History of Terrorism

Table of Contents

Thesis statement2

Introduction2

Discussion2

Pre-Modern Era Terrorism3

Birth of State/Political Terrorism3

Modern Time Non-State Terrorism5

Conclusion5

References7

The History of Terrorism

Thesis statement

Modern day terrorism finds its root in the earliest known tactics in history for intimidating one's opponents; hence terrorist for one is hero for another.

Introduction

This world has witnessed different eras which held their own mark of uniqueness that made them different and recognizable from the others. However, one common behavior in the human race during all the times has been the cruelty of a tyrant and rebellion of oppressed. It is vital to mention here that categorizing one group as tyrant and the other as oppressed is a subjective exercise; it depends upon the association one has with either of the categories. Nevertheless, regardless of the relationship of tyranny and oppression between two groups, the most adversely affected party is the general public. One group intends to intimidate its opponent by psychologically harassing the general public, to prevail an air of fear; which is popularly known as terrorism in the modern world. This essay briefly attempts to shed light on the state of terrorism during different historical eras and how has it evolved to its present day form.

Discussion

Terrorism can be defined as a systematic use of violence to intimidate or coerce an opponent (law-making bodies or society in general); to further political, religious/ideological, or social goals (Law, 2009). There are various other forms of definitions available in popular literature today; however, three common elements among all the set definitions for terrorism are; intimidation, coercion, and violence for achieving political or religious/social goals. These three elements have found their place in the basic definition of terrorism because over the course of history, all have been the most prominent elements in terrorist activities. Hence, a thorough historical perspective could only help identify the reasons pivotal in furthering terrorism, but also assist in analyzing its evolution to its modern day form.

Pre-Modern Era Terrorism

Terrorism in history goes back to the 1st - 13th century tenure in which Zealots of Judea assassinated Roman soldiers and Roman-supporting-Jews. The motive behind this widespread assassination was their staunch belief that they would not be able to continue living their lives as per their religious mandate of Judaism while being governed by Romans. Nevertheless, Zealots after having been defeated by Romans committed mass suicide. It must be mentioned here that the Zealots' belief of themselves being purer than their opponents, has been a common psychological makeup of terrorists throughout the course of history, even till today.

The next group of terrorists which the history witnessed were commonly known as The Assassins, born out of a small Shia Muslim Group known as Nizari Ismalis (Criminal Justice Council, 2012). Their tactic for winning was to kill the leader of their enemies and commit suicide after the assassination. The motive behind this tactic was to weaken overpowering enemies; this is another factor which drives terrorist activities- employing different ploys to compensate for being small in number. Undoubtedly, these two terrorist groups are non-existent today, but ...