The world of millenarian movements holds a special fascination. The idea of transforming an existing imperfect society overnight into a perfect utopia has a powerful appeal, and over and over, in widely scattered areas and epochs, groups have followed the call of a messiah figure to usher in a beautiful new world.

What causes these movements to arise? Do they conform to any common patterns? In this absorbing study of unconventional human behavior, Michael Barkun develops a broad-based analysis that focuses on millenarian movements as consequences of local disasters. He presents many examples of millenarian groups in action in both modern and preindustrial societies and reviews existing theories and explanations.

After describing the characteristics of the disaster situations that produce them, he explores the psychological effects of disasters, discusses the conversion process, and grapples with the question whether such movements are rational. He concludes with a detailed examination of millenarianism in the modern world.

The longing for utopia is a durable human quality. Both general readers and scholars interested in problems of change, violence, and social upheaval will find Disaster and the Millennium wide-ranging and provocative.