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The Revolt Against Civilization: The Menace Of The Under Man
1922. From the preface: The revolutionary unrest which today afflicts the entire world goes far deeper than is generally supposed. Its root cause is not Russian Bolshevik propaganda, nor the late war, nor the French Revolution, but a process of racial impoverishment, which destroyed the great civilizations of the past and which threatens to destroy our own. This grim blight of civilized society has been correctly diagnosed only in recent years. The momentous biological discoveries of the past generation have revealed the true workings of those hitherto mysterious laws of life on which, in the last analysis, all human activity depends. In the light of these biological discoveries, confirmed and amplified by investigations in other fields of science, especially psychology, all political and social problems need to be reexamined. Such a reexamination of one of these problems-the problem of social revolution-has been attempted in the present book. Contents: The Burden of Civilization; The Iron Law of Inequality; The Nemesis of the Inferior; The Lure of the Primitive; The Groundswell of Revolt; The Rebellion of the Under-Man; The War Against Chaos; and Neo-Aristocracy. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
Hardcover
First published March 30, 1922
About the author
T. Lothrop Stoddard
31 books101 followersTheodore Lothrop Stoddard (June 29, 1883 – May 1, 1950) was an American political scientist, historian, journalist, anthropologist, eugenicist, pacifist, and anti-immigration advocate.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 12, 2020
Brilliant book by a brilliant mind, our societies today in the west reflect what people like Stoddard warned us about.
May 11, 2024
Interesting book, and well worth the read. But only as a piece of broader puzzle.
Stoddard convincingly demonstrates how men are unequal by nature, with some men being gifted with intelligence and creativity, and other men having a more primitive brain. The hereditary genetic differences are the ones that lead to different behaviors, rather than the environment; for example the author examines studies on hereditary correlations for success or failure in life and finds conclusive evidence. He also analyzes the great advantages, and the terrible burdens, for society that the superior and the inferior individuals respectively bring. The book debunks all the 18th century superstitions of all men being created equal, which are unfortunately so very common today. Modern science of the 2010s has proven Stoddard right, as for example the genes that lead to impulsive violent behavior (for example, the MAOA gene) have now been identified.
Stoddard argues that the inferiors, the ones with a more primitive brain, see civilization as a burden and tend to fight against it. The book examines the revolutionary movements and in particular the Bolshevik revolutions. While the author acknowledges that the majority of Bolsheviks who organized violent revolutions in Russia, Hungary, and Germany were Jews, this is treated as a side note, like if it was purely coincidental. There is no analysis of how the Jews had, and still have, a religious and cultural motivation to destroy Western civilization. This is analyzed in depth by other books: I recommend The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit for a Christian religious perspective, and The Culture of Critique from an evolutionary perspective. Stoddard presents Bolshevism as a revolt of the inferior elements of society, and this is true, but it ignores the aspect of Bolshevism being an attempt of the Jews to conquer and dominate the entire world, as denounced by countless historical figures - to give just one example, Winston Churchill in his famous article "Zionism versus Bolshevism".
Once you are aware of the book's limitations, Stoddard's case of how the Under-Man tries to bring down civilization is a bit harder to accept. There surely are masses of unadaptable inferior people who resent society. But someone merely having low intelligence or low education or propensity for promiscuity or gambling doesn't mean that he will try to sabotage society. And if you're thinking that the problem is violent and aggressive people, then again in case of a defensive war against a foreign enemy society needs some rough men on the front line. And we need some rough men to go arrest violent criminals. We can't all be intellectuals, a society needs its warriors too.
Stoddard provides some analysis of the French revolution, syndicalism, and anarchism, which then led to modern Bolshevism, but blames everything on racially inferior individuals and degenerate elements who resent civilization. Stoddard fails to recognize that Bolshevism is not a matter of internal degeneration of society and homegrown dissatisfaction, but it is a foreign ideology created and promoted and executed by an alien element, the Jews. An element that proudly proclaims to be foreign and hostile, like done by the Jew Samuel in his short book You Gentiles. I loved Stoddard's book The Rising Tide of Color which warns of the grave danger of extinction of the White race, with the threat coming from non-whites (which today outnumber us more than 10 to 1), so I found it surprising that this book ignores the aspect of racial conflict (in the sense of difference races, and not individuals, fighting for supremacy).
On the other hand, I agree with Stoddard that Karl Marx (a Jew) is not the original source of evil, as Marxism elaborated on concepts that already existed. The superstition of human equality was already theorized by Rousseau and, some would argue, by Christianity. Richard Darré has a good critical analysis on the egalitarianism of Christianity in his excellent A New Nobility of Blood and Soil. Moreover, the concept of property being "theft" was theorized by Proudhon, the father of anarchism, which differs substantially from Marxist socialism. In fact, I appreciate how this book offers a nuanced criticism of Marx, who had reason to believe that the economic system of the time he lived was unsustainable and who later in life believed that communism would be inevitably reached without the need for violent revolution.
Stoddard makes the great point that the intellectual foundation of Marxism, which is the belief that humans are all born equal, widely believed in the past, is now (in the 1920s) crumbling in front of science proving the importance of heredity and the real nature of inferiority. The Bolsheviks, aware that Nature rebukes their ideology, had to resort to violence; they openly admit that their vision can only be achieved through force. But according to Stoddard the real foundation of Bolshevism is not the Jewish leadership, but it's the biological inferiority of a part of the population:
"What we have found is that Bolshevism, instead of being very new, is very old, that it is the last of a long series of revolts by the unadaptable, inferior, and degenerate elements against civilizations which have irked them and which they have therefore wished to destroy. The only new thing about Bolshevism is its "rationalizing " of rebellious emotions into an exceedingly insidious and persuasive philosophy of revolt which has not merely welded all the real social rebels, but has also deluded many misguided dupes, blind to what Bolshevism implies. Such is the champion of the old, primitive past: intrenched behind ancient errors like environmentalism and "natural equality," favored by the unrest of transition times, and reinforced by ever-multiplying swarms of degenerates and and inferiors."
Stoddard solution to prevent Bolshevik revolutions in the future is to reverse the process of racial impoverishment. He discusses how in the current environment the upper class (which is generally, but not always, of superior genetics ) have less children than the lower, inferior classes. The social sterilization of the superior stocks is causing a dramatic, rapid, and accelerating process of racial impoverishment.
To reverse it Stoddard proposes eugenics: the degenerates need to be removed from society, perhaps isolated in a farm colony where they could lead a healthful life but they would be prevented from reproducing. Eugenics can be kind against the individuals who are deemed inferior, with the understanding that their genes can be neither punished nor reformed. More kind, in fact, than the current charity system which leads to more inferiors being born, and always more resources being needed. The development of a social "eugenic conscience" is also a key aspect, where people should feel more or less willing to reproduce depending on the quality of their own racial stock. The more genetically well-endowed families will prefer children to luxuries (or to pets, like it's happening today). People should think less about their "rights" and more about "duties" when it comes to race. The government subsidizing of large families can also help, but only where the racial superiority of a couple is proven should subsidies be granted.
In summary, this book is very valuable to anyone interested in exploring the reasons for why eugenics is necessary.
As for Bolshevism, the book offers one aspect of it but it is far from providing a complete picture. I recommend also reading the other books I linked in this review to better understand communism and the events that led to the Second World War. MacDonald's book also explains how and why the science that was widely accepted in Stoddard's time is now censored in our era.
Stoddard convincingly demonstrates how men are unequal by nature, with some men being gifted with intelligence and creativity, and other men having a more primitive brain. The hereditary genetic differences are the ones that lead to different behaviors, rather than the environment; for example the author examines studies on hereditary correlations for success or failure in life and finds conclusive evidence. He also analyzes the great advantages, and the terrible burdens, for society that the superior and the inferior individuals respectively bring. The book debunks all the 18th century superstitions of all men being created equal, which are unfortunately so very common today. Modern science of the 2010s has proven Stoddard right, as for example the genes that lead to impulsive violent behavior (for example, the MAOA gene) have now been identified.
Stoddard argues that the inferiors, the ones with a more primitive brain, see civilization as a burden and tend to fight against it. The book examines the revolutionary movements and in particular the Bolshevik revolutions. While the author acknowledges that the majority of Bolsheviks who organized violent revolutions in Russia, Hungary, and Germany were Jews, this is treated as a side note, like if it was purely coincidental. There is no analysis of how the Jews had, and still have, a religious and cultural motivation to destroy Western civilization. This is analyzed in depth by other books: I recommend The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit for a Christian religious perspective, and The Culture of Critique from an evolutionary perspective. Stoddard presents Bolshevism as a revolt of the inferior elements of society, and this is true, but it ignores the aspect of Bolshevism being an attempt of the Jews to conquer and dominate the entire world, as denounced by countless historical figures - to give just one example, Winston Churchill in his famous article "Zionism versus Bolshevism".
Once you are aware of the book's limitations, Stoddard's case of how the Under-Man tries to bring down civilization is a bit harder to accept. There surely are masses of unadaptable inferior people who resent society. But someone merely having low intelligence or low education or propensity for promiscuity or gambling doesn't mean that he will try to sabotage society. And if you're thinking that the problem is violent and aggressive people, then again in case of a defensive war against a foreign enemy society needs some rough men on the front line. And we need some rough men to go arrest violent criminals. We can't all be intellectuals, a society needs its warriors too.
Stoddard provides some analysis of the French revolution, syndicalism, and anarchism, which then led to modern Bolshevism, but blames everything on racially inferior individuals and degenerate elements who resent civilization. Stoddard fails to recognize that Bolshevism is not a matter of internal degeneration of society and homegrown dissatisfaction, but it is a foreign ideology created and promoted and executed by an alien element, the Jews. An element that proudly proclaims to be foreign and hostile, like done by the Jew Samuel in his short book You Gentiles. I loved Stoddard's book The Rising Tide of Color which warns of the grave danger of extinction of the White race, with the threat coming from non-whites (which today outnumber us more than 10 to 1), so I found it surprising that this book ignores the aspect of racial conflict (in the sense of difference races, and not individuals, fighting for supremacy).
On the other hand, I agree with Stoddard that Karl Marx (a Jew) is not the original source of evil, as Marxism elaborated on concepts that already existed. The superstition of human equality was already theorized by Rousseau and, some would argue, by Christianity. Richard Darré has a good critical analysis on the egalitarianism of Christianity in his excellent A New Nobility of Blood and Soil. Moreover, the concept of property being "theft" was theorized by Proudhon, the father of anarchism, which differs substantially from Marxist socialism. In fact, I appreciate how this book offers a nuanced criticism of Marx, who had reason to believe that the economic system of the time he lived was unsustainable and who later in life believed that communism would be inevitably reached without the need for violent revolution.
Stoddard makes the great point that the intellectual foundation of Marxism, which is the belief that humans are all born equal, widely believed in the past, is now (in the 1920s) crumbling in front of science proving the importance of heredity and the real nature of inferiority. The Bolsheviks, aware that Nature rebukes their ideology, had to resort to violence; they openly admit that their vision can only be achieved through force. But according to Stoddard the real foundation of Bolshevism is not the Jewish leadership, but it's the biological inferiority of a part of the population:
"What we have found is that Bolshevism, instead of being very new, is very old, that it is the last of a long series of revolts by the unadaptable, inferior, and degenerate elements against civilizations which have irked them and which they have therefore wished to destroy. The only new thing about Bolshevism is its "rationalizing " of rebellious emotions into an exceedingly insidious and persuasive philosophy of revolt which has not merely welded all the real social rebels, but has also deluded many misguided dupes, blind to what Bolshevism implies. Such is the champion of the old, primitive past: intrenched behind ancient errors like environmentalism and "natural equality," favored by the unrest of transition times, and reinforced by ever-multiplying swarms of degenerates and and inferiors."
Stoddard solution to prevent Bolshevik revolutions in the future is to reverse the process of racial impoverishment. He discusses how in the current environment the upper class (which is generally, but not always, of superior genetics ) have less children than the lower, inferior classes. The social sterilization of the superior stocks is causing a dramatic, rapid, and accelerating process of racial impoverishment.
To reverse it Stoddard proposes eugenics: the degenerates need to be removed from society, perhaps isolated in a farm colony where they could lead a healthful life but they would be prevented from reproducing. Eugenics can be kind against the individuals who are deemed inferior, with the understanding that their genes can be neither punished nor reformed. More kind, in fact, than the current charity system which leads to more inferiors being born, and always more resources being needed. The development of a social "eugenic conscience" is also a key aspect, where people should feel more or less willing to reproduce depending on the quality of their own racial stock. The more genetically well-endowed families will prefer children to luxuries (or to pets, like it's happening today). People should think less about their "rights" and more about "duties" when it comes to race. The government subsidizing of large families can also help, but only where the racial superiority of a couple is proven should subsidies be granted.
In summary, this book is very valuable to anyone interested in exploring the reasons for why eugenics is necessary.
As for Bolshevism, the book offers one aspect of it but it is far from providing a complete picture. I recommend also reading the other books I linked in this review to better understand communism and the events that led to the Second World War. MacDonald's book also explains how and why the science that was widely accepted in Stoddard's time is now censored in our era.
May 11, 2016
I am only through the first chapter so far, but the information expressed thus far is immense. I especially his classification of the Underman, and the threat of atavistic revolt.
February 10, 2021
This is primarily a book written in opposition to communism, multiculturalism, liberalism, etc. It also argues for the merits of eugenics as well as highlighting the value of sterilization and abortion to lessen the social burden of undesirables.
September 13, 2021
Uma das coisas mais abjetas que tive o desprazer de ler.
January 11, 2024
Excellent book that lays out an understanding and guide for the betterment of mankind, and a history lesson on those who want the opposite.
October 7, 2025
Written in 1922. Has some surprisingly relevant observations for our day and age.
Mostly it's about how a certain dim and underachieving segment of society, feeling inhuman malice and resentment, seeks always to destroy the good of civilization. This mentally ill segment gravitates toward communism of course. It's an explanation of why there are groups chanting "Burn it all down!" "Abolish the police." Etc.
The remedy, explains Stoddard, is to: 1. Deal harshly with the very few true enemies of civilization and 2. Educate the (redeemable) masses who have fallen under their sway.
It's an interesting book--I have often wondered at the psychology behind these types. It's a plausible explanation at least. Also though it's kind of boring and rambling in places.
This one is controversial b/c it covers race + IQ. Also endorses eugenics.
Mostly it's about how a certain dim and underachieving segment of society, feeling inhuman malice and resentment, seeks always to destroy the good of civilization. This mentally ill segment gravitates toward communism of course. It's an explanation of why there are groups chanting "Burn it all down!" "Abolish the police." Etc.
The remedy, explains Stoddard, is to: 1. Deal harshly with the very few true enemies of civilization and 2. Educate the (redeemable) masses who have fallen under their sway.
It's an interesting book--I have often wondered at the psychology behind these types. It's a plausible explanation at least. Also though it's kind of boring and rambling in places.
This one is controversial b/c it covers race + IQ. Also endorses eugenics.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews