Terror and publicity
40 years after autumn 1977

Today’s terrorism calls to mind the feeling of fear and polarisation which put the West German state to the test with the wave of terrorist attacks in autumn 1977. But according to the current literature, its tactics can be traced much further back, and have their roots in the revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, closely linked to the development of the mass media and its audience. It is the reactions of the state and the public which make terrorism into a success or a failure. Can the responses to the terror attacks of 30 years ago serve as a formula for responding to terrorism today?