"Terrorism is a form of political violence with a long and complicated history - a history that sheds a much needed light on contemporary manifestations of the phenomenon. The History of Terrorism: The Four Waves and Its Predecessors is a major contribution to our understanding of the roots of contemporary terrorism. Rapoport provides an analytical framework of the "four waves" to reconceptualize the last hundred years of global terrorism. He argues that the idea of terrorism as a global phenomenon can trace its roots back to rebel action in Russia and France after the example of the French Revolution (the first wave), followed by a global wave anti-colonial terrorism that began in Ireland in the 1920s (second wave), far left resistance from Europe to the global south (third wave) and then, finally, our current moment of anti-secular movements primarily in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa (four wave). Each of these waves had different characteristics, from the weaponry each favors to their preferred tactics, targets, and goals. After outlining each of these waves and their main actors in depth, Rapoport concludes the book by exploring what may be next for a fifth wave--right-wing, anti-migration populists-- and how we will be able to understand, study, and combat this new threat better by understanding the past"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction -- Pre-Global Terrorism -- The First Wave: Anarchist, 1879-1920s -- The Second Wave: Anti-Colonial, 1919-1960s -- The Third Wave: New Left, 1960s-1990s -- The Fourth Wave: Religious, 1979-2020s? -- Conclusion: The Fifth Wave?