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Understanding Terrorism's Impact

The document discusses definitions of terrorism and how it is the calculated use of violence to create fear in a population to achieve a political objective. Terrorism has been used by various political, nationalistic, and religious groups as well as by state institutions. The term was first used during the French Revolution to refer to the terror used by revolutionaries against their opponents.

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12 views1 page

Understanding Terrorism's Impact

The document discusses definitions of terrorism and how it is the calculated use of violence to create fear in a population to achieve a political objective. Terrorism has been used by various political, nationalistic, and religious groups as well as by state institutions. The term was first used during the French Revolution to refer to the terror used by revolutionaries against their opponents.

Uploaded by

vkboss1301
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Terrorism, the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a

population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective. Terrorism


has been practiced by political organizations with both rightist and leftist
objectives, by nationalistic and religious groups, by revolutionaries, and even by
state institutions such as armies, intelligence services, and police.

Definitions of terrorism
Definitions of terrorism are usually complex and controversial, and, because of the
inherent ferocity and violence of terrorism, the term in its popular usage has
developed an intense stigma. It was first coined in the 1790s to refer to the
terror used during the French Revolution by the revolutionaries against their
opponents. The Jacobin party of Maximilien Robespierre carried out a Reign of
Terror involving mass executions by the guillotine. Although terrorism in this
usage implies an act of violence by a state against its domestic enemies, since the
20th century the term has been applied most frequently to violence aimed, either
directly or indirectly, at governments in an effort to influence policy or topple
an existing regime.

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