Assassination

by Miles Hudson (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2000

  $8.66

  Analyzes the history of political assassination, based upon examples ranging from Julius Caesar to Yitzhak Rabin. It asks the question: does political assassination change the course of history? The examples he cites are all chosen because of a definite political imperative, whether good or bad.

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $6.25

  Throughout history the desire by man to change the course of political history through the act of murder has been strong. In some instances the assassination of a prominent person for political purposes has achieved a short-term result; with several the results have been the complete opposite of what was hoped for; and in the long-term, some have been utter failures. Miles Hudson examines a range of political assassinations to establish whether or not these acts achieved their political aims. He touches on the question of whether the course of history can be determined by individuals and if so, to what extent. He also asks whether individual leaders are merely the result, and not the cause, of political evolution. His narrative ranges from historical examples like Julius Caesar, Thomas a Becket and Marat, through to famous 20th-century victims of assassination including Rasputin, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Yitzhak Rabin. In all these cases the act of assassination has been motivated by a positive political purpose, rather than attacks by a lunatic or someone driven by personal hatred or revenge. He concludes by arguing that assassination cannot reverse a historical tide, but it can hasten an evolution already started, and perhaps more importantly, can push events in a desired direction where no clear drift exists.