Waco – die inszenierte Apokalypse

The 1993 confrontation between the Branch Davidians and the federal police at Waco was one of the deadliest law enforcement operations in recent American history. As a result, Waco has become a symbol for the dangers of apocalyptic communities. That view is challenged in this paper. It is stated tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
Main Author: Hase, Thomas (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:German
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Published: Diagonal-Verlag 2012
In: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:The 1993 confrontation between the Branch Davidians and the federal police at Waco was one of the deadliest law enforcement operations in recent American history. As a result, Waco has become a symbol for the dangers of apocalyptic communities. That view is challenged in this paper. It is stated that the deadly outcome of the confrontation was not only a result of the group's apocalyptic beliefs but also of the performance of the law enforcement agencies involved in the standoff. While employing the usual tactics of hostage negotiations the federal agents fulfilled the predictions of the group's leader David Koresh. They reinforced Koresh* s charismatic leadership and hence tightened the social bonds within the Branch Davidian community. Finally, the strategy of continually increasing the pressure on the besieged created the very apocalyptic scenario anticipated by David Koresh and his followers.
ISSN:2194-508X
Contains:In: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/0022.29