Can a continuous tradition of terrorism be discerned through
In answering this question, I will first look at a basic definition of 'terrorism' in order to be able to clearly identify past terrorist acts. Secondly, I will examine many examples of what can be considered terrorism that have occurred throughout history. In doing so I will pay close attention to the motives behind these attacks, and the methods used to commit them. Using this method I will be able to identify similarities and differences between various terrorist acts that have occurred since as long ago as 70 AD, and examine whether a continuous tradition of terrorism is identifiable. Eventually I will show that the use of terrorism has been a recurring feature of history, and while the methods and motives do vary according to the environment of the time, many trends and similarities remain. To identify exactly which historical occurrences can be described as acts of terrorism, it is helpful to have an established definition of what constitutes such acts. Walter Laqueur described terrorism as 'the illegitimate use of force to achieve a political objective when innocent people are targeted.' While many other suggested definitions alter from Laqueur's basic definition several common characteristics are fundamenta
Terrorism in Ireland developed in 1968-69 following Catholic and Protestant demonstrations and has not ceased since. However, on September 11th, with the destruction of the World Trade Centre, the issue of terrorism was brought directly to the USA, and this reverberated throughout the western world. An appropriate example is provided by the situation in Northern Ireland. Also, the word Thug is derived from the followers of the particularly religious Thuggee in India, whose followers conducted murders with silk cords as a sacrifice to the goddess Kali. Following the American Civil War (1861-65), the Ku Klux Klan was formed by defiant Southerners to intimidate supporters of the newly freed former slaves. Nonetheless, it appears terrorism is an enduring feature of political life. 'There was no neo-Nazi or neo-fascist terrorism in the years after 1945, as many had feared; with the defeat of the Axis powers, the fanatical enthusiasm had vanished. Again, terror was adopted in the late 19th Century in Western Europe, the United States and Russia by 'adherents of anarchism, whose belief it was that the best way to effect revolutionary political and social change was to assassinate persons in positions of power. These acts of terrorism, notwithstanding to a private audience, continued from the 13-19th Centuries and further illustrate a recurring historical trend. All this was quite different from 19th Century terrorism and generalisations trying to cover all these manifestations not only became increasingly difficult if not impossible, but also alluded to new developments in terrorist functionality. Thereafter the annual number of victims declined to about a third of what it had been in the early years. Roman emperors such as Tiberius and Caligula used banishment, expropriation of property and execution as a means to discourage opposition to their rule. Before the events of September 11 2001, the issue of terrorism was largely regarded as an area of concern only in Europe and the Middle East.
Common topics in this essay:
Army' Palestinian,
Salvador Peru,
,
Walter Laqueur,
Clash Civilisations,
Algerian War,
Prime Ministers,
Thugs Inquisition,
Northern Ireland,
Middle East,
throughout history,
terrorist acts,
middle east,
terrorism occurred,
terrorism discerned throughout,
tradition terrorism,
dawson field,
political social,
religious social,
dawson field incident,
political religious,
discerned throughout history,
terrorist campaign,
conflicts religious denominations,
political religious social,
|
Acceptance Essays
