Terrorism and Marxism

Abstract

Terrorism becomes on occasion the weapon of choice of militant groups. This is most apparent in two circumstances: I. in national liberation movements, and 2. in movements against oppressive governments. These groups kill or injure government officials (usually through assassination) and civilians (often through indiscriminate slaughter), usually favouring one target or the other. Sometimes "ethnic cleansing", to varying degrees, accompanies the terrorising of populations. This characterisation means that terrorist groups see themselves as quasi- or proto-states- ready to replace the existing state or to head a new nation-state.