302
W
hile the methods of
political plotters and
assassins have changed
over time, their motives remain the
same. Political plots are typically
undertaken with the goal of
attaining power. They can be
protests against poor leadership or
controversial policies, or attempts
at censoring a powerful voice.
When the Praetorian Guard
overthrew Pertinax in 193 ce they
were able to choose the next ruler
of the Roman Empire.
The political plots in this
chapter all had far-reaching
consequences. The removal of one
important figure can be enough to
transform a place or an organization
for the better, or cause widespread
chaos. It is often achieved through
assassination – the targeted
murder of an influential figure.Assassinations are typically
planned in secret. For conspirators
to succeed, they must be discreet,
and the element of surprise is often
key to their success. Historically,
when a conspirator has been
caught before the plot is executed,
the consequences have been
severe. Guy Fawkes, who failed to
blow up the British Parliament in
the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, was
hanged, drawn, and quartered for
his part in the treasonous plan.
Some of the major turning
points in history have hinged upon
assassinations: the death of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the
clandestine society Black Hand, for
example, is often cited as the
catalyst for the start of World War I.
Other assassinations achieved the
opposite of the intended effect by
making the victims martyrs.Global consequences
Political plots are very rarely
hatched by a lone figure with a
personal vendetta. Even when
a single killer is involved, bigger
forces are generally at work
behind the scenes. These can be
underground organizations –
radical groups, guerrillas, or
terrorists – but sometimes they are
government agencies or the power
bases of other politicians.
Just as there is infrequently only
one plotter, there is rarely just one
victim. An assassination can have
far-reaching consequences. In Italy,
the death of former prime minister
Aldo Moro, 55 days after he was
kidnapped by a group of Red
Brigades terrorists, ended a
proposed compromise between the
Italian Communist Party and
Christian Democratic Party, whileINTRODUCTION
1894
193 ce 1865
Actor and Confederate
supporter John Wilkes
Booth assassinates
Abraham Lincoln at a
theatre in Washington, D.C.The Praetorian Guard in
imperial Rome stab Emperor
Pertinax to death and award
the role of emperor to the
highest bidder.French Army captain
Alfred Dreyfus is
convicted of passing secrets
to the Germans.110 0s–1200s
A militant order of Shia
Muslims known as the
Hashashins assassinate
Seljuk Turks and other
Sunni opponents.1916
In Russia, Grigori
Rasputin, mystical
adviser to the imperial
family, is poisoned,
shot, and dumped in
the Nevka River.302-303_Timeline_8.indd 302 13/01/2017 15:20
303
the poisoning in 2006 of former
Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko
in a London hotel, which was
believed to be perpetrated by fellow
Russians, led to a tit-for-tat
expulsion of diplomats from
Russian and British embassies.Protective measures
Bringing political plotters to justice
is often difficult. While authorities
can arrest an individual perpetrator
once an assassination has been
committed, the shadowy nature
of their plots may make it hard to
identify coconspirators. Lee Harvey
Oswald apparently worked alone
when he shot President John F.
Kennedy, but numerous conspiracy
theories suggest he may have been
the puppet of other bodies, such as
the CIA or the Soviet Union.
Likewise, the truth behind themurder of Alexander Litvinenko
is not fully understood, although
evidence does point strongly to
Andrey Lugovoi – whose extradition
was requested by the British
government in May 2007 but
refused by Russia.
These days, technological
advancements help government
agencies, such as the FBI, the CIA,
and the National Security Agency
(NSA) to uncover and prevent
political conspiracies. While the
world’s secret services once relied
on spies to intercept documents
and source physical evidence of
assassination plots, they can now
also call upon techniques and
equipment, such as surveillance
drones and wire-tapping.
Most nations have not enacted
specific laws to prevent political
plots. Instead, laws focus onprohibiting the means the
perpetrators use: murder, bribery,
and kidnapping, for example, are
all illegal, as are conspiracies to
commit them. Assassination has
always been illegal because it is
murder, but there are usually
harsher penalties for killing people
in positions of power.
Most nations around the world
do, however, have treason laws,
which punish those acting against
the nation or the crown. In Britain,
for example, the monarch was free
to determine what constituted
treason until 1351, when the
Treason Act defined the offences
deemed treasonous. In the US,
Article III of the US Constitution –
ratified in 1788 – limited treason to
either levying war against the state
or providing enemies of the state
with aid and comfort. ■ASSASSINATIONS AND POLITICAL PLOTS
1978
1963 2002
One-time Colombian
presidential candidate
Ingrid Betancourt is
kidnapped by guerrillas.In Rome, the former
Italian prime minister
Aldo Moro is ambushed
and shot dead by the
left-wing paramilitary
Red Brigades.Lee Harvey Oswald
shoots US President
John F. Kennedy as
he rides through Dallas
in an open-top car.2006
Former Russian spy
Alexander Litvinenko
is poisoned with
polonium at a
London hotel.302-303_Timeline_8.indd 303 13/01/2017 15:20