The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, first published in Russia around 1905, claimed to be the captured secret protocols from the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897 describing a plan by the Jewish people to achieve global domination. While the document has been proven to be fake, much of it plagiarized from satirical anti-Semitic texts, it had a major impact throughout Europe during the first half of the 20th century, particularly in Germany. After World War II, the text was further denounced. Anyone who referred to it as a genuine document was seen as an ignorant hate-monger. Yet there is abundant evidence that The Protocols is resurfacing in many places. The Paranoid Apocalypse re-examines the text's popularity, investigating why it has persisted, as well as larger questions about the success of conspiracy theories even in the face of claims that they are blatantly counterfactual and irrational. It considers the medieval pre-history of The Protocols, the conditions of its success in the era of early twentieth-century secular modernity, and its post-Holocaust avatars, from the Muslim world to Walmart and Left-wing anti-American radicalism. Contributors argue that the key to The Protocols' longevity is an apocalyptic paranoia that lays the groundwork not only for the myth's popularity, but for its implementation as a vehicle for genocide and other brutal acts.
1 Introduction Richard Landes and Steven T. KatzPart I. 2 The Melian Dialogue, the Protocols, and the Paranoid Imperative Richard Landes 3 The Apocalyptic Other Charles B. StrozierPart II. 4 The Devil's Hoofs Jeffrey R. Woolf 5 Thomas of Monmouth and the Protocols of the Sages of Narbonne Johannes HeilPart III. 6 "The Antichrist as an Imminent Political Possibility" Michael Hagemeister 7 Protocols of the Elders of Zion Jeffrey Mehlman 8 "Jewish World Conspiracy" and the Question of Secular Religions Paul Zawadski 9 The Turning Point David RedlesPart IV. 10 The Protocols in Japan David G. Goodman 11 The Protocols of the Elders of Zion Itamar Marcus and Barbara CrookPart V. 12 Anti-Semitism from Outer Space Michael Barkun 13 The Protocols of the Elders of Zion on the Contemporary American Scene Deborah Lipstadt 14 Protocols to the Left, Protocols to the Right Chip BerletPart VI. 15 Conspiracy Then and Now Stephen Eric Bronner 16 Jewish Self-Criticism, Progressive Moral Schadenfreude, and the Suicide of Reason Richard Landes About the Contributors Index
