The Revolutionists : The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s - Jason Burke

A thrilling and unprecedented account of the radicalism and political extremism that gripped the 1970s - a seismic decade that transformed the modern world. `Dazzling . . . a fabulously gripping read' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, The Times Books of the Year`As compelling as the best of spy thrillers' FERGAL KEANE*SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2025*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. 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. *A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES, GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, ECONOMIST, PROSPECT AND BBC HISTORY*'An astonishing window not just into the origins of modern terrorism but also into our own age' RORY STEWART`As irresistible and unputdownable as it is astonishing and relevant' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE`Told with cool authority and a novelist's eye for detail. Burke is a master' RORY CARROLL`Superb and monumental' SPECTATOR'A book that historians will be profiting from for many decades to come' TOM HOLLAND`Riveting' LINDSEY HILSUM