Revolutionary Terrorism Analysis

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In order to understand the transformation of terrorism and in order to come up with somewhat of a remedy to this word wide complication, we must first understand its meaning and its origin. Depending on whom you speak with and the lens through which you view the issue, terrorism has several definitions. It has been widely discussed that the core elements to terrorism are violence, noncombatant targets, intention of spreading fear, and political aims (LIBAW 2011). But formulating a global definition has proven to be difficult. Some critics have suggested that often, its meaning tends to be only applied when speaking about violent and hate groups the U.S. and its democratic allies oppose. A key element when trying to define terrorism is identifying …show more content…
The means for revolutionary terrorism include assassinations, bombings, taking of hostages, hijacking, and kidnapping. In contrast to nationalist and anarchist terrorist acts which are meant to be inspirational, revolutionary terrorists are actually the vanguards that perform the most glamorous work in the spirit of bringing about a revolution; they are the ones leading the charge in the battle. Key concepts of revolutionary terrorism can be found in writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and its evolution has been influenced by figures such as Lenin, Mao Tse-Tung, and Marighella. Just like the anarchist terrorists, revolutionary terrorists seek to call into question the credibility, competence, and strength of the established government through their violent acts of terror and the government’s inability to protect its people. Three of the most recognizable revolutionary terrorist organizations are the Japanese Red Army, the Red Army Faction, and the Italian Red Brigades. Notice the common use of the word “red” in their naming convention as the red flag has been a symbol of socialism, communism, and left-wing politics. These three groups terrorized Germany, Japan and Italy throughout the 1960s, 70s, and an early part of the 80s. Many revolutionary terrorist would identify themselves as freedom fighters which brings into contention the argument that "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom