Assassination has been a political and military tool for thousands of years. In the view of many generals and emperors, it was cheaper and more effective than assembling an army and pitching soldiers into combat with the enemy - when the result was never clear cut or easy to achieve.The twentieth century was, perhaps more than any other period, an era of military, political and social assassinations. Their effect was invariably huge, world-changing in some instances. From the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914 to the murder of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, from the death of John Lennon to the assassination of men like President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the assassin''s bombs, bullets, and knives cut a swathe across modern society.''Assassinations that Shaped the Twentieth Century'' logs and describes many of the more notable killings. It places the assassinations in context, charting their effect and significance. The book also looks at ''failed'' assassination attempts and at killings that were planned but never carried out.Written in Phil Carradice''s easy and elegant style, the book is thoroughly researched and presented in a logical manner. It is an essential addition to the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in twentieth-century history.