Terrorism During Ww2

During World War 2 (1939-1945), the Soviet Union and the USA were allies fighting towards the same enemy, Nazi Germany. At the end of World War 2, it could have been assumed that the two countries would have a firm relationship, however, soon after the war, enmity developed between the two, which resulted in the Cold War. Once Germany surrendered in 1945, the U.S openly formulated a policy of ‘Containment’, and at the beginning of 1948 the Cold War had escalated. Containment was the plan to diminish the rise of Soviet influence in the Western nations. The two countries had opposing economic and political beliefs and ideologies. The Soviet Union espoused Socialism and the USA feared this ideology spreading and Western Capitalist systems losing

their dominance.

Throughout the world, it is clear that many people follow the beliefs of a variety of ideologies.

A few of the recognisable ones are; Liberalism, Conservatism, Capitalism and Socialism. The prevalence of some of these ideologies, in particular socialism, are diminishing because of the immense diversity of ethics spread around the globe. The following essay will argue that in the 21st Century socialism has been superseded by terrorism, and that terrorism is the threat that socialism once was during the Cold War. It will do this by firstly discussing and outlining socialism and terrorism and then putting forward the argument that socialism was prevalent up to a certain point. Yet now terrorism has risen in dominance.

The first section will discuss and analyse the major details and history of socialism and terrorism. The second section will examine the question and argue that socialism has been superseded by terrorism in the 21st century.

Socialism and terrorism can be differentiated because socialism is an ideology while terrorism is a type of political manipulation. An ideology has been described as a new science of ideas (Heywood, 2003). In other words an ideology can be described as a set of beliefs or ideals envisioned by a person or an entire

community.
Socialist’s support a system in which there is no private property and encourages a revolution of the working class people against the bourgeoisie. However even though the idea of a revolution resonates as extreme, the foremost socialist principles intended to introduce better equality in social and working conditions (Kilroy-Silk, 1973). A notion of the businessman and property-owning citizens exploiting working class people is what brought upon an uprising during the French revolution in 1789. Socialism was then brought about again by the European industrial revolution that swept nations in 1848. The brutal conditions that resulted in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. This exploitation gave a rise to the socialist movement in the 1800’s through to the cold war in 1948 (Hornberger, 2014).
The aim of Socialism is to change political and economic beliefs through a revolution, however terrorism is not a goal but a premeditated tactic using terror, to elicit change (Yungher, 2008). Terrorism is conducted by extremists who aim to use violent acts to alter public perception towards their government and create doubt in the minds of the citizens in a nation (Razzaq, 2015). It is complex and takes part in many objectives, some even believe it is a new doctrine. On the contrary, terrorism has been a tactic used for many years. A recent change in public perception, which can be attributed to the events surrounding 9/11, has resulted in an increase fear of terrorism. Ref

It can be seen that socialism was prevalent during the 18th century up until the Cold War, yet in the 21st century, there are a wider set of enemies and fears that effect society’s everyday life. Western nations are not excessively influenced by socialist ideological perspectives, or other belief systems that are known throughout the world. On the other hand terrorism is rising in power and has a new control on people’s sense of security (Ganor, 2008). Thus it can be argued that socialism has been superseded by terrorism in the 21st century.
Terrorism has overtaken socialism as the new threat in the world today.

News reports on terrorist activities and incidents are widely reported worldwide, while little or nothing is reported in the news on socialism. The prevalence of socialism is diminishing. The Eastern European revolutions of 1989-1991, along with the fall of the Berlin Wall, in some aspects symbolized the defeat and failure of socialism. Since this period, only a few Socialist regimes survive in the world and they are; North Korea, Cuba and China (Heywood, 2003). Socialism has been overshadowed by terrorism, as the fear of terrorism increases and more countries and people are impacted. In particular, in recent years, the terrorism perpetrated by Islamic State has brought terrorism to the forefront. “During this time period [2015] there was 2 860 Islamic attacks in 53 countries, in which 27 615 people were killed…” (“List of Islamic Terror Attacks”,

2015)
Nonetheless socialism unquestionably had an influence during the past eras. It shaped the beginning of change in the fight against a progressive destructive capitalist system, a system which ruled the working class citizens of the world. The underlining principle was to have a society free of exploitation and social injustice (Szalai, 2005). This socialist perspective frightened governing capitalist nations, which subsequently resulted in a conflict of interest and beliefs. Socialism was a reaction to the capitalist methods in Western Europe and the United States (U.S.).
During the Cold War, the United States’ use of the Containment Policy to cease Soviet influences, and the use of media and integrated education of the young and the old, demonstrates that the U.S. government created a fear of the loss of freedom. The use of propaganda materials, influenced the middle classes and heightened the mistrust of the Soviet Union and the ideology of socialism. The U.S felt threatened by the mere chance of their capitalist system being infiltrated and reformed, which demonstrates that socialism and ideas of communism were widely prevalent during the 1900’s.
More importantly the rise of socialism through the policies of the Soviet Union was just as rapid as its current degeneration. At the present time there is no longer an establishment of the 15 countries that were the USSR. Its reign officially lasted between 1922 – 1991 (Spiegel, 2009). However the USSR’s idea of socialism was drastically different to the ideals of Karl Marx. Members of the Bolsheviks justified their uprisings by comparing it to the ideas of Marxism which was to have a “dictatorship of the proletariats’ (Marx, 1850). But Marx never intended it to be a dictatorship as such, more a social dominance of the working class people. The USSR interpretation of socialism resulted in a negative connotation towards the ideology and a creation of a more democratic capitalist system instead (The Myth of Soviet 'Socialism', 2009).
The Soviets perception of socialism is what has drastically dissolved the ideology in the 21st century. However, in addition to this, topics such as terrorism and the threat of terrorism are currently of most concern to western nations. It is a global occurrence that is hard to define, because many things have happened in our history that were not classified as terrorism – even though the actions induced terror. “Whatever definition of terrorism is endorsed, particularly by government representatives, the term terrorism is rarely used to apply to the actions of one’s own country, or its allies, even when the actions initially fit their own definition” (Sterba, 2003).
Many ordinary people do not realise that countries who aim to abolish terrorism also take part in it, when they retaliate against extremist attacks. Example from recent news – paris attacks and French retaliation The constant fight for ideological power, is resulting in a world crisis. It seems there is no way to completely eradicate terrorism. A reality is that terrorists have created a climate of fear and the public have given them a social platform of disruption that they can access whenever they decide (Sparrow, 2015). This enables terrorism to thrive, and the 21st century has been a witness to these extreme practises of terror, as well as the political manipulation that comes with it.
Lastly terrorism is used by organizations, with the aim to further their objectives. In the modern world, many people blame religious groups, however terrorism isn’t confined to these minorities, as various other political organisations are involved whether they are left-wing or right-wing (Aubrey, 2004). Socialism on the other hand was an individual political regime that was the new form of society that came from capitalism. Terrorism runs counter to the principles of this ideology and ultimately has a superior grasp on all aspects of government. Socialism experienced a time when it was prevalent and expanded, and even induced fear amongst western nations. In regard to the terrorism perpetrated by Islamic state, the Foreign Minister of Australia, Julie Bishop announced that “the Islamic State represented an existential threat, worse than any danger faced during the Cold War” (Wroe, 2015).
To summarize this essay has argued that socialism has been superseded by terrorism in the 21st century. Currently, the prevalence of socialist movements are minimal while the fear of the threat of terrorism is thriving considerably. Terrorism is a growing danger that westerners are fighting domestically and internationally. This is evidenced by the increased reporting on terrorist attacks around the world as well as the focus on terrorism as a political agenda for governments in countries worldwide.