Terror: From Tyrannicide to Terrorism

With a foreword by Geoffrey Robertson, QC. The issues of terror and terrorism confront us every day- every time we board a flight, pick up a newspaper or watch television. Concerns about terrorism now dictate domestic and foreign policies around the world. In a very real sense, one way or another we find ourselves in the grip of terror. But what is terror? How is it described, measured and experienced? Is the current terrorist threat unprecedented? The answers to many of these questions, and the lessons therein, are to be found in history; and nowhere more so than in Europe. In fact, Europe has been home to some of the most terrifying and horrific events in recorded human history. This collection takes a broad-ranging yet detailed look at the landmark events and epochs of terror across Europe, from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to the terrorist bombings on the London Underground in July 2005. Drawing on leading authorities from across the globe, this volume explores the historical mutation of political violence and concepts of terror. Terror will be of interest to scholars of history, international relations and political science; to policy makers; and to the educated layperson.