Perhaps you are familiar with the word “terrorism,” because it has been your topic in school, discussed it with your friends, or heard it in the news. With that, you may have already been educated about the basic idea of it. It may have caused you fear imagining what could happen if there will be terrorism attacks in your area. Terrorism is no joke. That is why it is important that everyone is being well-taught about the subject and not just the shallow meaning of it.
Terrorism refers to the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims, according to Oxford Dictionary. What makes terrorism a fearsome activity is the violence that it executes and its impact to the lives of innocent people. Although violence is an issue that has been infiltrating this harsh world and has not been cured, the degree of cruelty and violence that terrorism exhibit is too extreme that it could danger many lives.
There are many type of terrorism too. These classifications differ on the place of origin, government system, and period in history. Hence here are some of the common categories of terrorism.
Revolutionary Terrorism
This is the most common type of terrorism. Those people who follow this method aim to search for the full elimination of a particular political system. Revolutionary terrorism also desires to make some changes and new structure on a certain political system. Some great examples of the practitioners of this category are the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the German Red Army Faction (Baader-Meinhof Gang), the Italian Red Brigades, and more.
Subrevolutionary Terrorism
This refers to the terrorism that aims not to displace the current regime but to create some alterations on the present sociopolitical system. Because this change is frequently completed by making use of threats that centers on the getting rid of the current administration, practitioners of this type are a bit harder to distinguish.
Establishment Terrorism
This type of terrorism is also referred to as state or state-sponsored terrorism. Practitioners of this type are typically hired by governments or sections of the government that are against its populace, against the groups within the administrations, or against foreign administration or community. This is a rather common kind of terrorism but is really hard to identify because the state’s support to these terrorists are being kept as secret.
The effects of terrorism on the lives of those who experienced it at first-hand, heard the news of the horrendous attacks, or learned about terrorism from their history class have grown greater as times goes by. Terrorism has influenced many platforms, like literature. There have been many great books that were produce over time that tackles terrorism of any kind, such as the novels about white nationalist terrorism, works about the 9/11 attack, and so much more.
Over the years, there have been many terrorist attacks that happened in different parts of the world. Some of these have become subjects of different documentaries while others have become a big part of the history. During these attacks, the safety and protection of every citizen have been threatened. There are also many lives that were lost during these attacks. That said, here are some of the terrorist attacks that happened over the years that you should know.
- The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth and others
- The prison break that cause the bombing of a wall of the Clerken Prison in United Kingdom last December 13, 1867 by Fenian Society
- The assassination through bombing of Alexander II of Russia in 1881 by Narodnaya Volya that killed 2 people and injured 98 people
- The bombing of Haymarket Affair in Chicago by FOTLU that killed 11 people and injured more than 160 individuals in May 4, 1886
- The bombing of the World Trade Center in Manhattan by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda that killed 2,606 people
- The firebombing of the Temple Beth El in Syracuse, New York by Ramsi Uthman in October 13, 2000
- The shooting at the El Al ticket counter in Los Angeles International Airport by Hesham Mohamed Hadayet that killed 3 people and injured 4
Oliver’s Twist 