Death to Order
A Modern History of Assassination
Published on 22. July 2025
Book
Hardback
464 pages
978-0-300-25804-2 (ISBN)
Description
A deeply researched history of assassination in the modern world, from Franz Ferdinand to Osama bin Laden
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Leon Trotsky, Reinhard Heydrich, Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Osama bin Laden, Qasem Soleimani: assassination-the murder of a specific individual by an organised conspiracy in pursuit of political ends-has rarely failed to grip the imagination.
In this incisive new history, Simon Ball shows how targeted political murder has become a tool of democratic states but also a key strategy of those who wish to topple them. Ball introduces us to the techniques of assassination and those who wield them, as well as the security regimes that have developed to prevent this violent practice. From the First World War and the age of empire to terrorism and the development of pilotless drones, Death to Order places assassination at the heart of modern political history-and shows how it continues to impact our world.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Leon Trotsky, Reinhard Heydrich, Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Osama bin Laden, Qasem Soleimani: assassination-the murder of a specific individual by an organised conspiracy in pursuit of political ends-has rarely failed to grip the imagination.
In this incisive new history, Simon Ball shows how targeted political murder has become a tool of democratic states but also a key strategy of those who wish to topple them. Ball introduces us to the techniques of assassination and those who wield them, as well as the security regimes that have developed to prevent this violent practice. From the First World War and the age of empire to terrorism and the development of pilotless drones, Death to Order places assassination at the heart of modern political history-and shows how it continues to impact our world.
Reviews / Votes
"Mr. Ball's catalog of killings and counterkillings is . . . convincing. Studying assassinations is indeed like 'running a razor blade down the history of international politics: the cut is narrow, but long and deep.'"-Paul Miller-Melamed, Wall Street Journal"Ball cautions against focusing too much on the assassins or even their victims. . . . His thrust is political: to examine how assassination functions as an instrument, and how states' reactions to assassination shape its use."-Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine
"An exceptionally erudite and detailed history of assassination, packed with research drawn from government archives across the world."-Ian Thompson, New Statesman
"A thorough and gripping account of how humans are addicted to picking each other off. . . . Particularly acute on the political machinations behind the scenes and asks 'uncomfortable questions about violence, appeasement, collaboration and persuasion.'"-Roger Lewis, Mail on Sunday
"Ball's extensive research and archival access means that this is every bit as comprehensive and exhaustive as you could wish. . . . He writes in an accessible way while also deftly filling in any historical knowledge gaps that readers might have."-Jonathan Gordon, History Answers
"A work of notable scholarship. . . . Places many events in a context."-Robert Shiels, Scottish Legal News
"A riveting and timely book . . . with ambitious global coverage and assiduous historical research."-Richard Aldrich, BBC History Magazine
"A fascinating exploration of political murder and the efforts to prevent it, written with insight and based on extensive research. Not bedtime reading."-David Reynolds, author of Mirrors of Greatness
"From Gavrilo Princip to drones, Ball's is an extremely erudite history of assassination. Weaving together different strands of scholarship, he brilliantly elucidates both the assassinations themselves, and their social and cultural repercussions."-Luca Trenta, author of The President's Kill List
"A lastingly important subject, analysed here with admirable skill, scholarship, flair and accessibility. A vivid and powerful book."-Richard English, author of Does Counter-Terrorism Work?
"Death to Order is a masterpiece of international history. Simon Ball wears his great learning lightly, but the new research is prodigious and could hardly be more necessary. As contemporary events keep reminding us, this is a story for our times."-Richard Aldous, author of Reagan and Thatcher
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
24 color illus.
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
688 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-25804-2 (9780300258042)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Simon Ball is professor of international history and politics at the University of Leeds. He is the author of six acclaimed books, including Secret History, The Bitter Sea, and The Guardsmen.