"...this is a book to be read and reckoned with. The comparison between Germany and Italy is compelling, often leading one to see each country's experience in a different light. The insights into the dynamics of violent social movements, particularly those regarding the role of the police and the ways that groups and individuals move into terrorism are trenchant and original. In general, the book demonstrates the effectiveness of using an institutional approach for studying political violence." Ted Perlmutter, German Politics and Society

• Foreword Sidney Tarrow; List of abbreviations; Preface; 1. Comparative research on political violence; 2. Political violence in Italy and Germany: a periodization; 3. Violence and the political system: the policing of protest; 4. Organizational processes and violence in social movements; 5. The logic of underground organizations; 6. Patterns of radicalization in political activism; 7. Individual commitment in the underground; 8. Social movements, political violence and the state; a conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.