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Unit IV Essay

Political violence is politically motivated violence that is not controlled by the state. Political violence is a broad term used to describe violence perpetrated by either persons or governments to achieve political goals. Many groups and individuals believe that their political systems will never respond to their demands. There are a variety of political violence actions that can be either one-sided, non-state, or state-based. Many types of these actions can range from terrorism, rioting, civil war, police brutality, and capital punishment.
Terrorism is a political violence act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The terrorist’s strategy is to commit acts of violence that draws the attention of the public, the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain the greatest attention, choosing targets that symbolize what they oppose. The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” There are two types of terrorism; initially, there is domestic terrorism which are acts of terrorism that are committed by those who are located in and operate from the state and international terrorism which is a type of terrorism which includes acts of terror committed by individuals affiliated with foreign countries. In the 1960s and 1970s domestic terrorism increased in the United States. Groups known as the Black Panthers and other groups constantly caused problems with authorities. An example of international terrorism was when the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda coordinated four terrorist attacks to the United States on September 11, 2001. Terrorism is a one-sided

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