The Infernal Machine

In 1881, a small group of Russian revolutionaries, calling themselves “terrorists” assassinated Tsar Nicholas II in a spectacular bombing attack in St. Petersburg. Far from being the psychopathic murderers the Russian Press portrayed them as, these men and women viewed their actions as a just, even humanitarian response to tyranny. Carr weaves together this fascinating and urgently history for the first time, showing that today’s episodes are far from unique, and a modern evil. In a narrative combining extraordinary sweep with riveting historical detail, Carr demonstrates how terrorist violence is a tactic used by groups with varied political objectives. The official response to such violence has typically been even greater violence: in Ireland, Kenya, Algeria, and Uruguay, no less than today, rulers have consistently seized on terrorist attacks as a pretext for a massive counterassault, sacrificing civil liberties and curtailing democratic institutions in the name of security and counterterrorism.