The Revolutionists

<b>A thrilling and unprecedented account of the radicalism and political extremism that gripped the 1970s – a seismic decade that transformed the modern world.</b><br><br><b>‘Dazzling . . . a fabulously gripping read’ </b>DOMINIC SANDBROOK, <i>The Times </i>Books of the Year<br><br><b>‘As compelling as the best of spy thrillers’</b> FERGAL KEANE<br><br><b>*SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2025*</b><br><br>In the 1970s, a network of extremists terrorised the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the glamorous Leila Khaled, hard-drinking Carlos the Jackal, and radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang, all united by their hatred of Israel, capitalism and ‘Western imperialism’. Their audacious attacks brought governments to their knees and glued nations to their TV screens.<br><br>Drawing on decades of research, declassified and secret documents, and first-hand interviews with hijackers, spies, witnesses and victims, Jason Burke takes us inside these often-deadly operations. In this underground realm of loyalty, betrayal and commitment to radical change at any cost, he reveals the dark origins of our fractured world today.<br><br>*A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN <i>THE TIMES,</i> <i>GUARDIAN</i>, <i>FINANCIAL TIMES, ECONOMIST, PROSPECT </i>AND <i>BBC HISTORY*</i><br><br><b>'An astonishing window not just into the origins of modern terrorism but also into our own age' </b>RORY STEWART<br><br><b>‘As irresistible and unputdownable as it is astonishing and relevant’ </b>SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE<br><br><b>‘Told with cool authority and a novelist's eye for detail. Burke is a master'</b> RORY CARROLL<br><br><b>‘Superb and monumental</b>’ <i>SPECTATOR</i><br><br><b>'A book that historians will be profiting from for many decades to come'</b> TOM HOLLAND<br><br><b>‘Riveting’ </b>LINDSEY HILSUM