Transformation of Terrorism Over the past 300+ years terrorism has shifted from driving force to overthrow overbearing governments to a force that strikes anyone who doesn’t follow in line with their beliefs and them tries to validate their actions with religion. The 1700s saw more pirates and looters that were defined as terrorists and the 1800s begin to see terrorists transforming into revolutionaries. By the time the 1900s came about, most terrorist organizations were working with governments with common goals in order to carry out their attacks. Terrorism during the 1700s focused both on personal gain as well as overthrowing an established government. Some of the most recognizable terrorists acts of the 1700s consisted of pirates pillaging from other naval vessels. All throughout the waters of North Africa were pirates who targeted both private and government owned ships in order to steal its cargo along with the ship and personnel. Many individuals and governments had to pay off these “terrorists” in order for their ships and its cargo to safely reach its destination(1). Another example of terrorism during the 1700s, which was aimed towards a standing government, was the French Revolution. The French Revolution lasted from 1789-1799 and was aimed at removing the current monarchy that was ruling France(2). The revolutionists employed violence, including mass executions by guillotine, in order to intimidate the regime's enemies and compel obedience from the state(3). There were also many other examples including the Wahhabi movement to “purify” Islam in Arabia in 1735 and the tribe of Saud beginning to spread reform by violence in 1773(2). Shortly after the word “terrorism” entered many Europeans vocabulary around 1798, it took a drastic change in the 1800s. The 1800s saw more of a shift towards the the non-governmental groups terrorizing others for their cause. One of the most recognized terrorist groups of the 19th century are the Narodnaya Volya which were a group of Russian revolutionaries who fought against the tsarist government. They viewed the label “terrorist” proudly and worked on developing unique bombs and bullets in order to defeat their enemies. They used target killings and focused on their oppressionist rulers(3). There were also a number of events that happened during the 1800s to influence the modern muslim terrorists that we deal with today. In 1801, Libya declared war on the United States stating that the Americans refused to pay tribute to the raiding Arab corsairs. They explained to the current U.S. President Thomas Jefferson that these raids were commanded by the Qur’an and that attacks would be waged on anyone who refused to acknowledge Muslim authority(2). Also, in 1882, the first well organized wave of Jewish immigration into Palestine took place(4). Both of those events are directly related to modern day Muslim extremists and other terrorist groups. Within the 1700s and 1800s a majority of the terrorist activities focused on attacking governments that legitimately didn’t deserve to be in power. Many of the terrorist supporters went on to lead revolutions and gain more rights for the majority of the people. A lot of governments found out just how hard the terrorists groups could strike and that they eventually take down an entire country. Many of the terror groups in the 1900s had more refined tactics and just as big of an impact on their target audience. Terrorism in the 20th century was an unacknowledged state policy that was used to strike at other nations without directly saying you were involved. Whether it was Ireland and the United Kingdom, Algeria and France, Vietnam and France/United States or Germany and its occupied states, they all involved one nation indirectly striking another(5). Many countries also are considered “state sponsors” of terrorism because they allow training to be conducted inside their country and also provide weapons and funding to the terrorist groups themselves. In return the terrorist group will than strike inside the opposing country of the supporting nation. This has resulted in many political figures being killed by the terrorist organizations. Some of the techniques that terrorists use consist of bombings, kidnappings and hostage situation, armed attacks, assassinations, arson, highjackings, and skyjackings. The most common terrorist act is bombings. A bombing can be inexpensive, easy to make, and often created from everyday items that can be purchased over the counter without bringing suspicion to themselves(6). Overseas, bombings happen on a regular basis because of the ease of operation and impact it has on the surrounding area. In 1998, two American embassies were struck in Africa and claimed the lives of over 500 people including innocent Americans(7). Highjackings, or skyjackings, are also very effective and their use has evolved into the 20th and 21st century. Previously terrorists would take over a plane, train, or ship and ask for ransom than release it. Since the attacks on Sept 11 we have seen that ransom isn’t an option but instead large scale disaster. In todays attacks terrorists aren’t necessarily trying to remove the current leader of the United States, meaning the sitting President, but instead remove any “western” influence from their region. Well, this is what they claim at least, in my opinion they just like chaos. Either way, they strike targets owned or affiliated with the United States and many of these attacks aren’t necessarily against the military or government directly but against innocent civilians. They commit these attacks and than blame the United States for them in an attempt to try to get us to remove our troops from other countries. No matter what time period that is discussed in relation to terrorism the bottom line is terrorists aren’t going anywhere and their direct impact on governments and organizations is unmatched. Since terrorists and extremists often do not have distinct locations or assets, it makes them very difficult defeat. They range from pirates looking to line their own pockets to extremely complex terrorist organizations who fight entire governments and militaries. One thing is certain when it comes to terrorism, it will always be around.

Right Wing VS. Left Wing Extremism When you start to categorize extremism two of the most common categories that arise are right wing extremism and left wing extremism. Left and Right wing extremism are different in many ways but the main difference is their beliefs. A left wing extremist is often viewed as a communist(8). A person categorized as a left wing extremist often draws their influence from Marxism and Leninist and often believe in violence or forced confrontations in order to reach their goals(9). They look at themselves as part of a political movement and put forth their efforts to fight their oppressive government(11). Left wing extremist groups are now the minority; especially since the fall of the Soviet Union. A majority of the groups that are around today are considered right wing extremists. Right wing extremists are a little more diverse and can act alone or in a group. Many of these groups stand to support the current government in place; this is were paramilitaries come from(9). They can often form extreme religious groups or racist groups. Examples are the KKK, and the Armed Islamic Group. Either way they fall behind the idea that their way of thinking, or living, is superior over others.

References
(1) C. Hitchens, To The Shores of Tripoli, TIME, June 2004, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0.9171.1101040705-658357.00.html
(2) American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, Rise of Islam, 2010, http://www.timelineofterrorism.com/islam.php
(3) Adam Roberts, The Changing Faces of Terrorism, 27 August 2002, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/sept_11/changing_faces_01.shtml
(4) Louis Weber, The Holocaust Chronicle: The Aftermath, 2009, http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/staticpages/656.html
(5) Unknown, Terrorism in the 20th Century, 2002, http://www.terrorismfiles.org/encyclopaedia/terrorism_20th_century.html
(6) Unknown, Types of Terrorism Incidents, 2008, http://www.terrorism-research.com/incidents/ Ben Snowden and David Johnson, Primer on the Embassy Bombings and the U.S. Strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan, 2007, http://www.infoplease.com/spot/newsfacts-sudanstrikes.html Unknown, How to Tell Left Wing from Right Wing in Politics, 2007, http://www.tellmehowto.net/howto/tell_left_wing_from_right_wing_888 Justin H., Terrorism, November 2008, http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Terrorism Unknown, Left Wing Extremism, http://ftp.fas.org/irp/world/germany/bfv/docs/linksext.htm