The rise of devils: Fear and the origins of modern terrorism

In the dying light of the nineteenth century, the world came to know and fear terrorism. Like today, this was a time of progress and dread, characterised by political and technological breakthroughs and waves of immigration that swelled the populations of ever-expanding cities.

The era also simmered with political rage and social inequalities, which drove nationalists, nihilists, anarchists and republicans to dynamite cities and gun down presidents, police chiefs and emperors. This wave of t...