Something in us rebels against the  term “masochistic group death”—equating what occurred at the end of World War II with what happened to Jim Jones’ followers--who "drank the Kool-Aid" at Jonestown. Why do we hesitate to call Nazism a cult? Because this is what Nazism was: a cult that took over an entire society.

Perhaps we hesitate to call Nazism a cult because we know--deep down--that is was an instantiation of the most common political ideology of the 20th century: Nationalism. Nazism was unique only in how it carried through the ideology of nationalism to an extreme, bizarre conclusion.

As soon as we move into the domain of nationalism--a "normal" dimension of society or civilization--our inclination to use the language of psychopathology weakens. A soldier may join the military and go into battle--in the name of fighting for his country. If he dies in battle, we say that he has sacrificed his life. We arely say that a soldier who joins the army is doing so because of his masochistic tendencies. We prefer to think in terms of patriotism, willing to defend one's nation, etc.

The success of Nazism was based on their use of the language of national honor. They asked people to sacrifice their lives in the name of  their country. When a German soldier died in battle, this was positioned as it always has been: as a beautiful, praiseworthy and noble act.

As long as we view death on the battlefield as noble, we hesitate to describe the soldier's behavior (risking his life by joining the military) as masochistic. We refuse to look at warfare through the lens of psychopathology.

We don't empathize with Jim Jones followers who drank the Kool Aid--and barely have a clue as to what the “Peoples Temple Movement” was. When we analyze Jones and his movement—the deaths that occurred at Jonestown—we have no trouble using terms like psychotic fantasy, mass madness and masochistic group death.

While we are horrified by the destruction that Hitler brought about sending young men into battle, empathize with the ideas that generated the behavior of soldiers: national self-sacrifice, defend one’s country, etc. This language reflects an ideology that has dominated political life throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. How can we say that an ideology that lies at the heart of our civilization--is psychotic or mad? That those who participate in this ideology are masochistic?

Though recurring political violence produces massive destructiveness and bizarre forms of violence, we hesitate to use terms like psychotic fantasy, mass madness. and masochistic group death. If we use these terms to characterize our political culture, then we have to acknowledge that we live within society defined by a psychotic group fantasy.

Love of country and willingness to sacrifice for one’s nation remain among civilization’s highest ideals. Yet it was precisely these ideals that generated destruction and self-destruction in Nazi Germany. Warfare is not separate from civilization’s highest ideals. If we wish to diagnose the disease that gave rise to the epidemic of mass murder in the 20th century, we need to acknowledge the links between civilizational ideals and political self-destruction.