Terrorism is a persistent form of political violence, but it appears intermittently, afflicting certain places in certain eras while others remain unscathed. Since the late nineteenth century, it has risen and fallen in recurrent generation-long spasms in which hundreds of short-lived groups wreak havoc. Why have past outbreaks of terror tended to come in waves, and how does this pattern shed light on future threats? David C. Rapoport, a preeminent scholar of political violence, identifies and analyzes four distinct waves of global terrorism. He examines the dynamics of each wave, contrasting their tactics, targets, and goals and placing them in the context of the much longer history of terrorism. Global terror emerged in the 1880s after technological changes transformed communication and transportation and dynamite enabled individuals or small groups to carry out bombings. Emanating from Russia, a first wave of anarchists assassinated prominent figures in what they called “propaganda of the deed.” This was followed by a second wave of anticolonial terrorism that arose in the British Empire in the 1920s. Beginning in the 1960s, a third wave of New Left movements took hostages and hijacked airplanes. Most recently, religious movements—mostly but not entirely in the Islamic world—have constituted a fourth wave, pioneering self-martyrdom or suicide bombing. Rapoport also considers whether a fifth wave of anti-immigrant or white supremacist terror is emerging today. Recasting the complex history of modern political violence, Waves of Global Terrorism makes a major contribution to our understanding of the roots of contemporary terrorism.
Author(s): David C. Rapoport
Edition: 1
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF | Full TOC
Pages: 449
Tags: Terrorism: History; Security And Terrorism Studies
Cover
Half title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Introduction
The "Generation" And The "Wave"
1 | Terrorism Before The Global Form: From the First Century to the Twentieth
Ancient Religious Examples
Zealots And Sicarii
Assassins
Crusaders
Secular Terrorism Before The Global Form: The Mobs
The Sons Of Liberty, 1765-1776: Initiating A Revolution
The Ku Klux Klan, 1867-1877: Losing A War But Winning A Peace
Comparing Two Mob Terror Experiences
Martyrdom
The Origins Of Global Terrorism
2 | The First Wave: Anarchist, 1879-1920s
Russia
Anarchists And The West
Nationalist Expansion In Europe And Asia
Decline Of The First Wave
Conclusion
3 | The Second Wave: Anticolonial, 1919-1960s
Differences Between The First And Second Waves
Terrorism Between The World Wars
World War II And Its Aftermath
Strategic Concerns
Conclusion
4 | The Third Wave: New Left, 1960s-1990s
The New International World And Origin Of The Third Wave
Group Types
Weapons, Tactics, And Targets
Dissipation Of The Wave
Successes
5 | The Fourth Wave: Religious, 1979-2020s?
Distinctive Features
Origin
Emergence Of Al-Qaeda And 9/11
Outside The Islamic World
Efforts To Revitalize Al-Qaeda
The Arab Spring Transforms The Wave
End Of The Fourth Wave?
Conclusion: The Fifth Wave?
Europe
Immigration
Far-Right Nationalist Populist Parties
The United States
New Wave?
Conclusion
Notes
Introduction
1 | Terrorism Before The Global Form: From The First Century To The Twentieth
2 | The First Wave: Anarchist, 1879-1920s
3 | The Second Wave: Anticolonial, 1919-1960s
4 | The Third Wave: New Left, 1960s–1990s
5 | The Fourth Wave: Religious, 1979– 2020s?
Conclusion: The Fifth Wave?
Index
