Terrorists, Anarchists and Democrats: The Genevans and the Irish in Time of Revolution.

• Author: Knox, Allison G.S.

Whatmore, Richard. Terrorists, Anarchists and Democrats: The Genevans and the Irish in Time of Revolution. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2019. 512 pp. Hardcover, $39.95.

Terrorists, Anarchists and Democrats is a compelling book that puts multiple historical events and philosophical concepts into perspective. Whatmore tells the fascinating story of two rebellions in history within Ireland and the City of Geneva. The author notes the myriad similarities between the two while weaving through the notions of political spectrums, rebellions, government response and political thought. Whatmore's work is an important book on a topic that is repeated throughout history and is particularly important in national and international security analysis.

Whatmore's take on terrorism is rooted in the historical development of the Irish experience. He traces the issue back into the eighteenth century and then links terrorist concepts to various historical events highlighting where different philosophical thoughts emerged. He writes, "When, on December 14, 1793, the United Irish Society issued an address to the volunteer companies of Ireland, calling upon them to take up arms as citizens, to force the government to undertake parliamentary reform and Catholic emancipation, a Rubicon was perceived by the authorities to have been crossed." (p. 7). Whatmore also ties in particularly interesting language highlighting how rebellion concepts in Ireland were similar to that of the French Revolution--issues that show that with one revolution, other ideas begin to spring up in other places throughout the world (p. 6). While discussing the theoretical rhetoric of the time period, Whatmore connects the French Revolution's philosophical threads as he tells the story of those involved in the rebellions.

While Whatmore discusses the notions of rebellion, he also adds to the scholarly literature in a particularly intriguing way. Whatmore notes that while many historians draw comparisons about rebellion and democracy to the French Revolution, he ultimately concludes that these philosophical constructs were actually quite destructive to Europe and did not establish peace and harmony (p. 379). He continues by claiming that the nineteenth century was particularly destructive and chaotic in Europe...