The Internationalization of Left-Wing Terrorism and Counter-terrorism. The Role of the Past in Debates About Security and Liberty in Western Europe, 1968–1978

Abstract

Abstract The rise of international left-wing, revolutionary terrorism confronted western democracies with a new challenge in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In particular, the relationship between security and human rights was contentious and changeable, and differences between European states are notable. Terrorism and reactions to it varied, not least according to the prevailing political, legal, and cultural traditions. Memories of the recent past played a particularly prominent role, especially with respect to the states that had been occupying powers during the Second World War. The counter-terrorist policies pursued by West Germany’s government met particularly intense suspicion in neighboring counties and even in the framework of alliances such as NATO and the EC. The specter of a Nazi-like police state haunted opponents of excessive police and intelligence operations within Germany and Italy, as well. They forged political alliances of like-minded foreign critics. All in all, strategies of historically legitimizing terrorism and counterterrorist proved multi-pronged and ambiguous. Texts such as laws and pamphlets represented this dimension of political and cultural history.