The introductory chapter outlines an approach to studying terrorism in disparate historical contexts and deals with the controversial issue of defining the concept of terrorism. The first section consists of two chapters presenting an historical analysis of terrorism by examining the trends leading to anarchist terrorism in Western Europe and the U.S., and Russia in the late 19th Century. The four chapters comprising the second section, which deals with modern revolutionary terrorism, discuss left-wing terrorism in Italy and Germany, political violence in Argentina, and the revolutionary terrorism of Peru's Shining Path. The third section concerns conflicts driven by the ambitions of minorities in divided societies: the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, Basque terrorism in Spain, and separatist movements in India. The fourth section considers the relation between terrorism, nationalism, and the State, analyzing the Algerian war, the Arab- Israeli conflict, and the revolution in Iran. The final chapter draws together some of the common themes of the book and outlines implications for future research. Chapter references