Although the radical populist movement that arose in Russia during the reign of Tsar Alexander II has been well documented; this important study opens with questions that haven’t yet been addressed: How did Russian radical populists manage to carry out a three-year campaign of revolutionary violence; killing or wounding scores of people; including top government officials; and eventually taking the life of the tsar himself? And how did this all occur under the noses of the tsar’s political police; who deployed vast resources and huge numbers of officials in an exhaustive effort to stop the killing? In Underground Petersburg; Christopher Ely argues that the most powerful weapon of populist terrorism was the revolutionary underground it created. Attempts to convey populist ideals in the public sphere met with resistance at every turn. When methods such as propaganda campaigns and street demonstrations failed; populists created a sophisticated urban underground. Linked to the newly discovered weapon of terrorist violence; this base of operations allowed them to live undetected in the midst of the city; produce their own weaponry; and attempt to ignite an insurrection through violent attacks—putting terrorism on the map as a technique of political rebellion. Accessible to non-specialists; this insightful study reinterprets radical populism; clarifying its crucial place in Russian history and elucidating its contribution to the history of terrorism. Underground Petersburg will appeal to scholars and students of Russia; as well as those interested in terrorism and insurrectionary movements; urban studies; and the sociology of subcultures.
#1598565 in Books 2006-05-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.10 x 6.00l; 1.11 #File Name: 0874808634352 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy HugoExcellent!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. a Muslim party; but moderateBy W BoudvilleIt is now some 5 years after the book was written; and just over a week since Erdogan and his party won reelection in Turkey. The book is still quite timely in analysing the AKP and its influence on a modernising Turkey. Each of the 13 chapters is contributed by a different author; most of whom are Turkish. Many aspects of the AKP are scrutinised. Several chapters address the fears that the AKP might have radical Islamist elements who would impose a strict religious framework over Turkish society.One chapter makes a striking comparison with predominantly Christian countries; where the main Christian denomination is Catholic. The Catholic church has a hierarchy and a doctrine with which it often tries to influence elections in those nations; especially when politicians running for office are Catholic. They are typically expected to hew to Catholic doctrine. Even in the US; this might be familiar to readers. In contrast; the Muslim caliphate fell over 500 years ago. The main denominations of Islam in Turkey have no analog of the Catholic church. So a Muslim politician has more ideological space in which to maneuver. A good point that jars with the stereotypical notions in Europe and the US about Islamist radicalism.Another chapter looks at the sometimes uneasy relations between Erdogan's government and the US administration under Bush. This was awkward when the US invaded Iraq in 2003 and Turkey declined to offer some bases and other material support. Yet the chapter tries to explain that this was not due to a radical religious agenda; but instead of valid questions about the reasons for invasion. Something subsequently borne out when no weapons of mass destruction were uncovered in Iraq.
