Claudia Verhoeven, Odd Man Karakozov: Imperial Russia, Modernity and the Birth of Terrorism, Cornell U. Press, ISBN 978-0801446528

Postmodernist account of the "Karakozov affair": the first, 1866 attempt on life of the Alexander II, the Liberator. The author correctly identifies the connection between the birth of the terrorism and modernity meaning the power of public opinion and the media as a major forces shaping society.

As all postmodernist accounts it suffers from a total lack of humanistic empathy or even an understanding of politics as a meaningful endeavor. Consequently, Verhoeven engages in "interpretations" of Karakozov's behavior where there is nothing to be interpreted. He, as his cousin and main intellectual influence-- Ishutin, in whose family Karakozov was brought up as an orphan-- was an obvious schizophrenic. Political conspiracies are frequently the abode of the mentally unstable individuals. Yet, Ishutin's "Organization" was remarkable in that every major figure associated with it (Ishutin, Khudyakov, Karakozov, Nechaev) suffered from serious psychiatric abnormalities. Characteristically and smartly, Dostoevsky, in the "Possessed" split Nechaev's personality between two protagonists: the revolutionary and a con man Verhovensky (pun on Verhoeven!) and repentant sexual sadist Stavrogin, the two even engaging in dialogue probably like the voices in the heads of the members of Ishutin's clique. The name of the Organization's inner circle, "the Hell" suggests that this was more of a cult than a political conspiracy with rational purposes.

Similarly to the actions of Kaligula, Vlad Tepes or Ivan the Terrible there could be some continuity of personal style but it is useless to search for any consistent logic in their behavior. The only underlying factors were total disregard for humanity, impulsive brutality and penchant for theatrical gestures.

For Claudia Verhoeven the intent to kill one of the ablest Russian autocrats, furthermore, the only one who could effectuate change, in order to foment a bloody civil war seems as much of a form of self-expression as eating breakfast or writing a poem. Luckily for us, postmodernist thought rarely informs political power outside of Scandinavia.