Rise and fall of left wing terrorism

Abstract

The author analyses the key features of left-wing terrorism through the Red Brigades, a terrorist organization formed in Italy in the late 1960s. The complex situation in the country after World War II and the changes in international relations had caused the formation of this terrorist organization. The Red Brigades sought a complete transformation of the Italian society in line with the ideology of Marxism-Leninism. This terrorist organization was engaged in many terrorist activities and the most common targets were big capital owners and political officials. After World War II, West Germany had had the same problem as Italy, which prompted the formation of another terrorist organization - the Red Army Faction based in this country. The Red Army Faction acted in line with the same ideological principles and pursued the same goals as the Red Brigades, which resulted in close cooperation between the two. Both organizations established cooperation with other terrorist organizations around the world. After the Cold War, the activities of these organizations weakened and progressively disappeared. Meanwhile, radical Islamic terrorist organizations emerged basing their actions on religious grounds. However, there are some similarities and differences between Islamic and left wing terrorist organizations.