The Past and Present of Terrorism
This essay will discuss the past and present of Terrorism. From the Jewish Zealots of the 1st Century committing incidents of terrorism against the Romans to Hitler's Germany's committing atrocities against the people to the acts of terrorism that Ireland's IRA commit(ed) against the British Government to the ultimate act of Terrorism on the World Trade Centre, Terrorism has always existed. This essay will start with a brief summary of terrorism from the 1st century the early 20th century. Then it will conduct a brief case study on Nazi Germany. Furthermore it will conduct a case study on Ireland's IRA and the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Finally it will conclude on the ultimate terrorist act on the World Trade Centre of September 11th, 2001.
The word 'terrorism' came into use a couple of centuries ago. During the French Revolution it was used to describe a very violent and bloody period from 1793-1794 known as the 'Reign of Terror' (Terrorism, pg 18). Terrorism is the use of violence, or the threat of violence, to create a climate of fear in a given population. Terrorist violence targets ethnic or religious groups, governments, political parties, corporations, and media enterprises. Through publicity and fear generated by their violence, they seek to magnify their influence and power to affect political change on either a local or an international scale. (Encarta Encyclopedia, pg 234) The main objective of terrorism is usually to gain publicity for some cause, although there can be other motives, too, such as the desire to obtain concessions or bring about social change. It is also motivated by the disapproval with a political or social system or political and an inability to change it throug...
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This paper will talk about three different types of terrorism. A background of each type will be provided to understand the motivations and goals. The first type that will be discussed is religious terrorism. The second type that will be discussed is suicide terrorism. The third and last type that will be discussed is nationalist terrorism. Each type of terrorism has distinct differences in their goals, motivations, strategy, use of violence, etc. However, the main focus of this paper will be on the difference between each type’s tactics and/or strategy.
Terrorism has been around since the first century. Terrorism is the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. Though it wasn’t always in the United States. The first group of terrorists was known as the Zealots of Judea. The romans also knew them as the Sicarii or the dagger-men because sica means small dagger. They were motivated by the belief that they couldn’t stay faithful to the Jewish beliefs while still being Romans. They were founded by Hassan Al-Sabah. He was known as the mountain man because he ran his cult in the Mountain Fortress of Alamut. From 2000-2004 more than one thousand people died or were injured be the Palestine. In 9/11/2001
The topic of my paper is types of terrorism. There are several types of terrorism for which to choose for my paper, state, dissident, religious, left-wing v. right-wing, and international. In this paper I have chosen state terrorism, religious terrorism, and international terrorism as the types of terrorism that I am going to discuss. I will discuss what they are in my own words and give examples of two different groups for each type that represent that type of terrorism. Then I will compare and contrast the three types of terrorism that I chose.
Terrorism is defined as the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments of societies in the pursuit of gals that are generally political, religious, or ideological by The United States Department of Defense("Terrorism research-what is," ). Terrorism can be classified in two different categories: International terrorism; not within the United States Jurisdiction and Domestic terrorism; within the United States Jurisdiction.
In Chapter 1 of “Inside Terrorism” political analyst Bruce Hoffman, explains that the term “terrorism” has undergone numerous definitions over the course of history, starting with the French Revolution of 1789-94. Hoffman explains that according to the Oxford English Dictionary, terrorism can be defined basically as an act or policy enacted by a government to strike fear into those against whom the act is against, to coerce them into submission to the policies of the government. He also explains that a more helpful definition, that of a terrorist, rather than the act of terrorism, provides a better way of defining terrorism. He also explains that the term terrorist is more of a political term than a specific action. (Hoffman 2006) Sociologist Charles Tilly also mentions the French Revolution as the earliest reference to the term of terrorism. They also agree that these early references to terrorism was primarily carried out by governments as a means of oppressing those who would revolt against them. (Tilly 2004) Both authors also agree that although the roots of the term terrorist began during the late 1789s. The concept as well as the definition of terrorism has changed over time, particularly in recent years since Sept. 11, 2001. As the definition of terrorism has changed over the years, so have the methods of dealing with
Terrorism, then, is a type of political crime that makes use of murder and destruction or the threat of such violence in order to promote change. It is a specific kind of calculated violence with a selected target. Targets can include individuals, groups, communities, or governments. In most cases, excessive violence is used against innocent people which creates a fear that the terrorist can use for coercive purposes. This "fear" is usually directed at someone other than the victim. "In other words, terrorism is a psychological act conducted for its impact on an audience."(1) Since terrorists need publicity to inspire fear, they often seek more unusual events that capture and hold public attention.
The word terror dates back to the French Revolution. “A terrorist was, in its original meaning, a Jacobin who ruled France during la Terruer” (Moeller 20). Terrorism has clearly become much broader in the years since its origination. Since the concept was first birthed in France it has been used for separatist, nationalistic, political and religious ends, etc.
Terrorism is translated to mean ‘army in the shadows’ and is defined as the threat or use of violence to win certain rewards or goals ( Dictionary.com, 2010). The earliest known Terrorist organization similar to those of today was the Zealots of Judea, formed when fanatics of the Jewish faith revolted against the of the Roman oppression. They carried on an underground campaign wherein they assassinated Roman occupation forces and Jews that they believed had collaborated with the Romans. However, the first time that the word ‘terrorism’ was used was during the French Revolution which is referred to as the ‘Reign of terror’. During this time the Jacobins who ruled with violence at that time, would sometimes refer to themselves as ‘terrorists’ (terrorism-research.com). Since then, there have been other leaders and people seeking power using terrorism as a weapon. These include the Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler, a man responsible for the murder of over 6 million people.
There is no set definition for terrorism, this is because each country have a different definition of terrorism, but it is commonly recognized as violence from groups with political, religious or ideological ideas. Terrorism tries to bring about change with violence and their targets are usually unsuspecting civilians. However, freedom fighters understand terrorism to be violence against the government and government policy to bring about political, and social change to better their way of life. There are two major category of terrorism, International and Domestic terrorism (Yancey, 2006).
Terrorism is one of the most extensively discussed issues of our time and at the same time it is also one of the least understood. The term itself “terrorism” means many different things to different people, cultures, and races. As a result, trying to define or classify terrorism with one universal definition is nearly impossible. The definition of terrorism used in this research is a reflection of much of the Western and American way of defining it. The definition of terrorism is,
The word terrorism seems to be easy to define. It is a word that everyone is familiar with. Terrorism, as used in today's media which covers a wide range of violent acts. Terrorism is violent acts that are intended to create fear(terror) are perpetrated for a religious ,political or ideological goal and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non civilians or we can say it is the threat of violence or an act of violence . Terrorism is an international problem in today's global community. Many countries had been affected directly.
The word terrorism was first used during the French Revolution from the reign of terror inflicted by the French from 1784-1804 ("International Affairs"). It was used to describe the violent acts perpetrated on the French that inflicted terror on the various peoples and instilled fear within them. However, at the time it had a more positive connotation than the term that instills fear today. During the French Revolution this was because it referred to state-sponsored terrorism in order to show the need of state instead of anarchy, sometimes promoted by other groups (Hoffman 2). Therefore, even though terrorism has taken a new nature, terrorism can refer to official governments or guerrilla groups operating outside national governments ("International Affairs"). In order to encompass terrorism’s various sectors and explain it to the public, in both positive and negative aspects, many analysts have tried to put it into a few words. Terrorism is a method used by tightly of loosely organized groups operation within states or international territories that are systematic in using deliberate acts of violence or threats in order to instill...
According to the US legal code, terrorism can be defined as “Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by substantial groups or clandestine agents.” There are statement could better describe the essence of terrorism: attacks that are ruthless in nature and calculated in their impact on society at large (Bolz, Jr., Dudonis, & Schulz, 2012).
There is no set definition for terrorism, this is because each country has a different definition of terrorism, but it is commonly recognized as violence from groups with political, religious or ideological ideas. Terrorism tries to bring about change with violence and their targets are usually unsuspecting civilians. However, freedom fighters understand terrorism to be violence against the government and government policy to bring about political, and social change to better their way of life. There are two major categories of terrorism, International and Domestic terrorism (Yancey, 2006).
Terrorism has a tremendous impact on society. It is a rational act of violence and its purpose is to change behavior in a specific society. Terrorism is a political act that is meant to achieve a goal through the act of violence. The nature of terrorism is the nonselective targeting of individuals or a group in society with a goal. The intentions of