Books by Michael Burleigh

A forensic account of political assassinations from the late nineteenth century to the present day.

We are said to be living in an age of anger, and national populist movements are often identified as its political manifestation. In Populism Michael Burleigh explores this new global era, drawing on his Engelsberg Lectures. The first chapter explores the nature of mass anger, mainly in Europe and the US: how might popular discontent be artificially incited and sustained by elite figures claiming to speak for the common people? The second chapter compares the difficult aftermaths of empire in Britain and Russia. Has that experience fostered these countries'' sense of exceptionality and inability to evolve into normal societies? Many national populist movements exploit History, as we saw with the so-called ''statue wars'' reignited in 2020. The third chapter ranges across Europe, but also China, where a nationalised version of History has become intrinsic to social support for the ruling Communist Party. In the short term, COVID-19 has created problems for several populist leaders, whose image has suffered amidst the public''s new-found respect for expertise and unfavourable comparisons with less shouty politicians who have handled the pandemic differently. Yet, with the looming risk of an extended economic depression, Burleigh fears that new post-populists may arise in the long run.

The collapse of Western colonial empires in the twenty years after the Second World War led to a series of vicious struggles for power - in Africa, Asia and the Middle East - whose bloody consequences haunt us still.Acclaimed historian Michael Burleigh's brilliant analytic skills and clear eye for common themes underpins this powerful account of those conflicts. He takes us on a historical journey from Algeria to Cuba, from Malaysia to Palestine, and from Kenya to Vietnam and, in so doing, he reframes mid-twentieth-century history by forcing us to look away from the Cold War to the hot wars that continue to afflict us.The result is a dazzling work of history, which examines the death of colonialism with passion, insight and genuine understanding of what it feels like to be caught in the middle of realpolitik.

A major work setting out the inextricable link between politics and religion over the past two centuries, from the French Revolution to the present day's War on Terror.

Terrorismens historie er lang og varieret. I denne bog fokuseres der på den del af terrorismen, som har impliceret den vestlige verden. Fra de oprørske irske feniere over russiske nihilister og revolutionære, RAF, ETA og mange flere frem til global jihad og al-Qaeda.Burleigh giver læseren et indblik i terrorens mål og midler, og til forskel fra mange andre eksperter tør han også tage et standpunkt i forhold til sit emne. Mange har forsøgt at ´forstå´ terrorismen og finde Vestens ´fejl´. Burleigh understreger, at terrorisme er en politisk taktik, der bygger på vold og søger at opnå sine mål ved at skabe frygt. Volden bliver meget ofte et mål i sig selv, og terroristerne er i øvrigt tit viklet ind i andre former for kriminalitet. Terrormiljøet er uden undtagelse moralsk usselt, siger Burleigh direkte.