Inaugural Lecture

In the Line of Fire: Terrorism and Political Violence in Late Imperial Russia

Professor Susan Morrissey

In the early twentieth century, Russia experienced a wave of terrorism unprecedented in European history: hundreds of assassinations, bombings, and ‘expropriations’ claimed thousands of casualties. This lecture excavates this particular moment to post broader questions about how political violence is constructed and deployed. How do individuals, acting alone or in collectives, claim violence as a sovereign right and wield it against the state?