A History of Terrorism [Paperback]

Walter Laqueur (Author, Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0765807998 | ISBN-13: 978-0765807991 | Publication Date: July 31, 2001

Assassinations, bombings, hijackings, diplomatic kidnappings-terrorism is the most publicied form of political violence. The history of terrorism goes back a very long time, but the very fact that there is such a history has frequently been ignored, even suppressed. This may be because terrorism has not appeared with equal intensity at all times. When terrorism reappeared in the late twentieth century after a period of relative calm, there was the tendency to regard it as a new phenomenon, without precedent. The psychological study of terrorism has never been much in fashion. But this neglect has left a number of crucial questions unanswered. Among these are why some people who share the same convictions turn to terrorism and others do not. What is terrorism's true impact on international politics? What influence might it exert in the future? A History of Terrorism completes Walter Laqueur's pioneering and authoritative study of guerilla warfare and terrorist activity. He charts the history of political terror from nineteenth-century Europe, through the anarchists of the 1880s and 1890s, the left- and right-wing clashes during the twentieth century, and the multinational operations of Arab and other groups today. Laqueur examines the sociology of terrorism: funding, intelligence gathering, weapons and tactics, informers and countermeasures, and the crucial role of the media. He probes the "terrorist personality" and how terrorists have been depicted in literature and films. The doctrine of systematic terrorism and current interpretations of terrorism, its common patterns, motives, and aims, are unflinchingly faced and clearly explicated. Finally, Laqueur considers the effectiveness of terrorism and examines the ominous possibility of nuclear blackmail. Challenging accepted assumptions, forecasting the changes in terrorist activity that will affect tomorrow's headlines, Walter Laqueur demystifies terrorism without belittling its importance. Together with its companion volume, Guerrilla Warfare, also available from Transaction, A History of Terrorism is an essential tool for assessing and understanding this all-too-often sensationalied modern expression of extreme political action.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Walter Laqueur is distinguished scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. He was a long-time director of the Wiener Library in London, and editor of theJournal of Contemporary History, Washington Papers, and Washington Quarterly. He was professor for many decades at the universities of Brandeis, Harvard, Tel Aviv, and Georgetown.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765807998
• ISBN-13: 978-0765807991
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting holistic examination of terrorism, December 4, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Terrorism (Paperback)

This book was first published in 1977, and has been republished with no apparent updating. The first chapter is a very short history of terrorism (19 pages). Chapter two looks at the history of the philosophy of terrorism, discussing terrorists from around the globe, through World War 2. Chapter 3 discusses the sociology of terrorism, examining the "who" and the "how." The fourth chapter focuses on the interpretations of terrorism, that is how terrorism is seen and understood, both in non-fiction (political science for the most part) and in fiction.

I found this book to be a real mixed bag. Overall the author takes a holistic approach, which gave me the feeling that I now understand terrorism more deeply. Unfortunately, this approach also means that I do not feel like I learned much about the evolution of terrorism. The author moves from terrorist group to terrorist group often without giving any idea of the group's context. Therefore, while this is a fascinating book, I do not consider it a good history of terrorism-it's an examination of the forest that misses the trees.

So, overall, I give this book a highly qualified recommendation.