Customer Reviews

A History of Terrorism

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.