DOC Confederate Finance by Richard Cecil Todd in History

Description

Long before the political mass-murders witnessed in the present century; western Europe experienced another kind of holocaust – the witch-hunts of the early modern period. Condemned of flying through the air; changing into animals; and worshipping the Devil; over a hundred thousand people were brutally tortured; systematically maimed and burned alive. Why did these persecutions take place? Was it superstition; irrationality; or mass delusion that led to the witch-hunts? This study seeks explanations in the tangible actions of human actors and their worldly circumstances. The approach taken is anthropological; inferences are grounded on a wide spectrum of variables; ranging from the political and ideological practices used to mystify earthly affairs; to the logical structure of witch-beliefs; torture technology; and the role of psychotropic drugs and epidemic diseases.