Terrorism: The Historical Perspective

Dr. Claire Hirshfield, Professor Emerita, European History, Penn State University
Dates: Fridays, April 8- May 6, 2011, (No class April 22) | register online
Time: 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Cost: $35 (4 sessions)

Terrorism today is of overwhelming concern, especially since the events of 9/11, however, it didn't start then. Terrorism is an evolving phenomenon, with deep roots in the nineteenth century, when anarchists successfully plotted the murders of a Russian Tsar, an Austrian Empress, a French Prime Minister, and even an American President. Such acts were often viewed as valid responses to "tyranny".

We will investigate the terrorists of the nineteenth century - from Russian nihilists to Irish fenians and Hindu revolutionaries. The Weather Underground, the Red Brigades and the Baader-Meinhof Gang of the 1960's and 1970's may also contribute to an understanding of the "religious - political Islamism" which represents the "new terrorism" of today.

Claire Hirshfield holds an A.B. degree from Bryn Mawr College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the recipient of two Fulbright grants and has studied in Paris and Tokyo. She is co-author of a World History text and author of a scholarly monograph, as well as over forty articles dealing mainly with British and Imperial history. She has received several outstanding teaching awards including the Lindback and is presently Professor Emerita of European History at Penn State.