1. Thea, Beth, Sarah & Alys

3.  Jim Jones was the founder of a cult called the
People’s Temple Christian Church in 1977.
Jonestown is the name given to the community
he created. Jonestown is the informal name
given to the community and its location.
 Jones was influenced by Unitarian
Humanism, Father Divine and Marxism and
wanted to create a communist community
where everybody could live harmoniously
together. He felt that the world had become a
corrupt and unjust place and promised people
a total utopia.
 He convinced others of his beliefs by using
religion and claimed to be God and Buddha on
numerous occasions.

4.  But things went wrong when the community became
overcrowded and people decided they wanted to leave.
 Jones would not allow people to leave and kept them
there against their will.
 The families of the people being kept in Jonestown
alerted the authorities that their relatives were being
kept against their will. The authorities went to
Jonestown to investigate.

5.  When the authorities got to Jonestown, they realised
that there was something wrong and tried to shut it
down. Congressman Ryan was shot as he tried to help
the people being kept captive.
 Now knowing that his community was under
threat, Jones convinced the residents to take part in a
suicide pact.
 In 1978, at Jones’ command, 909 people committed
suicide by drinking poisoned punch. Cyanide was
squirted into the mouths of babies and infants.

6.  Jones had planned the mass suicide and had previously got
members to practice taking the poison as part of a loyalty test.
He obtained large amounts of suicide by obtaining a jewellers
license with the pretence of using the cyanide to clean gold.
 Jones called this ‘revolutionary suicide’, the theory was “you
can go down in history, saying you chose your own way to
go, and it is your commitment to refuse capitalism and in
support of socialism.” Jones said that this would be a way for
them to die with dignity.
 Jones said "I don't care how many screams you hear, I don't
care how many anguished cries, death is a million times
preferable to ten more days of this life. If you knew what was
ahead of you – if you knew what was ahead of you, you'd be
glad to be stepping over tonight."

7.  This shows minority influence, obedience to authority and
internalisation.
 Minority influence: There were nearly a thousand
residents and yet they all followed Jones’ orders.
 Obedience to authority: Jones was the leader of this
community and people obeyed everything he said, even
when this meant suicide and murder. This was seen as
revenge on the Temple’s enemies.
 Internalisation: Jones made the people genuinely believe
what he believed – people also believed he was the second
coming.