The Invention of Terrorism in Europe, Russia, and the United States

by Carola Dietze, David Antal (Translator), James Bell (Translator)

The Invention of Terrorism examines key cases of terrorist violence to show that the invention of terrorism was linked to the birth of modernity in Europe, Russia and the United States, rather than to Tsarist despotism in nineteenth century Russia or to Islam sects in Medieval Persia. Combining a highly readable historical narrative with analysis of larger issues in social and political history, Carola Dietze argues that the dissemination of news about terrorist violence was at the core of a strategy aimed to politically impact rulers as well as the general public. Dietze’s lucid account also reveals how the spread of knowledge about terrorist acts was, from the outset, a transatlantic process. Using case studies from France, the United States, Germany and Russia, Dietze shows that terrorism has existed as a tactic since the 1850s and has essentially only been adapted through the use of new technologies and methods.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Terrorism

656 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2021

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

if Verso could pay for a translation, they could also have paid for an editor to turn this dissertation into something bookier. A case where remaining true to the spirit of the original adds no value.

Thought-provoking discussion of the first acts of terrorism by Felice Orsini, John Brown, John Wilkes Booth, Oskar Becker and Dmitry Karakozov. Brown's story is described in exquisite breadth and detail, Orsini's somewhat more constrained, the others are added almost as afterthoughts.

more words in appraisal soon

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It ends up this is mostly about John Brown, and though I'm obviously a fan, this wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

[Dimitrii Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly organised text, but the structure is built around a number of dynamic stories. The chapter on Brown is particularly engaging because he's been quite a character. But equating Brown with Rakhmetov, and some of the other presumed transmissions of terrorist experience takes a bit of leap of faith.