The Revolutionists: the Story Of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s

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