6349951&site=eds-live&scope=site.  

Dodd, Johnny. “A Survivor’s Story ESCAPE FROM JONESTOWN.” People, vol. 89, no. 26, June 2018, pp. 52–53. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=130000163&site=eds-live&scope=site. 

“Race and the Peoples Temple.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jonestown-race/.