The book first outlines the theories, both conspiratorial and social scientific, which have been used to explain the terrorist violence in Italy. This includes a commentary on the role of political terrorism and other forms of violence in Italian history since the country's unification in the 19th century. The description of terrorist activities in Italy covers its beginning at the end of the 1960's to its decline in 1982-83. Biographical information on more than 2,500 persons identified as terrorists in newspaper accounts is used to profile Italian terrorists, including their socioeconomic backgrounds and their reasons for adopting terrorism. The book concludes with an analysis of the Italian state's tactics in countering terrorism. The strategy was to strengthen sanctions against persons who persisted in terrorism while making it easier for persons to disassociate themselves from terrorist groups and resume normal lives. This was done in the context of antiterrorist units' increasing the probability that terrorists would be caught. Chapter notes and 170-item bibliography.