NZZ Series Revisits Sisi Assassination and RAF Terror
The NZZ launches a series examining two historical acts of political violence in Switzerland and Germany. The first installment covers the 1898 assassination of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) in Geneva by anarchist Luigi Lucheni, and the subsequent European manhunt for a nonexistent network, as well as Swiss political blame. The second installment details the 1977 kidnapping and murder of Hanns Martin Schleyer by the Red Army Faction (RAF), which triggered the 'German Autumn' and plunged West Germany into its worst domestic political crisis.
Key facts
- Series published by NZZ
- First article covers Sisi assassination in Geneva, 1898
- Assassin was anarchist Luigi Lucheni
- European search for a network behind the attack
- Swiss politics blamed for the incident
- Second article covers RAF kidnapping of Hanns Martin Schleyer
- Schleyer was president of the German Employers' Association
- Kidnapping occurred on September 5, 1977
- Four companions were killed
- Event known as 'German Autumn'
- Crisis was the most severe internal political crisis in West Germany
Entities
Institutions
- NZZ
- Rote-Armee-Fraktion (RAF)
- German Employers' Association
Locations
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Europe
- Germany
- West Germany