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

"A dazzling exploration of the radical politics of the 1970s… a fabulously gripping read" - The Times, *Books of the Year*

"Superb and monumental" - Spectator

"Riveting … [The Revolutionists] is an absorbing history of terrorism in Europe and the Middle East … A deeply researched, ambitious and elegantly written book" - Observer

"As irresistible and unputdownable as it is astonishing and relevant" - The Times, *Book of the Week*

"Magisterial … The Revolutionists [is] such an engaging, intelligible guide through a dense geopolitical period" - New Statesman

"A detailed and sweeping account of the origins of modern international terrorism" - Financial Times Best Books of 2025

"A deeply researched account of hijackings, hostage-takings and other terrorist activity in the 1970s, told with verve" - Economist Best Books of 2025

"In a gripping book Jason Burke, the Guardian's international security correspondent, draws on decades of research as well as interviews with terrorists . . . It is the character portraits that make this book a page-turner" - Economist

"[A] huge, roving and painstakingly researched account of the rise of modern terrorism" - Financial Times

"Spanning four continents and drawing on sources in a dozen languages . . . a flair for period detail . . . impressive" - Guardian

"Fascinating . . . Burke [who] has reported thoughtfully on political violence for several decades . . . brings considerable experience to this detailed chronicle of hostage-taking, bombings, assassinations and other adventures. Full of vivid, intriguing detail . . . Though many of his characters have been villainized elsewhere, Burke treats them as complex human beings rather than caricatured monsters . . . Burke’s compellingly readable account . . . ranges widely . . . Burke’s rich narrative offers an abundance of evidence that, in terrorism and counterterrorism alike, far too many actors have exaggerated what violence will achieve" - Times Literary Supplement

"Burke is an experienced journalist, and he uses sources written in English, French, Arabic, Italian, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Spanish, Serbo-Croat and Hebrew to explain the motives, organisations and endless internecine disputes of the terrorist movements. The most arresting parts of his work, though, do not come from such careful analysis but from brief vignettes that are beyond easy explanation, and which remind us that behind the slogans, rituals and violence, terrorists might be human beings" - Literary Review

"A compelling new book that traces the history of international terrorism" - Irish Times

"Written with the sensibility of a journalist and fastidiously empirical, Burke’s history is an eloquent tour de force that will become an essential work of reference" - Morning Star

"The Revolutionists is a brilliantly told story with many dimensions" - New Humanist

"Thought-provoking" - Geographical