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Death Orders

The Vanguard of Modern Terrorism in Revolutionary Russia

Author: Anna Geifman   Series: Praeger Security International

In the first decade of the 20th century, the world witnessed an unprecedented escalation of political terrorism in imperial Russia. Some 23,000 terrorist acts yielded approximately 17,000 victims. Russian radicals in the early 1900s initiated the tradition of using "human bombs" for terrorist purposes, preceding by almost a century radical Islamists' efforts to do the same.

Arguing that Russia is the birthplace of modern terrorism, this book uses the nation as a case study of psycho-historical patterns of worldwide terrorist activity during the past century. It shows how, in Russia and elsewhere, terrorists' objectives have degenerated from punishment of individual adversaries.

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Summary

In the first decade of the 20th century, the world witnessed an unprecedented escalation of political terrorism in imperial Russia. Some 23,000 terrorist acts yielded approximately 17,000 victims. Russian radicals in the early 1900s initiated the tradition of using "human bombs" for terrorist purposes, preceding by almost a century radical Islamists' efforts to do the same.

Arguing that Russia is the birthplace of modern terrorism, this book uses the nation as a case study of psycho-historical patterns of worldwide terrorist activity during the past century. It shows how, in Russia and elsewhere, terrorists' objectives have degenerated from punishment of individual adversaries.

Read more

Description

This fascinating study shows how terrorism as developed and practiced in Romanov Russia has, over the past century, manifested itself as the template for modern and postmodern terrorism as a universal sociocultural, psychological, and existential experience, irrespective of particular political causes, ethnic distinctions, and ideological boundaries.Arguing that Russia is the birthplace of modern terrorism, Death Orders: The Vanguard of Modern Terrorism in Revolutionary Russia uses the nation as a case study of psycho-historical patterns of worldwide terrorist activity during the past century. Key features of early-20th century Russian political extremism serve as models for terrorist experiences in other periods and regions as author Anna Geifman builds a typology of a universal phenomenon.The book shows how, in Russia and elsewhere, terrorists' objectives have degenerated from punishment of individual adversaries and attempts to intimidate political elites to indiscriminate acts of political violence. It shifts attention from ideology to practices that had been previously hidden, ignored, or rationalized, demonstrating that what terrorists say about their motives may not be what actually drives them to brutality. By looking closely at Russian precedents for the general experience of modern political violence, the book helps illuminate many obscure aspects of terrorism today.

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Critic Reviews

“"…a striking counterweight to today's dominant scholarly understanding of terrorism as a rational act. Her argument is exhaustively documented, and Geifman writes with clarity and verve…" - Choice”

…a striking counterweight to today's dominant scholarly understanding of terrorism as a rational act. Her argument is exhaustively documented, and Geifman writes with clarity and verve… Choice

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About the Author

Anna Geifman, PhD, is professor of history at Boston University and research associate at the University of Bar-Ilan, Israel.

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More on this Book

Arguing that Russia is the birthplace of modern terrorism, Death Orders: The Vanguard of Modern Terrorism in Revolutionary Russia uses the nation as a case study of psycho-historical patterns of worldwide terrorist activity during the past century. Key features of early-20th century Russian political extremism serve as models for terrorist experiences in other periods and regions as author Anna Geifman builds a typology of a universal phenomenon. The book shows how, in Russia and elsewhere, terrorists' objectives have degenerated from punishment of individual adversaries and attempts to intimidate political elites to indiscriminate acts of political violence. It shifts attention from ideology to practices that had been previously hidden, ignored, or rationalized, demonstrating that what terrorists say about their motives may not be what actually drives them to brutality. By looking closely at Russian precedents for the general experience of modern political violence, the book helps illuminate many obscure aspects of terrorism today.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc | Praeger Publishers Inc
Published
20th May 2010
Pages
240
ISBN
9780275997526

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