I. Introduction 3

II. A Brief History of Terrorism 5

III. Features at the present stage 10

1. Concepts and types of modern terrorism 10

2. Typology of terrorism 14

3. The public danger of terrorism today 18

4. The problem of terrorism in Russia 21

5. Factors influencing the development of terrorism in modern Russia 23

IV. The fight against terrorism in modern conditions 27

General safety rules 30

V. Conclusion 32

VI. References 35

I.Introduction

Terrorism is a constant companion of humanity, which is one of the most dangerous and difficult to predict phenomena of our time, acquiring increasingly diverse forms and threatening proportions.

Terrorist acts cause massive human casualties, exert strong psychological pressure on large masses of people, entail the destruction of material and spiritual values ​​that sometimes cannot be restored, sow hostility between states, provoke wars, mistrust and hatred between social and national groups, which sometimes cannot be overcome in over the life of an entire generation.

As a specific phenomenon of socio-political life, terrorism has its own long history, without knowledge of which it is difficult to understand the origins and practice of terrorism.

Today in Russia they have begun to show more public and scientific attention to this problem, books are being written, and special magazines are being published. A state that comes face to face with practical terror is forced to develop a strategy and tactics to combat it.

Anyone can become a victim of a terrorist act, even those who have not the slightest connection to the conflict that gave rise to the terrorist act.

The level of terrorism and the specific forms of its manifestation are an indicator, on the one hand, of public morality, and on the other, the effectiveness of the efforts of society and the state to solve the most pressing problems, in particular, to prevent and suppress terrorism itself.

Unfortunately, terrorist acts are a very effective weapon of intimidation and destruction in the eternal and irreconcilable dispute between different worlds, radically different from each other in their understanding of life, moral standards, and culture. And in recent years, the problem of terrorism has acquired global proportions throughout the world and tends to grow steadily.

That is why the relevance of the topic of my essay is indisputable. Its main goal is to study the history of terrorism and all its features today.

Terrorist acts are becoming more and more carefully organized and cruel every year, using the most modern technology, weapons, and communications. It is quite obvious that to counter this extremely dangerous phenomenon, it is necessary to coordinate the efforts of all states at the highest level and create a network of international organizations. To carry out effective actions to combat terrorism, it is also necessary to develop unified international legal concepts and precise legal characteristics of this type of crime.

II. A Brief History of Terrorism

Over its long history, terrorism has appeared in a variety of guises, terror and terrorists have existed for more than one and a half hundred years - in many countries there were St. Bartholomew's Nights and Sicilian Suppers, enemies - real and imaginary - were destroyed by Roman emperors, Ottoman sultans, Russian tsars, as well as many others, and every country has at least one "hero".

There have always been terrorists. The earliest terrorist group was the Sicarii sect, which operated in Palestine in the 1st century AD and exterminated representatives of the Jewish nobility who advocated peace with the Romans. The Sicarii used a dagger or short sword - siku - as a weapon. These were extremist-minded nationalists who led the social protest movement and set the lower classes against the upper classes. The actions of the Sicarii reveal a combination of religious fanaticism and political terrorism: they saw martyrdom as something that brought joy and believed that after the overthrow of the hated regime, the Lord would appear to his people and deliver them from torment and suffering.

Representatives of the Muslim sect of the Assoshafins, who killed caliphs, prefects, governors and even rulers, adhered to the same ideology: they destroyed the King of Jerusalem, Conrad of Montferrat. Murder was a ritual for sectarians; they welcomed martyrdom and death in the name of an idea and firmly believed in the onset of a new world order.

At the same time, various secret societies operated in India. Members of the “strangler” sect destroyed their victims using a silk cord, considering this method of killing a ritual sacrifice to the goddess Kali. One of the members of this sect said: “If anyone experiences the sweetness of sacrifice even once, he is already ours, even if he has mastered various crafts and has all the gold of the world. I myself held a fairly high position, worked well and could count on a promotion. But he became himself only when he returned to our sect.”

In China, secret societies, the Triads, were founded in the late seventeenth century when the Manchus conquered two-thirds of China. They were originally founded as secret societies to overthrow the rule of the Manchus and restore the Ming Dynasty to the imperial throne. During the reign of the Manchu dynasty, these societies actually turned into an instrument of local self-government and took on many administrative and judicial functions. Many Triads expanded their philosophy of resistance to the Manchu conquerors to include the "white devils" as opponents, especially the British, who forced the opium trade into China. The triads repeatedly attempted a popular uprising, which was brutally suppressed by the Manchus. After the Red Turban Rebellion at the beginning of the 19th century, the Manchus carried out a particularly cruel operation of punishment, when hundreds of thousands of Chinese were beheaded, buried alive, and slowly strangled. As a result, many Triad members were forced to seek refuge in Hong Kong and the United States. British authorities estimate that more than two-thirds of Hong Kong's population at that time were members of various Triads. By the beginning of the 20th century, the previously legal basis for the existence of the Triads was undermined by the repressions of the Manchus; the Triads gradually switched to using criminal methods to support their activities: racketeering, smuggling, piracy, extortion. In 1911, the activities of the Triads completely turned from patriotic to criminal. For the first time in history, a state was formed, led and controlled by members of secret criminal societies, who attracted Triad militant groups to reprisal their political opponents.

The two best known doctrines justifying terror are the “philosophy of the bomb” and “propaganda by deed.” The “philosophy of the bomb” appeared in the 19th century; the German radical Karl Heinzgen is considered its ardent supporter and founder of the theory of terrorism in its modern sense. He was convinced that the “highest interests of humanity” were worth any sacrifice, even if it involved the mass destruction of innocent people. Heinzgen believed that the force of the reactionary troops must be opposed by such weapons with which a small group of people can create maximum chaos, and called for the search for new means of destruction.

Systematic terrorist actions begin in the second half of the 19th century: in the 70s - 90s, anarchists adopted “propaganda by deed” (terrorist acts, sabotage), and their main idea was the denial of all state power and the preaching of unlimited freedom each individual person. The main ideologists of anarchism at various stages of its development were Proudhon, Stirner, and Kropotkin. Anarchists reject not only state power, but any kind of power in general, they deny social discipline, the need for the subordination of the minority to the majority. Anarchists propose to begin the creation of a new society with the destruction of the state; they recognize only one action - destruction. In the 1990s, anarchists carried out “propaganda by deed” in France, Italy, Spain and the United States, intimidating citizens who did not understand anything so that they eventually began to believe that terrorism, extremism, nationalism, socialism, nihilism, radicalism and anarchism are one and the same.

This was preceded by several explosions in Parisian houses, carried out by a certain Ravachol, who delivered the following monologue: “They don’t love us. But it should be borne in mind that, in essence, we do not wish anything but happiness for humanity. The path of revolution is bloody. I'll tell you exactly what I want. First of all, terrorize the judges. When there are no longer those who can judge us, then we will begin to attack financiers and politicians. We have enough dynamite to blow up every house in which a judge lives...” True, this “ideological terrorist” turned out to be in fact an ordinary criminal who traded in theft and smuggling.

In 1887, the “Terrorist faction” of the Narodnaya Volya party made an attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander III in St. Petersburg. In 1894, an Italian anarchist assassinates French President Carnot. In 1897, anarchists attempted to assassinate the Empress of Austria and kill Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Canova. In 1900, King Umberto of Italy fell victim to an anarchist attack. In 1901, an American anarchist assassinates US President William McKinley.

In Russia, the anarchist movement of 1917-19. also came down to expropriations and open terror, and bandits and adventurers often acted under the guise of anarchists. In Moscow, the “All-Russian Organization of Underground Anarchists” was created, which committed a number of terrorist acts (explosion of the building of the Moscow Committee of the RCP (b), etc.). At the same time, radical nationalist groups - Armenian, Polish terrorists, Irish dynamites, Turkish lone bombers, Macedonians, Serbs - used terrorist methods in the struggle for national independence.

The concepts of “philosophy of the bomb” and “propaganda by deed” were continued in the theory of fascism, which arose at the beginning of the 20th century in Italy and Germany. It was a terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary forces, characterized by the use of extreme forms of violence, chauvinism, racism, anti-Semitism, ideas of military expansion and the omnipotence of the state apparatus. Bloody terror was unleashed on all democratic and liberal movements, and all actual and potential opponents of the Nazi regime were physically destroyed. The dictatorship mechanism created in fascist Germany included a terrorist apparatus characterized by extreme cruelty: the SA, SS, Gestapo, People's Tribunal, etc. Under the influence of Italy and Germany, fascist-type regimes were established in Spain, Hungary, Austria, Poland, and Romania. Fascism was a mortal threat to all humanity, calling into question the existence of many nations. A carefully developed system of mass extermination of people was used; according to some estimates, about 18 million people of all European nationalities passed through concentration camps.

III. Features at the present stage

1. Concepts and types of modern terrorism

It is not easy to define terrorism, since sometimes this concept has different meanings. Modern society is faced with many types of terrorism, and this term has lost its clear meaning. Terrorism includes purely criminal kidnappings for ransom, politically motivated murders, brutal methods of warfare, aircraft hijackings, and blackmail, i.e. acts of violence directed against the property and interests of citizens. There are more than a hundred definitions of terror and terrorism, but none of them are sufficiently specific. The word terror comes from the Latin language: terror - fear, horror.

Indeed, any actions of a terrorist (even those not related to murder) always involve violence, coercion, and threat. The main means of achieving a goal for any terrorist is intimidation, creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, and instilling terror. Taking into account the extreme social danger and cruelty of acts of terror, their antisociality and inhumanity , terrorism can be defined as a social phenomenon consisting of the unlawful use of extreme forms of violence or the threat of violence to intimidate opponents in order to achieve specific goals.

Nowadays, there are many forms of terrorism that can be classified according to the subjects of terrorist activity and the focus on achieving certain results.

Domestic terrorism represents the activities of specially organized terrorist groups or lone terrorists, whose actions are aimed at achieving various political goals within one state. Terror can be called violence deliberately directed towards the state. Violence comes in two forms: 1) direct violence, which is expressed in the direct use of force (war, armed uprising, political repression, terror), and 2) indirect (hidden) violence, which does not involve the direct use of force (various forms of spiritual, psychological pressure, political intervention, economic blockade), but means only the threat of force (political pressure, diplomatic ultimatum). As noted in the legal literature, state terror is more often resorted to by unstable regimes with a low level of legitimacy of power, which cannot maintain the stability of the system using economic and political methods.

Russia experienced political terror back in the days of Narodnaya Volya, whose members widely used terrorist methods to fight the hated government (this organization prepared 7 attempts on the life of Alexander II). However, if in past times terrorists chose specific government or public figures as victims, modern political terrorists do not disdain massacres: from being an annoying expense, extraneous victims have become one of the most effective means of modern terrorism. Panic is what terrorists are counting on. They don't demand anything, they don't call for anything. They simply blow up houses, trying to sow animalistic fear and panic. Fear is not an end in itself. Fear is only a means to achieve certain political goals.

So, political terrorism- is the use of terror for political purposes. That is why the main targets of terrorist actions are large masses of obviously defenseless people. And the more merciless and bloody the terrorist action, the better for the terrorists. This means that the faster the government, political forces or population will do what is required of them. In this regard, hospitals, maternity hospitals, kindergartens, schools, and residential buildings are ideal targets for political terrorists. That is, with political terror, the main object of influence is not the people themselves, but the political situation, which, through terror against civilians, they try to change in the direction desired by the terrorists. “Ordinary” terrorists, in order to achieve their goals, first threaten violence, and only if they are intransigent do they realize their threats, while political terror initially involves mass casualties. Be that as it may, terrorism is classified as a criminal offense, regardless of its causes, goals and motives.

Modern political terrorism has merged with criminal crime; they interact and support each other. Their goals and motives may be different, but their forms and methods are the same. Here are some examples: Colombian terrorist organizations interact with the drug mafia, Corsican ones with the Sicilian mafia. Often, to obtain sufficient financial resources for their activities, political terrorist groups use criminal methods - smuggling, illegal arms trade. In addition, it is not always possible to understand for what purpose acts such as hostage-taking, the murder of famous journalists, and airplane hijackings are committed. What character are they - criminal or political?

When state terrorism goes beyond the borders of individual countries, it acquires the character international. Recently, this type of terrorism has acquired unprecedented, global proportions. International terrorism undermines state and political foundations, causes enormous material damage, destroys cultural monuments, and undermines international relations. Like any other form of terror, international terrorism manifests itself in indiscriminate violence, usually directed against people indiscriminately to create among the masses the idea that the ends justify the means: the more heinous the crime, the better from the terrorists' point of view.

Varieties of international terrorism are transnational and international criminal terrorism. The first represents various actions of non-state terrorist organizations in other states. However, they are carried out independently and are not aimed at changing international relations. The second is manifested in the actions of international organized crime, whose participants may be far from any political goals, and their actions may be directed against competing criminal organizations in another country.

2. Typology of terrorism

Experts studying the phenomenon of terrorism identify six main types of modern terrorism:
1. nationalist terrorism;
2. religious terrorism;
3. state-sponsored terrorism;
4. terrorism by left-wing extremists;
5. terrorism by right-wing extremists;
6. terrorism of anarchists.

Nationalist terrorism

Terrorists of this type usually aim to form a separate state for their ethnic group. They call it "national liberation" which they think the rest of the world has forgotten about. This type of terrorist often gains sympathy in the international arena.

Experts say that it is nationalist terrorists who can, in the course of their armed struggle, reduce the level of violence they use, or at least correlate it with the actions of their enemies.
This is done mainly in order not to lose the support of one’s ethnic group. Many nationalist terrorists claim that they are not terrorists, but fighters for the freedom of their people.

Typical examples are the Irish Republican Army and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Both organizations stated in the 1990s that they renounced terrorist methods. Experts include the Basque Homeland and Freedom organizations, which intend to separate the areas of traditional Basque residence from Spain, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which wants to create its own state in Turkey, as the same type of terrorists.

Religious terrorism

Religious terrorists use violence for purposes they believe are ordained by God. At the same time, the targets of their attacks are blurred geographically, ethnically, and socially. In this way they want to achieve immediate and dramatic change, often on a global level.

Religious terrorists belong not only to small cults, but also to widespread religious denominations. This type of terrorism is developing much more dynamically than others. Thus, in the mid-90s, out of 56 known terrorist organizations, almost half claimed religious motives.

Since the "religious" are not concerned with the restoration of rights in any particular territory or the implementation of any political principles, the scale of their attacks is often much greater than that of "nationalists" or ideological extremists. Their enemies are anyone who is not a member of their religious sect or denomination.

This category of terrorists includes Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, the Sunni Muslim group Hamas, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, the radical Jewish organizations of the late Rabbi Meer Kahan, and some American Ku Klux Klan "folk militias" ", and the Japanese cult "Aum Senrike".

State-sponsored terrorism

Some terrorist groups have been deliberately used by various governments as a cheap way to wage war. Such terrorists are dangerous primarily because their resources are usually much more powerful; they can even bomb airports.

One of the most notorious cases is Iran's use of a group of young militants to take hostages at the American embassy in 1979.
Currently, the US State Department considers Iran one of the main sponsors of terrorism, but Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria are accused of supporting terrorists.

Known terrorist groups include the following government ties: Hezbollah is supported by Iran, the Abu Nidal Organization is supported by Iraq, and the Japanese Red Army is supported by Libya.
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda was so closely associated with the Taliban when they were in power in Afghanistan that some experts place it in the same category.

Terrorism by left-wing extremists

The most radical left wants to destroy capitalism and replace it with a communist or socialist regime.

Because they generally view civilians as victims of capitalist exploitation, they do not often resort to terrorist attacks against ordinary citizens. They are much more likely to resort to kidnapping rich people or blowing up various “symbols of capitalism.”

Examples of such groups are the German Baader-Meinhof, the Japanese Red Army and the Italian Red Brigades.

Right-wing extremist terrorism

Right-wing extremists are usually the most disorganized groups, often associated with Western European neo-Nazis.

Their mission is to fight democratic governments to replace them with fascist states.

Neo-fascists attack immigrants and refugees and are primarily racist and anti-Semitic.

Anarchist terrorism

Anarchist terrorists were a global phenomenon from the 1870s to the 1920s. One of the US presidents, William Mackinley, was assassinated by an anarchist in 1901.

In Russia during the same period, anarchists carried out many successful terrorist attacks. The Bolsheviks, who came to power in Russia as a result of the October revolution of 1917, were closely associated with many “explosers,” although they themselves were mainly involved in bank robberies - the so-called “expropriations.”

Some experts suggest that modern anti-globalists may give rise to a new wave of anarchist terrorism.

3. The public danger of terrorism today

Terrorism, which is a danger on a global scale, in modern conditions has essentially become a threat to the political, economic, social institutions of the state, human rights and fundamental freedoms. We are already threatened by nuclear terrorism, terrorism using toxic substances, and information terrorism.

“Today there are about 500 illegal terrorist organizations in the world. From 1968 to 1980 they committed about 6,700 terrorist attacks, as a result of which 3,668 people were killed and 7,474 were injured. In modern conditions, there is an escalation of terrorist activities by extremist individuals, groups and organizations, its nature is becoming more complex, and the sophistication and inhumanity of terrorist acts are increasing. According to studies by a number of Russian scientists and data from foreign research centers, the total budget in the field of terrorism ranges from 5 to 20 billion dollars annually.”

I would like to note the fact that in addition to numerous terrorist organizations, there are also many government agencies supporting these organizations and even state sponsors of terrorism. These are mainly developed Western and Arab oil-producing countries. It is quite obvious that the phenomenon of terrorism becomes especially dangerous if it is created and supported by state regimes, especially dictatorial, nationalist, separatist types.

It is assumed that terrorist training bases exist in at least a dozen countries: Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Cuba, Syria, Sudan. Extremist and terrorist organizations and groups, not excluding Muslim ones, are located on the territory of such developed countries as Germany, Great Britain, and France. The terrorist underground - including groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad - operate in inaccessible jungles and deserts and hide in the centers of large cities.

Bloody actions of the Chechens, the events of September 11 in the USA, almost daily terrorist acts in Israel, striking in their cruelty and barbaric forms (explosions in crowded places - cafes, shops, administrative buildings, passenger buses and airplanes) ... And this is not a complete list actions of terrorist fanatics over the past few years. I would like to note that all of the above acts were committed by terrorists on religious grounds. It is Bin Laden's religious beliefs that make him and his followers so dangerous. It is known that agents of the so-called number one terrorist have been trying to buy or steal nuclear technology for years. Apparently, they considered this their main religious purpose - to get to chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Here's what Stephen Simon, a former member of the National Security Council who has published a book on religious terrorism, writes: “This is not violence in the service of some practical program. This is the killing of infidels for the glory of Allah. For a non-religious person, this is madness. And can it end on its own? The facts speak for themselves: they have only one goal - to kill as many people as possible in order to undermine the power of Satan. And no responsibility: there is only one moral criterion, and this criterion is God.” Enthusiastic and convinced that they are doing the will of God, terrorist fanatics lack any moral self-restraint. They are limited only by their capabilities."

Modern terrorism poses not only a threat to the security of individual political or public figures, organizations, and states.

Taking into account the global scale and scope of terrorism today, we can say with complete certainty that it poses a mortal danger to all humanity. Well-known facts include attempts to poison tap water, spraying radioactive substances, the use of weapons of mass destruction in the subway, threats to use mustard gas, and anthrax bacillus, the spread of which could be compared in number of victims with the effects of thermonuclear weapons.

The terrorists also created an underground laboratory for the production of botulinus bacillus, 200 grams of which is enough to destroy all life on the planet; more than once attempts were made to penetrate nuclear facilities and gain access to chemical and bacteriological weapons.

4 . The problem of terrorism in Russia

In Russia, the problem of terrorism has become particularly acute in recent years.

character. Among the acute political, economic and social problems that Russia acquired at the end of the twentieth century, terrorism represents one of the main dangers. For Russia, this phenomenon is not a product of the current century, an attribute of urbanization. The origins of Russian terrorism are lost in the mists of time. Ironically, the Russian intelligentsia, at the end of the 19th century, believed that only in the form of terrorism could it defend its right to freedom and democracy. Terrorism was seen as a means of fighting against autocracy, a way to protect the right to advance history. In the entire history of Russian revolutionaries, about three hundred terrorist attacks were committed.

Nowadays, sadly, terrorism has become part of everyday life.

life of Russian society, representing a real threat to the national

country security. Kidnapping, hostage taking, hijacking cases

aircraft (70 attempts to hijack aircraft during the period from 1991-1992),

bomb explosions on railways, in public places, acts of violence in ethno-confessional conflicts, direct threats and their implementation in the course of political struggle, physical elimination of political rivals, assassination attempts on representatives of various branches of government, etc. have become a common occurrence.

The distinctive features of Russian terrorism are: the presence of a wide range of terrorist organizations of various types and colors (nationalist, religious, left and right, neo-fascist, etc.); the relative novelty of this phenomenon for modern Russia and the unpreparedness of law enforcement forces to effectively counter them; different assessments of terrorism and terrorists depending on the regions and subjects of the Federation (from national hero to criminal), which is associated with the growth of nationalist and separatist aspirations of local ethno-elites; the impossibility of identifying “pure” types of terrorism and the imperfection of Russian anti-terrorism legislation.

In Russia there is an integration of terrorism and organized

crime, there are examples of interaction between Russian terrorist groups and similar organizations at the international level (training of UNA-UNSO militants on the territory of Chechnya, participation of militants of the Turkish terrorist organization “Grey Wolves” in hostilities in the North Caucasus, Khattab’s training camps on the territory of Chechnya, etc. .).

5. Factors influencing the development of terrorism in modern Russia

As one of the researchers of this problem, V.V. Vityuk, rightly noted, for the growth of terrorism in the countries of the ex-USSR, “a whole complex of prerequisites of a social, national, ideological, and psychological nature has developed.” Among them, he includes the collapse of the USSR, the systems of its law enforcement agencies, the paralysis of power, the economic crisis, a sharp drop in the standard of living of the population (with the simultaneous emergence of a thin layer of the rich who made their fortune not always in a righteous way) and the threat of unemployment, the instability of the entire system of social relationships and structures, the collapse of habitual ideological orientations, the exacerbation of various political, social, national and religious contradictions, the release of aggressive potentials, the general decline of morals, the triumph of cynicism, nihilism, the legalization of shamelessness and the explosion of crime.

At the same time, we must not lose sight of the fact, previously repeatedly emphasized by domestic researchers of terrorism in the West, that it is “an extreme form of expression of social protest against the existing system.” A truly democratic state structure eliminates the need to resort to such forms of political and social struggle. In this regard, it can be assumed that the inevitable “Chechen syndrome” will have the most adverse impact on the state of the crime situation in Russia in the coming years.

All of the above circumstances influence both the process of formation of extremist ideology and the formation of subjects of terrorist activity, as well as the content and nature of the activities of law enforcement agencies, and the development of a nationwide system of measures to combat terrorism.

External factors influencing the spread of terrorism include:
- an increase in the number of terrorist incidents in near and far abroad;
- socio-political and economic instability in neighboring states of both the former USSR, Europe and East Asia;
- the presence of armed conflicts in some of them, as well as territorial claims against each other;
- strategic guidelines of some foreign intelligence services and foreign (international) terrorist organizations;
- lack of reliable control over entry and exit from Russia and the continued “transparency” of its borders;
- the presence of a significant “black market” for weapons (including explosives and agents) in some neighboring states.

We especially emphasize that this system of factors differs significantly from the one that operated in previous (before 1991) years.

Internal factors for the growth of terrorism include:
- the presence in the country of a large illegal “market” for weapons and the relative ease of acquiring them;
- formation of a new “Russian diaspora” (settlement of Russian citizens outside their country);
- the presence of a significant contingent of people who went through the school of wars in Afghanistan, Transnistria, Serbia, Chechnya, Tajikistan and other “hot spots”, and their insufficient social adaptation in a society in transition;
- weakening or absence of a number of administrative and control legal regimes;
- the presence of a number of extremist groups and quasi-military formations;
- cohesion and hierarchy of the criminal environment;
- loss of ideological and spiritual life guidelines by many people;
- a heightened sense of social unsettlement and insecurity among significant contingents of citizens;
- moods of despair and growth of social aggressiveness, social frustration, decline in the authority of government and law, faith in the ability and possibility of positive changes;
- weak work of law enforcement and social government and public bodies to protect the rights of citizens;
- low level of political culture in society;
- widespread propaganda (cinema, television, press, literature) of the cult of cruelty and force.

The following factors also contribute to the creation of conditions and the growth of terrorism in Russia: political chaos, the activities of parties, movements, fronts and organizations resorting to methods of violence; criminal activities of criminal communities, which have become widespread and aimed at destabilizing society; loss of state control over the country's economic and financial resources, arms trafficking; weakening of the system of protection of military facilities - sources of weapons; worsening crime situation and the spread of legal nihilism; the emergence and development of mercenary institutions and professional killers; the transition of many professionals from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the FSB to criminal structures; penetration into Russia and activities on its territory of foreign extremist terrorist organizations and religious sects (“Hesbollah”, “Muslim Brotherhood”, “AUM Senrique”, etc.); the openness of Russian borders and the influx of refugees into the territory from the CIS countries and neighboring countries (at the moment there are about 3.5 million migrants in Russia and hundreds of thousands of foreigners who entered the state illegally); the negative influence of the media, which cultivate violence and create advertising for terrorists; lack of control over the dissemination of methods and methods of terrorist activity through information networks, publication of the necessary manuals. Nowadays you can easily find manuals on making explosives from auxiliary materials, organizing explosions, committing murders, and violence.

IV. The fight against terrorism in modern conditions

According to Article 3 of the Federal Law "On the Fight against Terrorism", crimes of a terrorist nature are crimes provided for in Articles 205-208, 277, 360 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Other crimes provided for by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation may also be classified as crimes of a terrorist nature if they were committed for terrorist purposes. Responsibility for committing such crimes occurs in accordance with the Criminal Code.

A nationwide program of measures to combat terrorism and political extremism should be focused on eliminating the above-mentioned objective factors, or on maximizing the weakening of their criminogenic nature.

The counter-terrorism program is presented as consisting of the following subsections or blocks:
- legal measures to combat terrorism, including the adoption of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Fight against Terrorism”, as well as international conventions on combating terrorism and organized crime (the first step in this direction was taken by the intelligence services of the CIS countries in May 1995);
- general preventive measures, including the establishment of control over the “markets” for weapons and other means of mass destruction;
- administrative and regime measures, including measures for interstate cooperation in the field of combating terrorism;
- special (operational, investigative, technical and security) measures to prevent terrorist incidents.

It seems that the development, adoption and subsequent monitoring of the implementation of such a program of counter-terrorism measures will become one of the urgent tasks of the Russian State Duma.

But along with the State Duma, the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the prosecutor’s office, the public, including the scientific community, the media, socio-political parties, organizations and movements, can also play a significant role in the fight against terrorism.

The refusal of all socio-political forces and subjects, without exception, from violent and armed methods of struggle to achieve their goals can be very effective. The only such “act of goodwill” known to us is the statement of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in June 1993 condemning political extremism.

The next indispensable condition would be the unconditional liquidation of all illegal paramilitary groups in the country.
Public authorities could also help stop conflicts, internecine clashes, confrontation, and reduce social tension in the cities and regions of Russia, which is a breeding ground for terrorism and extremism.

However, today, perhaps, there is no reason to talk about the readiness of many socio-political entities operating in Russia to jointly resist the growth of terrorism and extremism in the name of achieving and preserving genuine civil peace in society.

The experience of many foreign countries in the fight against terrorism,

Of course, it is necessary to study, and once studied, use it for the benefit of society.

The political leadership of the main countries of the European West and the United States considers countering terrorism as one of the most important national tasks. The main areas of activity in this area are improving the legal framework, strengthening interaction between relevant federal bodies, forming special units and increasing the number of employees of federal structures dealing with the problem of terrorism, improving their technical equipment.

The policies of most Western countries are based on the following

principles: not to make any concessions to terrorists, to provide maximum

pressure on countries supporting terrorism to make full use of

forces and means at its disposal, including military ones, to punish terrorists, providing assistance to other states and

interaction with them.

In the USA for the period from 1958 to 1999. more than 40 legal acts were adopted

acts, to one degree or another, related to strengthening the fight against terrorism, including

including a special Presidential Directive (June 1995) and the Law on Strengthening the Fight against Terrorism (1996). These legislative acts

significantly expand the rights of the federal leadership, law enforcement

bodies and state administrations to identify and suppress those preparing

terrorist attacks both in the United States and abroad. Over decades of struggle with

terrorism in the world and in Russia, a number of mechanisms, methods, technologies of state response to potential and actual facts of terrorism have been developed (the creation of special anti-terrorist forces and their training, strengthening the security of especially dangerous, in particular nuclear facilities, development of technology for the negotiation process for the release of hostages, etc. .).

The most important condition for the fight against terrorism is determination,

intransigence and severity of response actions, the presence of well-trained,

trained, technically well-equipped and equipped special units. But this is not enough. Often what is more important is the presence of political will and the readiness of the country's top leadership to take decisive action. The problem of countering terrorism in Russia should be considered as the most important national task.

General safety rules

It is impossible to prepare for a terrorist attack in advance, so you should always be on guard. The main rule: avoid unnecessary visits to regions, cities, places and events that may attract the attention of terrorists. Typically this is:

Regions of the North Caucasus

Israel, Middle Eastern states, Iran, Iraq, Yugoslavia

Crowded events with thousands of participants

Popular entertainment venues

pay attention to suspicious people, objects, and any suspicious little things. Report anything suspicious to law enforcement officials;

never accept packages and bags from strangers, do not leave your luggage unattended;

the family must have an emergency plan, all family members must have telephone numbers, email addresses;

You must set up a meeting place where you can meet your family members in an emergency;

in case of evacuation, take with you a set of essential items and documents;

always find out where the backup exits from the premises are;

in the house it is necessary to strengthen and seal the entrances to basements and attics, install an intercom, clear staircases and corridors from cluttering objects;

organize a watch for the residents of your building, who will regularly walk around the building, observing whether everything is in order, paying special attention to the appearance of unfamiliar faces and cars, unloading bags and boxes;

if there is an explosion, fire, earthquake, never use the elevator;

try not to panic, no matter what happens.

V. Conclusion

Terrorism has quite a few varieties, but in any form it is the most dangerous social and legal problem of the 21st century in terms of its scale, unpredictability and consequences. Not so long ago, terrorism was a local phenomenon, but over the past 10-15 years it has acquired a global character and increasingly threatens the security of many countries, exerts strong psychological pressure on their citizens, entails huge political, economic, and moral losses, and claims more and more lives in all than innocent people.

The incredible scope of terrorist activity is evidenced by the existence of many terrorist organizations that interact with each other, have a rigid organizational structure with intelligence and counterintelligence units, logistics and information and propaganda support, an extensive network of secret shelters, and the presence of agents in government and law enforcement agencies. Sad practice shows that modern terrorists are quite capable of waging sabotage and terrorist wars and participating in large-scale armed conflicts (Kosovo, Chechnya, Afghanistan).

Terrorism is a crime against public security, the subjects of which are the individual, society, and the state. Terrorism does not arise out of nowhere; there are certain reasons and conditions of social life that contribute to this. Their identification and study reveals the nature of terrorism as a social and legal phenomenon, explains its origin, shows what promotes and what counteracts its growth. In addition, the analysis of such causes and conditions has practical meaning for resolving specific conflict situations, diagnosing and preventing terrorist acts, and developing strategies and tactics for combating terrorism. The main reason for the deterioration of the situation in the modern world is the growth of socio-economic, political, religious contradictions, the growing gap between rich and poor countries and segments of the population. Russian society has faced the same problems. Such socially negative phenomena as the transition period, the destruction of the administrative-command system, the economic crisis, the split of society into groups with different financial status, unemployment, political, economic, national, and religious conflicts represent a very favorable soil for the manifestation and growth of terrorism.

In such a situation, it is quite obvious that it is impossible to do without large-scale government intervention. No individual is able to ensure his individual security without the functioning of the state security system, and it is impossible to overcome the economic crisis, eliminate the threat to the safe development of society, and promptly prevent danger from developing into a threat without strict state regulation in all spheres of life. Therefore, priority in ensuring public safety should be given to the state.

Unfortunately, we have to admit the fact that terrorism is ineradicable, since it is part of the eternal and undying companion of humanity - crime. It is impossible to imagine that people will no longer be born on earth who, through terror, solve their own selfish goals, and not only material ones, but supposedly for the sake of the triumph of universal equality.

However, a civilized society must strive to prevent this evil from spreading and identify the terrorist threat in time. Today, it is absolutely obvious that there is a need to identify and analyze the causes, problems, essence and trends of terrorism, and to develop forms, methods and effective means of combating it as soon as possible.

It is important to unite the efforts of all forces of the state and society in countering terrorism. These include the upper echelons of representative power, legislators, intelligence services, law enforcement agencies, the media, religious and other public associations.

VI.Bibliography

Gusher A.I. The problem of terrorism at the turn of the third millennium of the new era of mankind. www.e-journal.ru/p_euro-st3-3.html

Davydova E. Terrorism: origins and evolution, goals and means. Now the subject Abstract >> State and law

Population. Another variety terrorism- nationalistic terrorism V modern practice of extremism, according to... c. List of used literature 1. Avdeev Yu.I. Typology terrorism // Modern terrorism: state and prospects. – M., 2000. – S. ...

Terrorism in the modern world

Introduction

Terror and terrorism: what is it?

Origins of terrorism

The origins of modern terrorism. The emergence of international terrorism

History of terrorism in Russia

Typology and directions of terrorism

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Recently, the topic of terrorism has been raised quite often in foreign and domestic media. But few know what it is, how it functions, what its scale is and what goals it pursues.

Terrorism must be considered as one of the ways to influence society and the state as a whole. This is a multifunctional weapon capable of destabilizing the situation in the country or facilitating the adoption of “necessary” laws to implement its policies. Terrorism is presented as a strategic weapon in a hidden war between powers. And this manifestation of it is by no means new.

However, terrorism is by no means a new phenomenon in public life. The history of humanity is replete with a variety of forms of its manifestation: mass, individual, anarchic, state, etc. Moreover, terrorism often took on a romantic form: it was justified by the need to fight tyranny, national oppression, and overthrow an unjust system. There was terrorism, the origins of which were rooted in national traditions, the everyday way of life of certain communities (mafia in Sicily, militant Chechen teips, Kurdish and Arab communities, etc.).

The purpose of this work: to study the history of terrorism, its modern varieties and directions.

1.Find out what meanings are put into the word “terrorism” and how it differs from the concept of “terror”;

2.Find out in what period of time in human history terrorism began

.Highlight the main signs and features of terrorism;

.Determine the time of the emergence of terrorism in its modern form;

.Find out what modern terrorism is, its varieties and directions;

.Find out the reasons and motives driving terrorists;

.Using numerous journalistic sources and Internet resources, create a complete picture of the history of terrorism.

terrorism political tactics

1. Terror and terrorism: what is it?

Ozhegov’s famous explanatory dictionary (1984 edition) offers such a fairly simple and understandable definition of what terrorism is: “TERRORISM, Policy and practice of terror (in 1 meaning)”, thereby referring to the definition of the word terror: “TERROR, 1. Intimidation of one’s political opponents, expressed in physical violence, up to and including destruction.”, which is a narrower concept of this word. We can conclude that terrorism is the practice of intimidating one's political opponents, expressed in physical violence.

Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, edited by S.A. Kuznetsova (2004 edition) offers an almost identical definition: TERROR, 1. The most acute form of struggle against political and class opponents using violence up to and including physical destruction.” A slightly different definition, in fact, significantly changed the meaning of this word: for example, in Kuznetsov’s dictionary they indicate that terror is not only a method of struggle in political wars, but also in wars between classes using not only physical, but also psychological and also so-called “informational” violence. Physical violence was the main method of influencing people until the end of the 20th century, which is most likely why it was indicated in Ozhegov’s dictionary.

A.S. Baranov, in his article “The image of a terrorist in Russian culture of the late 19th - early 20th centuries” (1998), gave what, in his opinion, is the most successful definition of the word terror: “... this is a “way of managing society through preventive intimidation,” i.e. a system of actions designed to have a powerful intimidating effect on the psyche of society in order to obtain the latter’s sanction for the implementation of certain ideological guidelines.” Here, the system of actions to intimidate society should be understood as violence, or more precisely, as A.S. correctly noted. Baranov: “Terror is not just violence, but a demonstration of violence...”, because violence is only a method of influencing society, for its subsequent forced subjugation - “sanctions for the implementation of certain ideological guidelines.” Thus, we can highlight the key words in the definition of the word “terror”: intimidation (not violence), influence and society.

The electronic encyclopedia “The Great Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius” (DVD edition 2012) clearly distinguishes terror from “terrorism”: “The term “terror” in modern literature is used to characterize the policy of violence and intimidation... violence on the part of the “strong” - the state. Terrorism is understood as violence on the part of the “weak” - the opposition.” Indeed, terror often refers to violent actions by the state against citizens (this applies to states with a totalitarian or authoritarian political regime, dictatorship or tyranny). THEM. Ilyinsky in his book “On Terror and Terrorism” also wrote: “International terrorism” is the response of the “weak” to the international terror of the “strong”. Terror and terrorism are “mirror” phenomena; one determines the other. Where there is terror, terrorism inevitably arises. And vice versa".

This definition of terrorism is given by the US State Department: “Terrorism is pre-arranged, politically motivated violence against non-combat targets, carried out by secret agents or representatives of certain nationalities, aimed at exerting influence and gaining an audience.”

Thus, after analyzing several sources, we can identify two main definitions of the words “terror” and “terrorism”:

) terrorism is the practice of terror, where terror is a form of struggle against political and class opponents, exerting influence and influence on society through intimidation, in particular violence;

) terrorism is violent actions “from below”, terror is a way of controlling society through violent actions “from above”.

In this work, the first definition of the word “terrorism” will be used as the main definition, since it more fully reflects the essence of this word: it clarifies what actions, goals and objectives terrorism sets for itself. The second definition only explains from which side of society violence comes: from society or from the authorities.

Origins of terrorism

Experts disagree both about the time of the emergence of terrorism and whether events of the distant past can be assessed from the point of view of modern terms.

A.A. Korolev believes that “even three hundred and forty years before our era, the father of Alexander the Great was killed in a terrorist attack ».

Another group of scientists considers the Jewish sect of the Sicarii to be one of the earliest terrorist groups. (“daggermen”), operating in Judea in the 1st century AD Members of the sect practiced the murder of representatives of the Jewish nobility who advocated peace with the Romans and were accused by them of apostasy from religion and national interests and “collaborationism.” "with Roman power. The Sicarii used a dagger or a short sword - “siku” – as a weapon. These were extremist-minded nationalists who led the social protest movement and set the lower classes against the upper classes and in this regard are the prototype of modern radical terrorist organizations. The actions of the Sicarii show a combination of religious fanaticism and political terrorism: in martyrdom they saw something that brought joy and believed that after the overthrow of the hated regime, the Lord would appear to his people and deliver them from torment and suffering. They played an important role in the defeat of the Jewish revolt of 66-71. and were destroyed with his defeat. In particular, their actions in besieged Jerusalem led to its destruction after the city was captured by the Romans.

A classic example of a terrorist organization from the Middle Ages that greatly developed the art of covert warfare, sabotage, and violent means to achieve its goals is the Assassin sect. (Hashashain, “grass eaters”). Around 1090 Hasan ibn Sabbah captured in the mountain valley north of Hamadan (modern Iran ) Alamut fortress . Over the next century and a half, supporters and followers of the Mountain Elder, under whose name the founder of the sect went down in history, relying on the controlled area, which today are anti-terrorism professionals would be called a “gray zone”, depriving the ruling dynasties of peace in a vast area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. Driven by an unclear religious motivation, almost elusive, and this makes even more frightening adherents of the sect (from the standpoint of today - militants), during the period of their activity they killed hundreds of caliphs and sultans, military leaders and representatives of the official clergy, sowing terror in the palaces of the rulers, significantly destabilizing the political situation in the vast geopolitical space of the East, and then were destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars in the middle of the 13th century.

3. Origins of modern terrorism

The emergence of international terrorism

We can say that the actual history of terrorism begins with the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The mass terror of the French Revolution era provided a model for managing the fear of the people and launched a mechanism for the maturation of terrorist tactics.

In the history of terrorism, the 19th century entered under the banner of individual terror. During the era of absolutism, political murders occurred quite rarely, especially after religious conflicts lost their former severity. Despite all the disagreements and divergence of interests, European monarchs remained neutral and even tried to find some points of agreement. Solving political problems by physically eliminating an unfriendly courtier was extremely unpopular during this period. The idea of ​​regicide generally went out of fashion for a while - with a few exceptions. Changes began after the French Revolution and the rise of nationalist states and the rise of nationalist sentiment in Europe.

Initially, terrorism had the character of individual activity and was carried out by adherents of revolutionary ideas. The Italian Carbonari actively used individual terror already in 1818 in response to government terror. If we talk about revolutionary individual terror, then Karl Sand, who killed the Holy Alliance agent writer Kotzebue in 1819 in Germany, was apparently the first revolutionary terrorist in Europe, long before the Narodnaya Volya. In 1820 in Paris, Louvel stabbed the Duke of Berry to death in order to suppress the Bourbon dynasty. Seven attempts were made on the life of King Louis Philippe of France. And in 1835, Fieschi tried to blow up Louis Philippe on the Boulevard Temple - and 18 people were killed and 22 were wounded. In the first case, the terrorist act was supposed to “liberate” Europe from the political dictates of the Russian Empire, in the second, it was supposed to pave the way for the republican regime in France.

In the 19th century, secret organizations were formed that professed terror as a method. In the 20s of the 19th century, conspiratorial organizations emerged in Italy, pursuing the goal of creating a national state. A mafia is formed in Sicily, pursuing the goal of fighting the Bourbon monarchy. In 1820, the Comorra was created in Naples. The goals of the organization are bribery and intimidation of jailers. In the south of the country, the Carbonari brotherhood arose, spreading throughout Italy. The goals of the brotherhood were to protect peasants and agricultural workers from the tyranny of landowners, whom they first warned and then killed. Subsequently, the goals of the Carbonari change. Their tasks acquired a political character - the fight against Austrian rule and monarchical regimes. All three organizations used terrorist methods to intimidate jailers, landowners, police officers and government officials.

The post-Napoleonic era gave way to the revolutionary upsurge of the 1830s and 40s. During this period, nationalism, anarchism, and socialism developed, adherents of radical manifestations of which turned to violent actions. The ideology of terrorism is being formed. The founder of the theory of modern terrorism was Karl Heinzgen. In 1848, the German radical Karl Heinzgen argued that the prohibition of murder was inapplicable in political struggle and that the physical liquidation of hundreds and thousands of people could be justified based on the “highest interests of mankind.” He believed that a small group of people could create maximum chaos and resist the strength and discipline of the reactionary troops. To do this, she can use any weapon of any force.

In the second half of the 19th century, systematic terrorist attacks began. During this period, several main areas of terrorist activity can be traced.

) Nationalist terrorism. Radical nationalist groups - Armenians, Irish, Macedonians, Serbs - used terrorist methods in the struggle for national autonomy or independence. Nationalist terrorism intensified at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. and in Europe took place in Great Britain (Ireland), Turkey (Macedonia, Armenia), Austria-Hungary (Bosnia, Galicia), Serbia (Kosovo) by national revolutionary organizations. Terrorists fought for the sovereignty of their historical territories. The most active were the organizations of Macedonians and Armenians in Turkey and Irish terrorists in Great Britain, which was associated with both acute national and socio-political conflicts that aggravated during the revolutionary crisis of the early 20th century. On the territory of continental European countries, terrorism was less active and was carried out mainly by lone terrorists and small groups.

) Anarchist terrorism. In the second half of the 19th century. The doctrine of anarchism begins to take shape. The main ideologists of anarchism at various stages of its development were Proudhon, Stirner and others. They offered poison, a knife and rope as means of struggle. In their works they defended the idea of ​​recognizing only one action - destruction.

In the 70s - 90s of the 19th century, anarchists adopted the doctrine of “propaganda by deed” or “action” (terrorist acts, sabotage), the main idea of ​​which was the denial of all state power and the preaching of unlimited freedom of each individual individual. . According to the doctrine of “propaganda by deed,” it is not words, but only terrorist actions that can motivate the masses to put pressure on the government. Kropotkin later shared similar views when he defined anarchism as “constant agitation through the spoken and written word, the knife, the rifle and dynamite.”

Anarchists rejected not only state power, but any kind of power in general; they denied social discipline and the need to subordinate the minority to the majority. The anarchists proposed starting the creation of a new society with the destruction of the state; they recognized only one action - destruction. Anarchism does not always boil down to violence. But in the last century, the identification of anarchism with terrorism became common; in fact, the very term “anarchist” was equivalent to the term “terrorist.” Almost all states of Europe and America suffered from the terrorist actions of anarchists. The most powerful anarchist movements existed in the Catholic countries of Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, France) and in Russia, where the ideology of anarchism spread among the Russian revolutionary environment, as well as among Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, and Latvians. Anarchist terrorism has become the privilege of representatives of various marginal sectors of society who have not found their place in political life.

The performances of anarchists with their “propaganda by deed” swept Western Europe at the end of the 19th century. The antics of lone bombers coincided with anarchist calls for violence, which created in the eyes of the public the image of an international conspiracy that in fact never existed.

) Individual terror. In the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, many attempts were made on the lives of leading politicians in Europe and America. Thus, American presidents McKinley and Garfield were killed, and several unsuccessful attempts were made on Bismarck. In 1894, French President Carnot was assassinated, and in 1897, Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Canovas. In 1898, the Austro-Hungarian Empress Elisabeth was assassinated, and in 1900, the King of Italy, Umberto. But although in many cases the killers were anarchists, most often they acted on their own initiative, without informing their comrades of their plans. At that time, everyone somehow forgot that regicide actually has a long tradition and that in France, for example, in the same century there were attempts on the life of Napoleon III.

The results of the 19th century were that terrorism had become a significant factor in political life. The 20th century is characterized by a sharp surge and qualitative transformation of terrorism. Terrorism becomes the background for the unfolding of history. More and more political forces and movements are resorting to this tactic. Terrorism is spreading, covering Latin America and Asia. International terrorist connections are taking shape. In addition, terrorism is turning into a factor in interstate confrontation. Terrorist movements receive support from countries that act as potential or actual opponents of the state that is the target of terrorist attacks.

In Asia, terrorism as a political phenomenon appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. on the wave of growing revolutionary sentiments. On the territory of the Asian continent, terrorism developed depending on the nature of the main conflict that determined the political situation in the country, and was divided into two main branches: social revolutionary and national liberation. The first type included manifestations of terrorism in countries that were not colonized (Japan, Iran), in which social conflicts were strong. National liberation terrorism took shape in those states where internal social conflicts were overshadowed by the struggle for independence, and took the forms of anti-colonial and separatist terrorism. Anti-colonial terrorism unfolded in countries such as India (anti-British), Korea (anti-Japanese), Vietnam (anti-French).

Terrorism before the First World War was oriented towards left-wing social and national revolutionary ideologies. As a rule, the intensification of terrorist activity occurred against the background of revolutionary events or preceded them. The power and activity of organizations depended entirely on revolutionary movements. The activities of terrorists in rare cases went beyond the borders of their states.

With the end of the war, terror was adopted by the right. National separatists and fascist movements in Germany, France and Hungary, the Iron Guard in Romania. The largest terrorist attacks of that time were the political assassinations of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in 1919, the Yugoslav King Alexander and the French Prime Minister Barthou in 1934. These movements are based on different ideological platforms, but in fact both are guided by the doctrines of the “philosophy of the bomb” " and "propaganda by action."

In the 20th century, the range of motives for using terror methods expanded significantly. If the Russian Narodnaya Volya, March 1st and Socialist Revolutionaries viewed terror as self-sacrifice for the good of society, then for the “red brigades” it served as a way and means of self-affirmation. “Red terror” and “black terror” of the fascist, neo-Nazi sense are not far from each other and have nothing to do with what the People’s Will are doing. Modern terrorism has one desired goal: the seizure of power.

At the beginning of the 20th century, national liberation and revolutionary movements actively resorted to terrorist tactics. They operate in the territories of the Russian, Ottoman, and British empires. A new element of the situation was support for terrorists at the state level. Thus, during the First World War, Germany supported Irish separatists who fought the British army in Ireland using terror methods (explosions at military installations, bombs in restaurants where English officers dined, etc.). d.). At the beginning of the century, Germany supported the Boers (Transvaal, Orange Republic), who, using terrorist methods, fought a war with the British army.

Fascist regimes, while solving the problems of political expansion, also sponsor and organize terrorism. In 1934, during a failed fascist coup attempt, Anschluss supporters assassinated Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss. In 1934, the Ustasha (Croatian nationalists) assassinated the Yugoslav king Alexander I Karadjordjevic and the French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou. The Ustaše, who fought for the independence of Croatia, worked in contact with the intelligence services of Nazi Germany.

The Second World War marked another stage in the development of terrorism. In the post-war period, terrorism is growing almost all over the world and is experiencing another qualitative transformation. Before the war, the targets of terrorism were predominantly government agents, military personnel, and persons collaborating with the regime. The civilian population, random people not associated with the authorities, but representing society, were not the primary targets of terrorists. This face of terrorism was more or less understandable and traditional. It merged with the methods of uprising, civil or partisan war.

After the war, the practice of modern terrorism emerged. Now the typical actor of terrorism is a powerful professional organization backed by the state sponsor of terrorism. The direct targets of terrorist violence are killed, hostages, poisoned - random citizens, foreigners, diplomats. The terrorist attack turns out to be a mechanism of pressure on the authorities through public opinion and the international community. The essence of blackmailing terrorists is that liberal society is characterized by natural pacifism, fear of the blood of one’s own and others. The confrontation between a terrorist and a liberal state is a confrontation between two cultures that differ radically in the cost of human life.

In the two decades following World War II, there were isolated neo-fascist protests. Small groups and even lone terrorists operated in Germany, Austria, and Italy. The intensification of neo-fascist terrorism occurred in Italy in the late 1960s. in an environment of growing social tension and political instability. Under the auspices of various legal right-wing radical parties, neo-fascist militant groups committed sabotage in trains, banks, train stations and other crowded places. Political destabilization, fueled by the actions of terrorists, contributed to the growing popularity of various politicians who were adherents of harsh, unconstitutional rule. The response to the desire of the right to establish an unconstitutional dictatorship was mass protests by supporters of democracy. The activities of neo-fascists in Italy did not weaken in the 1970s and 80s: several underground militant organizations were created that carried out operations in regions supporting leftist parties. Neo-fascist sabotage was brutal and claimed many lives. Right-wing terrorists were somewhat less active in France, where they carried out attacks on Jews, in Germany, Austria and other countries. A common feature of right-wing terrorists is the desire to act under the guise of legal political, cultural, sports and similar organizations. Only in isolated cases in Italy and France did they create short-lived underground specialized combat organizations. Right-wing terrorists carry out bloody operations leading to mass deaths, but during the period of decline in the struggle and internal stabilization in the country they organize mainly mass acts of hooliganism.

A number of separatist movements have been active in Europe since the war. The largest of them are the IRA and ETA. IRA - “Irish Republican Army” - the oldest terrorist structure that emerged in 1914 after Ireland gained independence, is fighting to join the Republic of Ulster. IRA activity especially increased in the 70s. Remains active to this day. ETA (Euskadi ta Ascatasuna - “Basque Country and Freedom”), which arose in 1959 in Spain. Over time, ETA leaders came to a combination of nationalism and Marxism. Peak ETA activity falls in the 60s to 80s. One of the most famous actions is the assassination of Spanish Prime Minister Carriero Blanche (1973). Currently, ETA's activity has been reduced, the organization is losing mass support, and has experienced defeats and arrests.

A striking phenomenon in the history of the post-war West was “leftist” terrorism. It covered Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and the USA. At the same time, Spain, Italy and Germany experienced the most powerful onslaught of left-wing radical terrorism.

In Spain, in the mid-60s, the Maoist “Communist Party of Spain (Marxist-Leninist)” was created. As a militant organization of the party in the mid-70s, the “Revolutionary Patriotic and Popular Front” (FRAP) and the “Group of Patriotic Anti-Fascist Resistance of October 1” (GRAPO) emerged. The peak activity of these structures falls in the second half of the 70s. For at least two decades, terrorism has been a serious political problem in Spain.

In 1970, the Marxist organization “Red Brigades” emerged in Italy. The group's peak activity occurred in the second half of the 70s - early 80s. The most famous action is the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Christian Democratic leader Aldo Moro (1978). Another prominent anarchist organization, “Workers' Autonomy,” gravitated toward spontaneous mass action and sought to unleash urban guerrilla violence (pickets, seizure of enterprises, damage to equipment, proletarian expropriations, massacres). Since the early 1980s, Italian terrorists have been in crisis.

The explosion of leftist movements that occurred in 1968 gave rise to numerous leftist groups seeking to use violence in the revolutionary struggle. Ideologically, the terrorists were guided by Marxism, Maoism, anarchism, Trotskyism and other leftist doctrines. First of all, terrorists became more active in Italy and Germany; in Spain - with the establishment of a democratic regime; later - in France, Northern Ireland (INOA) and Belgium. To date, left-wing terrorism has been suppressed in most European countries. The individual surviving terrorists of Germany and Italy rarely carry out their operations. Greek leftist groups are active. Left-wing terrorist organizations similar to European ones arose in Turkey, Japan, the Middle East, and the USA.

Countries in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, Asia and Africa have been subject to left-wing terrorist activities over the past decades. Terrorism in these countries is used both by guerrilla groups based in rural areas, for which the implementation of terrorist operations is one of the forms of activity, and by “urban guerrillas”, who have chosen the city as the main area of ​​​​military operations. Guerrilla warfare in rural areas has been a traditional phenomenon in Latin America, which has a rich history of struggle for independence.

In the 60s, a new front of left-wing terrorism opened - Latin America. The impetus for the development of guerrilla and terrorist movements in Latin America came from the Cuban revolution. Having come to power, Fidel's supporters energetically began to export the revolution. Guerrilla training centers appeared in Cuba shortly after Castro's victory.

The basis of Latin American radicalism is the guerrilla movement in cities or rural areas - rural or urban guerrillas. The slogan is a continental revolution, the idea is the creation of centers of resistance, rural or urban, the icon is Che Guevara. The most prominent theorist is Juan Marighella, the leader of a terrorist group in Sao Paulo. To understand leftist terrorism, the interpretation of the goals of the guerrillas is essential. According to Marigella, one of the goals is to provoke government repression. This will make life unbearable for the masses and will hasten the hour of rebellion against the regime.

Finding themselves in exile after a series of Arab-Israeli wars, the Palestinians did not immediately turn to terrorist activities. For the first fifteen years after Israel declared its independence, the Palestinians did not play an independent role in the Middle East process. In the mid-1960s. Among Palestinian refugees, the formation of military-political organizations of nationalist and communist orientation begins. Soon the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), formerly representing the territorial communities of Palestinian refugees, falls under the control of radicals seeking a more active struggle. The movement for the national liberation of Palestine (Fatah), led by Yasser Arafat, became the most powerful PLO organization. Large factions form the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). Organizationally, Palestinian terrorists are divided into firm adherents of the PLO line; organizations that are formally part of the PLO, but retain a high degree of autonomy; and operating without any connection with the PLO. The organizations that make up the core of the PLO - the Palestine National Liberation Movement, the Palestinian Liberation Front, and the Arab Liberation Front - are nationalist organizations committed to the secular path of development of the Palestinian state. These organizations are the most pragmatic - the PLO renounced acts of international terrorism back in 1973, although it does not always fully follow the declarations. The DFLP, the PFLP, a splinter group from the latter (PFLP - General Command, PFLP - Special Command) and others, adhered to revolutionary Marxist-Leninist principles in various interpretations. Until recently, these organizations carried out acts of international terrorism, combining them with operations carried out directly against Israel.

The most common terrorist organizations in the modern world are Islamic fundamentalists. Recently, they have committed the bloodiest crimes, which makes it possible to classify Islamists as the most dangerous criminals. Islamic fundamentalism originated in Egypt on the eve of World War II as an ethical doctrine formulated by Al-Banna. Sunni fundamentalists are organizationally united in the “Muslim Brotherhoods” that have spread throughout the Middle East. Fundamentalism acquired an extremist character in the 1950s, which was associated with the desire of reactionary social strata to counteract the accelerating cultural and political modernization of Arab countries. Individual armed uprisings by Islamists took place throughout the 1950s-70s. in various countries of the Muslim Mediterranean. Another branch of fundamentalism is supported and controlled by Shiite Iran and is oriented towards the teachings of Khomeini. A significant role in the spread of Islamic fundamentalism in the world (also supporting terrorist organizations) is played by the traditionalist monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula, primarily Wahhabi Saudi Arabia.

Islamic terrorism in Muslim countries is primarily directed against representatives of the dominant secular regimes: officials, police officers, journalists, and politicians. National and religious minorities, as well as foreigners, are targeted. In the latter case, as a rule, the victims are tourists and contract workers, which is motivated by the need to undermine the economic base of the ruling regimes and prevent infidels from desecrating the Islamic land. Actions of international terrorism are aimed at taking revenge on Western states for repressing Islamists and supporting secular and traditionalist regimes, as well as demoralizing Western governments and forcing them to refuse assistance to states considered as enemies of Islam.

In recent years, a so-called “arc of instability” has emerged, stretching from Indonesia and the Philippines to Bosnia and Albania. One of the signs of this arc is terrorism directed against carriers of non-Islamic (European, Christian, Judaic, Hindu) identity or carriers of secular, secularist values ​​in traditionally Islamic countries. This allows us to talk about an intercivilizational confrontation between the Islamic world, which is experiencing a modernization crisis, and the dynamic civilization of the West.

A sign of recent decades is the endless war in Afghanistan. It is on this platform that terrorist organizations mature, terrorists become professionalized, and an international community of Jihad warriors takes shape. The Afghan war gave rise to the leading terrorist of our era, Osama bin Laden, and the emergence of his organization, Al-Qaeda, an international organization of Islamic fundamentalists carrying out military operations around the world. The main goal is the overthrow of secular regimes in Islamic states and the establishment of an Islamic order based on Sharia. The main enemy is the USA. In 1998, bin Laden announced the creation of the international organization “Islamic World Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders,” which, along with Al-Qaeda, included Algerian, Pakistani, Afghan, Kashmiri and other terrorist organizations. Coordinating their actions, these organizations operate throughout almost the entire Islamic world (Afghanistan, Algeria, Chechnya, Eritrea, Kosovo, Pakistan, Somalia, Tajikistan, Yemen).

The New York City shopping mall bombing on September 11, 2001 was another milestone in the history of terrorism. The signs of the coming stage are the creation of an international anti-terrorist coalition under the leadership of the United States, the declaration of terrorism as the leading danger to world civilization and the elevation of the task of eliminating terrorism to the rank of priority problems of the world community. At this stage, Russia, which had experienced noticeable blows from terrorism, entered the anti-terrorist coalition. The collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the expulsion of Al-Qaeda from the country did not stop terrorist activity.

In the modern world, the largest terrorist organizations that carry out the majority of terrorist attacks in the world are: Al-Qaeda (Afghanistan), Islamic Party of Turkistan (Uzbekistan), Lashkar-e-Taiba (Pakistan), Asbat al-Ansar ( Lebanon), Islamic Jihad (Egypt), Jamaah Islamiyah (Indonesia), Kurdistan Workers' Party (Turkey), Basque Homeland and Freedom ETA (Spain), Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Palestine), "Islamic Jihad" (Palestine), "Abu Nidal Organization" (Palestine), "Islamic State" (Syria).

History of terrorism in Russia

Terrorism in Russia has its own rich history, so it should be highlighted in a separate chapter.

In Russia, under a traditional society (until the 19th century), it can be argued that cases of assassination attempts and massacres were not terrorism in its modern sense. They lack a system of actions, as well as their political and ideological justification. In addition, modern terrorism affects power from the outside, while in Russia, those who used violence and those who were its objects were within power relations (the era of “palace coups” in Russia; the murder of False Dmitry II; “feudal war" 1425 - 1453, etc.). The desire to eliminate or weaken a competitor caused the need for one-time extra-legal physical violence, in which certain features of terrorist activity can be seen. However, the use of terrorist methods by representatives of the power elite is more likely an indicator of the underdevelopment of political forms of struggle, rather than a conscious choice in favor of terrorism (the reign of Ivan IV the Terrible, etc.). Therefore, we will consider numerous revolutionary movements and secret societies from the beginning of the 19th century to be the first terrorist organizations, the “beginnings” of Russian terrorism.

Until the beginning of the 19th century. secret societies were represented mainly by Masonic lodges. They maintained a spirit of isolation, mystery, and secrecy, which was then adopted by both European political secret organizations and Decembrist associations in Russia.

The first Decembrist organization, which arose in 1816, was called the “Union of Salvation, or the Society of True and Faithful Sons of the Fatherland.” The Union of Salvation was preceded by several semi-conspiratorial societies, but the real conspiratorial organization with a charter and specific tasks, tactical and strategic, was the Union of Salvation. One of the leaders of the Decembrist movement, S.P. Trubetskoy, wrote in his notes about the Union of Salvation that elements of Freemasonry were introduced into the procedure for accepting members and into the procedure for meetings of the society, which, from his point of view, complicated the action of the society and introduced a certain mystery.

The Union of Salvation, with its vague program and small numbers, turned out to be unviable. It was replaced in 1818 by the Union of Welfare, whose ideologists were going to work hard to turn the country's public opinion around and educate opponents of the existing order of things.

The Root Council of the society included Trubetskoy, Sergei and Matvey Muravyov-Apostles, Lunin, Pestel, Mikhail Orlov, Nikita Muravyov, Nikolai Turgenev, brothers Sergei and Ivan Shipov, who served at the headquarters of the Guards Corps, Mikhail Gribovsky, who wrote the first denunciation of the secret in 1820 society.

In Russia in the 1820s, there was an uprising on the Don, peasant unrest began in the Kaluga, Oryol, Tver, Grodno, Olonetsk, Moscow, Voronezh, Minsk, Tula, Mogilev, Ryazan, and Kherson provinces. The Ural workers were worried. On July 10, 1820, A.A. Arakcheev sent a secret circular to the governors, demanding the pacification of any manifestations of disobedience by military force.

At this time, the Union of Welfare collapsed. Formally, it ceased to exist in early January 1821 at a congress of government representatives that met in Moscow. The reason for the collapse was disagreement over tactics in the current conditions. On the one hand, the moment was right for active action, but on the other hand, organizationally the secret society was not ready for action. In place of the Union of Welfare, two new secret societies were formed. The first was established in St. Petersburg by Nikita Muravyov, Trubetskoy and Obolensky, and the second in the south, founded by P.I. Pestel.

Some Decembrists considered regicide a necessary step towards realizing their goal. They considered the murder of the monarch as the first stage of an armed uprising. Therefore, throughout the entire period of the existence of secret societies, numerous and detailed plans for regicide were built. At different times, many Decembrists expressed their readiness to kill the emperor: M.S. Lunin, I.D. Yakushkin, F.P. Shakhovskoy, A.Z. Muravyov, F.F. Vadkovsky, I.V. Poggio, P.G. Kakhovsky, I. Yakubovich and others.

On the eve of December 14, 1825, during discussions, various options regarding the form of the coup were proposed and considered. Among the numerous plans that were discussed, three main options stood out: 1) popular uprising; 2) conspiracy; 3) military coup.

Shortly before the decisive events in Northern society, a conspiracy was considered as a completely effective option for seizing power, but, for various reasons, primarily ideological, it was rejected. The Decembrists feared unfavorable comparisons with the conspirators of the 18th century. The limited goals of the palace coups of the last century were unreservedly denied by most members of the secret society. The Decembrists put forward constitutional ideas that suggested other ways of implementation. However, members of secret societies considered it expedient to kill the emperor. Therefore, various projects of assassination attempts on the king arose in secret societies, which were interpreted as an act of tyranny. But the uprising itself on December 14, 1825 ended in complete failure of the Decembrists. After these events, many of them were exiled to Siberia, or killed, some were executed.

Since then, the revolutionary movement in Russia has died out. The re-emergence of the ideology of terrorism in Russia occurred in the middle of the 19th century.

The liberal reforms carried out by Emperor Alexander II in the first half of the 1860s radically changed the face of Russia. Serfdom was abolished in the country, preliminary censorship of the press became a thing of the past, new, democratic judicial institutions were created, and the first local government bodies arose (in the form of zemstvos).

One of the main consequences of these transformations was the opportunity, unprecedented in Russian history, for every educated person to almost freely express their point of view on the pages of newspapers and magazines. In turn, this caused enormous mental ferment in wide circles of Russian society, unaccustomed to a free social atmosphere. Under these conditions, an extreme, revolutionary trend in Russian public life developed, which considered the reforms of Alexander II to be meager and insignificant, and proposed more radical ways to renew Russia.

In the 1860s. A number of revolutionary organizations operated in the country. The most active of them were the first “Land and Freedom” (existed in 1861-1864 with its center in St. Petersburg) and the society, which received the name of its leader N.A. Ishutin name “Ishutintsy” (existed in 1863-1866 with the center in Moscow).

“Land and Freedom” put forward the idea of ​​overthrowing the autocracy, convening a Zemsky Sobor and carrying out radical agrarian reforms. All these plans were supposed to be implemented through a peasant uprising prepared by the organization. However, “Land and Freedom” was unable to prepare any uprising and by the spring of 1864 it self-liquidated.

The “Ishutinites” wanted to achieve a radical reorganization of Russia on socialist principles through both propaganda of their ideas among the people and through conspiracy and terror. Society member D.V. On April 4, 1866, Karakozov made an unsuccessful attempt at regicide by shooting at Alexander II at the grille of the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg. After this terrorist act, the most prominent “Ishutinites” were arrested, and the society itself ceased to exist.

From the revolutionary organizations of the late 1860s. the most famous is the “People's Retribution” led by S.G. Nechaev (existed in September-December 1869 with its center in Moscow). It set itself the task of preparing a peasant revolution and was built on the principle of complete subordination of all its members to the leader, i.e. S.G. Nechaev. One of the members of the “People’s Retribution” is a student of the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy I.I. Ivanov, who refused to carry out the orders of S.G. Nechaev, - he was accused of treason and killed in Moscow on November 21, 1869, with the assistance of four more people from this organization. This murder turned out to be the only “revolutionary” act committed by the People’s Retribution. It morally suppressed its participants and made a repulsive impression on the entire Russian society. At the end of November and December 1869, the police managed to arrest most of the members of the People's Retribution. S.G. himself Nechaev fled abroad in December 1869.

The activities of the Tchaikovsky Society had a much stronger impact on the social life of Russia during the era of Alexander II. Its name was associated with the name of N.V. Tchaikovsky, who represented the society among publishers and booksellers. In scientific literature, such names as the Big Propaganda Society and the Tchaikovsky Circle are also used in relation to this organization.

The Tchaikovsky Society was formed in August 1871 in St. Petersburg as a result of the merger of the circle of M.A. Nathanson with the circle of S.L. Perovskaya.

Until “going to the people” in the spring of 1874, the main content of the activities of the “Chaikovites” was: 1) publication and distribution of revolutionary literature among the intelligentsia (the so-called book business); 2) propaganda of socialist ideas among factory workers (the so-called workers' cause). In the spring and summer of 1874, the majority of the free “Chaikovites” took part in the famous “walk among the people” with the aim of raising the peasant masses for social revolution. It led to the arrests of about 4,000 people, including almost all of the Chaikovites. The few surviving members of society either emigrated or withdrew from active revolutionary activities or went to other revolutionary groups. By the summer of 1875, the Tchaikovsky society ceased to exist.

In the first half of 1876, members of the group M.A. Nathanson Yu.N. Bogdanovich, N.I. Drago and A.I. Ivanchin-Pisarev developed its program settings, which later became the basis of the “Land and Freedom” program. June 30, 1876 group M.A. Nathanson brilliantly organized the escape of P.A. Kropotkin from the Nikolaev Military Hospital in St. Petersburg. And finally, in the fall of 1876, a meeting of members of the group and revolutionaries associated with it took place in St. Petersburg, which ended with the formation of a new secret society. It did not begin to be called “Land and Freedom” immediately, but only in 1878, but it was precisely this above-mentioned name of this organization that took root in historical literature.

The core of the "Land and Freedom" society was its Main Circle, which initially included 26 members - the founders of the organization. They were O.V. Aptekman, A.I. Barannikov, L.F. Berdnikov, L.P. Bulanov, A.S. Emelyanov (Bogolyubov), A.I. Zundelevich, V.N. Ignatov, A.A. Kvyatkovsky, D.A. Lizogub, A.D. Mikhailov, A.F. Mikhailov, N.P. Moshchenko, M.A. Nathanson, O.E. Nikolaev, A.D. Oboleshev, V.A. Osinsky, G.V. Plekhanov, M.R. Popov, G.N. Preobrazhensky, N.I. Sergeev, G.M. Tishchenko, V.F. Troshchansky, V.I. Tulisov, S.A. Kharizomenov, A.A. Khotinsky, O.A. Schleisner.

Subsequently, 19 more people became members of the Main Circle: N.A. Korotkevich, N.S. Tyutchev (in 1877), D.A. Clements, S.M. Kravchinsky, N.A. Morozov, M.N. Oshanina, S.L. Perovskaya, L.A. Tikhomirov, M.F. Frolenko (in 1878), P.B. Axelrod, L.G. Deitch, A.I. Zhelyabov, V.I. Zasulich, N.N. Kolodkevich, O.S. Lyubatovich, E.D. Sergeeva, Ya.V. Stefanovich, V.N. Figner, S.G. Shiryaev (in 1879). In total, the Main Circle of “Land and Freedom” included 45 people during the entire existence of the organization.

In January 1878-March 1879. In Russia, 6 terrorist attacks were committed against government officials. Of these acts, only 2 were sanctioned by “Land and Freedom”. Each terrorist attack had a significant impact on the entire revolutionary movement.

A faithful friend and assistant to one of the members of Zhelyabov’s Main Circle in most of his endeavors was Sofia Perovskaya. In 1880, her main concern became the organization of workers, she trained student propagandists for them, and distributed the Workers' Newspaper. At the same time, she is preparing the final attempt on the king's life. After Zhelyabov’s arrest, she takes upon herself all the preparations and brings them to the end. After March 1, friends advised Perovskaya to flee abroad, but she could not give in to requests to leave and remained in St. Petersburg.

Loris-Melikov, who two weeks earlier warned the tsar about the impending danger, on the morning of February 28, triumphantly reported to Alexander II about the arrest of the main conspirator. The Tsar was encouraged and immediately decided to go to the Mikhailovsky Manege the next day to attend the review.

At three o'clock in the afternoon on March 1, in the center of the city, two loud blows, similar to cannon shots, were heard with a short interval. The first bomb thrown by Rysakov damaged the royal carriage. When Alexander II got out of the carriage to look at the assassin, Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb. Both the king and the thrower were mortally wounded in this explosion.

The trial of the Pervomartovites took place on March 26-29. All defendants (A.I. Zhelyabov, S.L. Perovskaya, N.I. Kibalchich, G.M. Gelfman, T.M. Mikhailov and N.I. Rysakov) were accused of belonging to a secret society aimed at violent overthrow the existing state and social system, and participation in the regicide on March 1. On March 29, the court pronounced the verdict: death penalty for all defendants.

After March 1, the existence of “Narodnaya Volya” was characterized by an ever-increasing crisis of the organization, the failure of almost all of its plans, and mass arrests of its members, both as a result of improved police work and because of the treacherous testimony of individuals during the investigation.

All this meant the complete defeat of “Narodnaya Volya” and although subsequently, after the exposure of S.P. Degaeva, G.A. Lopatin (in 1884) and B.D. Orzhikh (in 1885) managed to partially restore the organization for a short time; in general, Narodnaya Volya was no longer able to revive after February 1883, and the practice of using individual political terror in revolutionary organizations was fading away.

The revival of terrorist traditions in the Russian revolutionary movement at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is connected, first of all, with the activities of two parties - the Socialist Revolutionary Party (AKP), as well as the union of Socialist-Revolutionary Maximalists that spun off from it.

The history of the Socialist Revolutionary terror in the pre-February period chronologically covers the period from April 1902 to August 1911 (if we count by the first and last terrorist act).

As a rule, holders of power were officially declared objects of political terror. We especially emphasize that the party leadership has repeatedly reminded grassroots organizations of the inadmissibility of the unauthorized use of terror against private individuals, including ideological opponents. Depending on the level of positions they held and the significance that this act would have, political terror was divided into central and local. To carry out acts of “central importance” against the most significant figures, whose murder could have a significant public resonance, the Combat Organization (BO) began to be created in the fall of 1901. It should be noted that the boundaries between central and local terror were very arbitrary and vague. In addition to this “objective” principle of division, they were often divided according to the “subjective” principle: central terror was under the jurisdiction of the AKP BO, local terror was under the jurisdiction of terrorist structures of local organizations of various levels. This duality in itself was contradictory, especially since in practice it turned out that the AKP BO committed acts not only of central terror, but local terrorist structures, on the contrary, committed acts of “central significance.” At that time, “military terror” meant murders (spontaneous or organized) both by individual soldiers and sailors of their offenders, officers, and by party fighting squads. Party military organizations, as far as is known, did not undertake terrorist actions against officers, preferring to target soldiers for armed uprisings (during which individual officers were sometimes killed).

The BO took shape in September 1901, receiving official status immediately after the assassination of the Minister of Internal Affairs D.S., organized by it on April 2, 1902. Sipyagin. According to our calculations, the BO, which functioned under the leadership of G.A. Gershuni before his arrest on May 13, 1903, included approximately 13 people.

BO under the leadership of E.F. Azef acted from May 13, 1903 to November 20, 1906 - until its dissolution. The BO suspended its activities twice for a long time: the first time - from the beginning of November 1905 to January 1, 1906 (the reason for this was the Manifesto of October 17, 1905), and the second time - from April 27 to July 8, 1906 (that is, for the period of functioning of the First State Duma). The BO during these years included 64 people.

Having reached its highest peak in 1904-1906, terror contributed not only to the extermination of the largest forces from the government camp, but also led to the fact that the AKP BO itself lost its brightest, most capable and extraordinary members.

The brightest, fiercest and longest lasting in 1908-1911. (after the extinction of the “central” terror) became the so-called. “prison terror”, which had as its goal to support his comrades in defending their rights as political prisoners. It became widespread back in the years of the revolution of 1905-1907. and in some cases had a huge social and political resonance. Facts of violence against the arrested M.A. Spiridonova, acts of public flogging of political prisoners who responded to them with resistance or group suicides greatly agitated public opinion and forced the Socialist Revolutionary militants to declare a real hunt for the perpetrators of such excesses.

The last two terrorist attempts were committed in the spring and summer of 1911 against the prison inspector Efimov and the head of the Zerentui convict prison Vysotsky. These assassination attempts were the reaction of the Socialist Revolutionaries to the intensified oppression against political prisoners and caused a serious resonance in the revolutionary environment.

In 1912-1914. Attempts were made to stage terrorist attacks, both by local Socialist Revolutionary groups and by emigrants who enjoyed the support of the Central Committee of the AKP. But they all failed, primarily due to provocation. Thus, the Socialist Revolutionary terror in the conditions of post-revolutionary society ceased under the influence of many factors, the most important of which were the lack of an atmosphere of public support for terror and partly the demoralization of the Socialist Revolutionary environment itself.

The assassination attempt on ex-Prime Minister Witte caused no less resonance. It is curious that Witte, who at one time advocated terrorist methods of fighting revolutionaries, himself became the target of a hunt by right-wing terrorists.

These are the most striking pages in the history of Socialist Revolutionary maximalism. In subsequent years, having subsided, the wave of maximalism “turned into muddy streams,” and their thinning ranks began to quickly melt away. In 1908, the number of maximalist organizations was reduced to 42, in 1909 there were only 20 left, and in 1910 - less than 10. In 1912, their activities finally died out.

During the revolutionary events of 1917, representatives of revolutionary parties (Bolsheviks, right and left Socialist Revolutionaries, anarchists), who had previously considered terrorism as an effective means of revolutionary struggle and actively used terrorist methods in their struggle, came to power in most of the country. In the conditions of the civil war, these parties used the accumulated experience of terrorist activities, both in the system of state terrorism and as one of the means of political struggle for power.

The state of civil war created the conditions in which terrorist actions were used by the warring parties both systematically (guerrilla and sabotage warfare) and spontaneously (as revenge for dead comrades).

Typology and directions of terrorism

In fact, there are as many typologies of terrorism as there are definitions of it. Various authors use a variety of bases to typologize this complex phenomenon. At the same time, there are so many manifestations of terrorism that it is almost impossible to clearly typology them. Any typology will be conditional and to some extent incomplete.

Summarizing the various approaches to the typologization of terrorism in foreign and domestic literature, we can identify five most important grounds (and, accordingly, groups):

.By the way it influences people.

.On religious and ideological grounds.

.On a political-geographical scale.

.By implementation environment.

.According to the means and technologies used.

In the first group of the typology of terrorism (according to the method of influencing people), two types are distinguished - physical and psychological terrorism.

1) Physical - a type of terrorism associated with the use of direct violence against individuals. This may be the deprivation of life of a person or group of persons, the infliction of grievous bodily harm, restriction of freedom, etc.

2) Psychological - a type of terrorism can be expressed in achieving a terrifying effect that causes panic in a person through the destruction of material objects (enterprises, institutions, communications, etc.), destruction (damage) of property of the state, public and other organizations, and private individuals. In addition, psychological terrorism may include moral and psychological pressure carried out through blackmail, threats and other actions in order to force the state, its bodies and other entities to comply with the demands of terrorists.

The second group of the typology of terrorism (on a religious and ideological basis) includes:

1) Ideological terrorism. In its structure, most researchers distinguish between “right” and “left”.

“Right-wing” terrorism is usually based on platforms that deny the democratic system of organizing political power, the institutions of political liberalism, and the rule of law. In particular, it is often based on fascist and neo-fascist ideology and is widespread in Germany, Italy, Spain, as well as in a number of countries that do not have a fascist past.

Right-wing terrorist organizations often also include structures that have openly racist or nationalist attitudes; they are characterized by slogans such as “Germany for the Germans,” etc.

“Left” terrorism as a type of ideological terrorism is based on concepts of a pseudo-revolutionary, often Trotskyist and Maoist, as well as anarcho-communist nature and is oriented towards the violent abolition of the capitalist system through the implementation of a large-scale strategy for the formation of a revolutionary situation and mass uprisings of the population.

2. Currently, nationalist terrorism has become widespread. It is characterized by particular cruelty, accompanied by mass pogroms and a large number of human casualties. It is based on the idea of ​​national exclusivity and superiority. Nationalism has an exceptional potential for destruction, capable of escalating social tension in society, inciting national hatred and even leading to the destruction of the state.

Currently, nationalist terrorist organizations are most active in England, Belgium, Spain, France, India and some other countries. The most famous of them include the “Irish Revolutionary Army”, the Basque ETA, the “National Liberation Front of Corsica” and others.

3. One of the fairly common types of terrorism is religious terrorism. As a rule, religious terrorist organizations, using tenets of faith, pursue political goals.

In the modern world, extremist structures operating on the basis of Islamic fundamentalism or so-called “pure Islam” pose a particular danger. The ideological justification for “Islamic” terrorism is associated with an ambiguous interpretation of the texts of the Koran concerning the moral aspect of the use of violence by believers.

In addition to Islamic fundamentalism, various “apocalyptic” totalitarian sects that profess violence as a legitimate means of accelerating “God’s judgment” currently act as a breeding ground for the emergence of terrorist groups. In recent years, their number has increased significantly, and the activity of extremist preachers has increased, instilling in sect members the idea of ​​the sinfulness and hostility of the world around them, and the need to fight “godless” governments. An example of such sects is the activity of the Aum Senrikyo sect.

The third group of the typology of terrorism (according to the political-geographical scale) includes state, intrastate (domestic) and international terrorism.

1. State terrorism is understood as the use of terrorist methods to achieve goals by government agencies. There are two types of state terrorism: domestic political and foreign political.

Internal political state terrorism is manifested in the use of the coercive apparatus within the state to achieve the government’s goals against its own people or against the opposition. The arsenal of state terrorism is diverse. These are torture, illegal detention, expulsion from the capital and the state, secret abductions, imprisonment, forced settlement, etc. States can create and use various secret organizations for their own purposes.

Foreign political state terrorism is aimed at undermining the socio-political system in other sovereign states, destabilizing and overthrowing legitimate governments, and forcibly changing the political regime.

World history provides us with many examples of such activities. For example, multiple attempts to assassinate the leader of the Cuban revolution Fidel Castro, undertaken by the US CIA since the 60s of the twentieth century, the assassination of General Prats in Argentina, etc.

Also, one of the forms of foreign policy state terrorism is the support by a number of states of terrorist organizations operating outside their borders. For example, according to French authorities, the escalation of terrorist activity in France is caused by support for the activities of Muslim terrorist groups in the suburbs of Paris by government agencies in Iran and Algeria. A number of states provide their territory for the location of militant training camps. They provide them with financial resources, weapons, etc.

2. One of the types of terrorism is international terrorism. Its appearance is associated with the globalization of the modern world and dates back to the end of the twentieth century. International terrorism has its own specific features:

) A new subject of international geopolitical relations - the subjects of international terrorism are international terrorist organizations whose activities are not limited to the territory of the state within which they were created.

) The scale of the confrontation - if previously states, the state and various opposition organizations operating on its territory, or individuals opposed each other, now this confrontation is acquiring an interethnic, interfaith and intercivilizational character.

) The fundamentality of its causes and tasks is economic backwardness and the impossibility of “free” competition of the “third world” countries with Western civilization, in the existence of which many corporate-bureaucratic regimes see the reasons for their poverty, the low level of culture, the inability of local political regimes to solve the social problems facing before society, oppression of national identity, orientation of local elites towards international assistance rather than towards the development of the national economy, globalization - these are some of the reasons contributing to the growth of separatism and radicalism.

) Impact on the economy and other areas of activity - one of the consequences of terrorist activities is economic losses and problems that arise for states and thereby economically weaken states. These are problems related to the financing of terrorists and the need to take measures to cut off financial flows, these are direct financial losses to the state as a result of terrorist attacks, this is the need to allocate certain funds from the state budget to finance anti-terrorism activities.

) Possible catastrophic consequences are also one of the features of international terrorism. The use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists: nuclear, biological, chemical has no analogues in their destructive ability.

And finally, the fourth group of the typology of terrorism (depending on the environment of implementation) includes land, air, sea and space terrorism.

1) Ground terrorism is the most common type of terrorism. This is due to the fact that most of the targets of terrorist attacks are on the ground. Among them are civilian objects - residential buildings, government institutions, shopping centers, stations and trains, pipelines, etc.

For example, in 2004, on August 31 in Moscow, near the Rizhskaya metro station, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device with a capacity of up to two kilograms of TNT. Apparently, the bomb was filled with fragmentation components, because there were many casualties - 10 people were killed and more than 50 were injured.

In 2005, there was a series of bombings on the London Underground and city buses. These attacks killed more than 50 people and injured more than a thousand.

2) Maritime terrorism is no less widespread. This is the seizure of sea vessels in order to change their course, the taking of hostages from among passengers and crew members, the laying of mines on ships, etc. As a rule, terrorists pursue political goals. Over the past three decades, the activities of maritime terrorists have been recorded in various areas of Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, southern Africa, South and Southeast Asia.

The real capabilities of maritime terrorists pose a multifaceted, complex threat to international security.

3) Air terrorism (terrorism in air transport) is a phenomenon that arose in the late 60s. The seizure of aircraft and their hijacking can be classified as air terrorism; taking hostages on board ships; failure of air navigation equipment, etc. The events of September 11, 2001 marked a change in air terrorism tactics. The planes hijacked by terrorists were used to commit an even larger terrorist attack.

The purpose of air terrorism is, as a rule, to force the authorities to comply with the demands of terrorists for the release of like-minded people from prison, for free exit from the country, to demonstrate their disagreement with state policy, etc.

So, on July 23, 1968, a plane flying from Rome to Israel was hijacked. Terrorists landed a plane in Algeria. The crew and Italian tourists were held in Arab captivity for months. The terrorists demanded the release of twelve terrorists from Israeli prisons in exchange for a plane and hostages.

4) Space terrorism is a new type of terrorism that may appear in the near future. The most probable today seems to be the unauthorized use of satellites by terrorists and their targeted destruction, the destruction of spacecraft, disruption of the life support systems of spacecraft, etc. There is no need to talk about real manifestations of space terrorism today.

In the fifth group of the typology (according to the means and technologies used), the following types of terrorism are distinguished:

1) Electromagnetic terrorism. Its essence lies in the fact that with the help of sources of powerful electromagnetic fields, as well as special electrical devices, it is possible to disrupt the operation of any energy-intensive object. Such actions leave no traces and can be carried out remotely and mobile. They do not require terrorists to use personal protective equipment.

The modern world is full of various technical devices. A variety of radio-electronic information and control systems can be objects of electromagnetic radiation (similar to the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion).

In a number of countries around the world, generators of radiation have appeared that are comparable in intensity to the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion and have a more effective effect on radio-electronic devices. Such devices may also be available to terrorists, since such generators can be manufactured in semi-makeshift conditions at minimal cost. The consequences of their use can be extremely serious and widespread, causing enormous material losses. These include aviation and railway accidents, failures in the operation of computer systems in banks, security systems in storage facilities, museums, failures in the operation of control systems for energy facilities, nuclear power plants, etc.

The catastrophic nature of these possible consequences is clearly recognized by modern scientists. This led to the creation of subcommittee SC77C within the International Electrotechnical Commission in the late 1980s. This subcommittee was tasked with developing a set of standards regulating methods and means of protecting civilian objects from the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion.

2) Biological terrorism. The peculiarity of biological terrorism is that such actions can be either open, announced, demonstrative, or hidden, disguised as a natural outbreak or “wrath of God” actions. As Trebin M.P. notes. Biological terrorism should be understood as “the deliberate use by individuals, terrorist groups or organizations of biological means of destruction of people, farm animals and cultivated plants with the aim of destroying or incapacitating people, causing large economic losses to the country, imposing a certain line of behavior in resolving internal and external disputes "

The basis of the damaging effect of biological weapons are bioagents selected for such use that can cause mass diseases and panic in people, animals, plants: these are microorganisms and some of their metabolic products (toxins), as well as certain types of insects - plant pests and disease carriers. Possible infectious agents are considered, for example, smallpox virus, yellow fever virus, Ebola virus, etc. Currently, various countries around the world have lists of possible infectious agents that can be used as biological weapons. In 1970, a similar list was compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO).

A classic example of a bioterrorist attack occurred in the United States at a salad bar in Oregon in 1984. The bacteria Salmonella was used there, which led to the illness of more than 700 people. The purpose of such an action was political - to disrupt the elections.

The danger of such a biological terrorist attack has virtually no boundaries. The consequences for an individual, society, and state may be irreversible.

The threat of bioterrorism will increase. This is due to the fact that there is increasing interest in the use of biological substances for terrorist purposes, because they are becoming cheaper, have a high destructive potential and lead to a completely devastating psychological effect.

Bioweapons work in very small doses. The ease of concealment of biological weapons and the secrecy of their use, the absence of external manifestations at the moment of impact, this, along with the relative ease of production, makes the likelihood of detection and warning very low. Currently, there is virtually no anti-biological warfare technology that can detect and identify a pathogen or toxin before it takes effect.

An important point is that currently the borders between states are completely transparent for the movement of pathogenic strains of microorganisms and viruses. This can be an ordinary letter or a sheet of paper on which a drop of a pathogen strain is dried.

3) Chemical terrorism. Dangerous chemicals are ubiquitous in a modern industrialized state and, therefore, are now more accessible to terrorists. Chemical warfare agents are poisonous, artificially produced gases, liquids or powders that, when entering the body through the lungs or skin, cause disability or death in humans and animals. Among them are substances with blister and nerve-paralytic effects, asphyxiating gases, substances that cause bleeding and disability.

The desire to obtain chemical weapons can be realized in two ways: buy or steal the chemical from existing national stocks and produce it yourself.

Because synthesizing chemical warfare agents involves complex technical barriers and greater risk, purchasing highly toxic industrial chemicals is more likely.

Although such agents are hundreds of times less lethal than nerve gas, they can still cause significant casualties if used in confined spaces or outdoors under favorable atmospheric conditions.

4) Nuclear terrorism. Nuclear weapons have enormous destructive power. The instantaneity and scale of destruction are incomparable. The yield of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was less than 20 kilotons. As a result, these cities were destroyed, and human losses amounted to several hundred thousand people. People's fear of nuclear weapons, and in general we can talk about the fear of radioactivity in general, is extremely great.

5. Separately, terrorism using explosives should be highlighted. Explosions and sources of explosions - explosives are the most effective and cheapest weapons of terrorists. The list of explosives now includes over 2,500 items - from the simplest mechanical mixtures of saltpeter with diesel fuel, oil, etc. Up to those whose manufacturing cycle lasts several tens or hundreds of hours.

There are many examples of terrorists using explosives in world history. On April 19, 1995, an explosion occurred in the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and leaving a large number of casualties. The perpetrators were a small group of 4 people, who used approximately 2200 kg to carry out the terrorist attack. homemade fuel using ammonium nitrate. Explosions of residential buildings in Moscow in 1999 were also carried out using explosives (RDX).

As you can see, terrorism is diverse in its manifestations and is constantly evolving. This is a diverse and complexly structured phenomenon. Various typologies of terrorism make it possible to see the full breadth and diversity of this phenomenon, the diversity of its constituent actions, and also to specify the level of prevalence of the case (local, regional, global). This is necessary in order to determine an adequate response. Terrorism is constantly changing. When analyzing each specific case of terrorist activity, it is necessary to take into account socio-historical and political conditions. Many manifestations of terrorism contain so many components that it is very difficult to place them within the framework of any one typology. So, it can be stated that the compilation of a typology pursues pragmatic rather than theoretical goals. It is designed to help improve the development of methods for combating terrorism and to help predict its possible modifications. In other words, typology can be a guide in the study of terrorism and contribute to understanding the essence of this complex phenomenon.

Conclusion

Terrorism and terror have their roots in the deep past, although the history of terrorism itself begins only from the end of the 17th century, when terror began to be used everywhere by countries to intimidate and control the people. Then terror was a violent manifestation on the part of the state, and terrorism on the part of the people. A striking example of this can be considered the numerous revolutionary organizations in Russia at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries (“Land and Freedom”, “Narodnaya Volya”, etc.).

If in the 18th century terrorism was predominantly of a nationalistic nature, then after the First World War terrorism was predominantly of an ideological (fascist and socialist terrorist organizations) and religious nature. In addition, terrorism is turning into a factor in interstate confrontation. Terrorist movements receive support from countries that act as potential or actual opponents of the state that is the target of terrorist attacks. It was then that modern international terrorism was born.

Modern terrorism has many different varieties, but basically they are all divided into 4 groups:

1.By the way it influences people (physical and psychological).

2.On a religious-ideological basis (nationalist, ideological and religious).

.By political and geographical scale (national and international).

.By medium of implementation (ground, air, sea and space).

.According to the means and technologies used (chemical, electromagnetic, nuclear, biological, using explosives).

The typology is a guideline in the study of terrorism and contributes to understanding the essence of this complex phenomenon.

Terrorism is a global problem of society, posing a threat to all humanity and bringing with it economic, social, cultural and other problems, which must be combated immediately. This topic will always be relevant: there are many examples of terrorist activities in which innocent people suffered (the crash of the Russian A321 aircraft in Egypt - 224 people died, the events of September 11, 2001 - 2977 people died), and all measures should be taken to ensure that so that the number of these examples does not increase.

This work does not end here and will continue further. The next step is to study the pattern of modern terrorism.

Bibliography

1. Avdeev Yu.I., Main trends of modern terrorism. // M., 1998.

2.Antonyan Yu.M., Smirnov V.V., Terrorism today. // M., 2000.

Antonyan Yu.M., Terrorism. Criminological and criminal legal research // M., 1998.

Baranov A.S. The image of a terrorist in Russian culture // Society of Science and Modernity, 1998 No. 2

Great Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius // DVD edition, 2012.

Budnitsky O.V. Terrorism in the Russian liberation movement: ideology, ethics, psychology (second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries). // M., 2000.

7. Budnitsky O.V. Terrorism: history and modernity // Airex, 1994-1995.

Gavrilin Yu.V., Smirnov L.V. Modern terrorism: essence, typology, problems of counteraction. // M., 2003.

Emelyanov V.P. Terrorism and crimes with signs of terrorism. // St. Petersburg, 2002.

Zharikov K.V. Terrorism and terrorists. Historical reference book. // Minsk, 1999.

Zamkova V., Ilchikov M. Terrorism is a global problem of our time. // M., 1996.

Ilyinsky I.M. About terror and terrorism // M.: Between the Future and the Past, 2006, pp. 239, 242.

Ilyinsky I.M. About terror and terrorism. // M., 2001.

Kozhushko E.P. Modern terrorism: analysis of the main directions. // Minsk, 2000.

Korolev A.A.. Terror and terrorism in the psychological and ideological dimension: history and modernity // M.: Moscow University for the Humanities, 2008.

Kuznetsov S.A., Snarskaya S.M. Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language // St.-P.: Institute of Linguistic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004.

Litvinov N.D. Terrorist organizations: formation and activity (political and legal analysis). // M., 1999.

Small encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron.

Ozhegov S.I. Dictionary of the Russian language // M.: Russian language, 1984.

Salimov K.N. Modern problems of terrorism. // M., 2000.

Terrorism in the modern world: origins, essence, directions and threats. // M., 2003.

It is not easy to define terrorism, since sometimes this concept has different meanings. Modern society is faced with many types of terrorism, and this term has lost its clear meaning. Terrorism includes purely criminal kidnappings for ransom, politically motivated murders, brutal methods of warfare, aircraft hijackings, and blackmail, i.e. acts of violence directed against the property and interests of citizens. There are more than a hundred definitions of terror and terrorism, but none of them are sufficiently specific.

The word terror comes from the Latin language: terror - fear, horror. Indeed, any actions of a terrorist (even those not related to murder) always involve violence, coercion, and threat. The main means of achieving a goal for any terrorist is intimidation, creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, and instilling terror. Taking into account the extreme social danger and cruelty of acts of terror, their antisociality and inhumanity, terrorism can be defined as a social phenomenon consisting in the unlawful use of extreme forms of violence or the threat of violence to intimidate opponents in order to achieve specific goals.

Nowadays, there are many forms of terrorism that can be classified according to the subjects of terrorist activity and the focus on achieving certain results.

Intrastate terrorism is the activity of specially organized terrorist groups or individual terrorists, whose actions are aimed at achieving various political goals within one state. Terror can be called violence deliberately directed towards the state. Violence comes in two forms: 1) direct violence, which is expressed in the direct use of force (war, armed uprising, political repression, terror), and 2) indirect (hidden) violence, which does not involve the direct use of force (various forms of spiritual, psychological pressure, political intervention, economic blockade), but means only the threat of force (political pressure, diplomatic ultimatum). As noted in the legal literature, state terror is more often resorted to by unstable regimes with a low level of legitimacy of power, which cannot maintain the stability of the system using economic and political methods.

Russia experienced political terror back in the days of Narodnaya Volya, whose members widely used terrorist methods to fight the hated government (this organization prepared 7 attempts on the life of Alexander II). However, if in past times terrorists chose specific government or public figures as victims, modern political terrorists do not disdain massacres: from being an annoying expense, extraneous victims have become one of the most effective means of modern terrorism. Panic is what terrorists are counting on. They don't demand anything, they don't call for anything. They simply blow up houses, trying to sow animalistic fear and panic. Fear is not an end in itself. Fear is only a means to achieve certain political goals.

Thus, political terrorism is the use of terror for political purposes. That is why the main targets of terrorist actions are large masses of obviously defenseless people. And the more merciless and bloody the terrorist action, the better for the terrorists. This means that the faster the government, political forces or population will do what is required of them. In this regard, hospitals, maternity hospitals, kindergartens, schools, and residential buildings are ideal targets for political terrorists. That is, with political terror, the main object of influence is not the people themselves, but the political situation, which, through terror against civilians, they try to change in the direction desired by the terrorists. “Ordinary” terrorists, in order to achieve their goals, first threaten violence, and only if they are intransigent do they realize their threats, while political terror initially involves mass casualties. Be that as it may, terrorism is classified as a criminal offense, regardless of its causes, goals and motives. Modern political terrorism has merged with criminal crime; they interact and support each other. Their goals and motives may be different, but their forms and methods are the same.

Experts studying the phenomenon of terrorism identify six main types of modern terrorism:

1. Nationalist terrorism: Terrorists of this type usually aim to form a separate state for their ethnic group. They call it "national liberation" which they think the rest of the world has forgotten about. This type of terrorist often gains sympathy in the international arena.

Experts say that it is nationalist terrorists who can, in the course of their armed struggle, reduce the level of violence they use, or at least correlate it with the actions of their enemies. This is done mainly in order not to lose the support of one’s ethnic group. Many nationalist terrorists claim that they are not terrorists, but fighters for the freedom of their people.

Typical examples are the Irish Republican Army and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Both organizations stated in the 1990s that they renounced terrorist methods. Experts include the Basque Homeland and Freedom organizations, which intend to separate the areas of traditional Basque residence from Spain, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which wants to create its own state in Turkey, as the same type of terrorists.

2. Religious terrorism: Religious terrorists use violence for purposes they believe are ordained by God. At the same time, the targets of their attacks are blurred geographically, ethnically, and socially. In this way they want to achieve immediate and dramatic change, often on a global level. Religious terrorists belong not only to small cults, but also to widespread religious denominations. This type of terrorism is developing much more dynamically than others. Thus, in the mid-90s, out of 56 known terrorist organizations, almost half claimed religious motives.

Since the "religious" are not concerned with the restoration of rights in any particular territory or the implementation of any political principles, the scale of their attacks is often much greater than that of "nationalists" or ideological extremists. Their enemies are anyone who is not a member of their religious sect or denomination. This category of terrorists includes Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, the Sunni Muslim group Hamas, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, the radical Jewish organizations of the late Rabbi Meer Kahan, and some American Ku Klux Klan "folk militias" ", and the Japanese cult "Aum Senrike".

3. State-sponsored terrorism: Some terrorist groups have been deliberately used by various governments as a cheap way to wage war. Such terrorists are dangerous primarily because their resources are usually much more powerful; they can even bomb airports.

One of the most notorious cases is Iran's use of a group of young militants to take hostages at the American embassy in 1979. Currently, the US State Department considers Iran one of the main sponsors of terrorism, but Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria are accused of supporting terrorists.

Known terrorist groups include the following government ties: Hezbollah is supported by Iran, the Abu Nidal Organization is supported by Iraq, and the Japanese Red Army is supported by Libya. Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda was so closely associated with the Taliban when they were in power in Afghanistan that some experts place it in the same category.

• 4. Terrorism by left-wing extremists: The most radical left wants to destroy capitalism and replace it with a communist or socialist regime. Because they generally view civilians as victims of capitalist exploitation, they do not often resort to terrorist attacks against ordinary citizens. They are much more likely to resort to kidnapping rich people or blowing up various “symbols of capitalism.” Examples of such groups are the German Baader-Meinhof, the Japanese Red Army and the Italian Red Brigades.
• 5. Right-wing extremist terrorism: Right-wing extremists are usually the most disorganized groups, often associated with Western European neo-Nazis. Their mission is to fight democratic governments to replace them with fascist states. Neo-fascists attack immigrants and refugees and are primarily racist and anti-Semitic.
• 6. Anarchist terrorism: Anarchist terrorists were a global phenomenon from the 1870s to the 1920s. One of the US presidents, William Mackinley, was assassinated by an anarchist in 1901. In Russia during the same period, anarchists carried out many successful terrorist attacks. The Bolsheviks, who came to power in Russia as a result of the October revolution of 1917, were closely associated with many “explosers,” although they themselves were mainly involved in bank robberies - the so-called “expropriations.” Some experts suggest that modern anti-globalists may give rise to a new wave of anarchist terrorism.

I would like to note the fact that in addition to numerous terrorist organizations, there are also many government agencies supporting these organizations and even state sponsors of terrorism. These are mainly developed Western and Arab oil-producing countries. It is quite obvious that the phenomenon of terrorism becomes especially dangerous if it is created and supported by state regimes, especially dictatorial, nationalist, separatist types. It is assumed that terrorist training bases exist in at least a dozen countries: Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Cuba, Syria, Sudan. Extremist and terrorist organizations and groups, not excluding Muslim ones, are located on the territory of such developed countries as Germany, Great Britain, and France. The terrorist underground - including groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad - operate in inaccessible jungles and deserts and hide in the centers of large cities.

Bloody actions of the Chechens, the events of September 11 in the USA, almost daily terrorist acts in Israel, striking in their cruelty and barbaric forms (explosions in crowded places - cafes, shops, administrative buildings, passenger buses and airplanes) ... And this is not a complete list actions of terrorist fanatics over the past few years. I would like to note that all of the above acts were committed by terrorists on religious grounds. It is Bin Laden's religious beliefs that make him and his followers so dangerous. It is known that agents of the so-called number one terrorist have been trying to buy or steal nuclear technology for years. Apparently, they considered this their main religious purpose - to get to chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Here's what Stephen Simon, a former member of the National Security Council who has published a book on religious terrorism, writes: “This is not violence in the service of some practical program. This is the killing of infidels for the glory of Allah. For a non-religious person, this is madness. And can it end on its own? The facts speak for themselves: they have only one goal - to kill as many people as possible in order to undermine the power of Satan. And no responsibility: there is only one moral criterion, and this criterion is God.” Enthusiastic and convinced that they are doing the will of God, terrorist fanatics lack any moral self-restraint. They are limited only by their capabilities.

What is a terrorist attack? In other words, this is the commission of an explosion, shooting, arson or other similar actions that frighten the population and necessarily create a danger of human death.

This article will talk about the terrible world tragedies that were a consequence of the actions of bandit groups and led to numerous losses among the population. The article provides a list of the largest terrorist attacks in the world.

Responsibility for such disasters, as a rule, is taken by groups hiding behind Islam.

Top 10 loudest of the 21st century

Here is a list of the world's largest tragedies by number of victims.

1. September terrorist attack in 2004 in Beslan, North Ossetia. As a result, 335 people were killed (including 186 children), 2000 were injured.

2. March 2004 - the largest terrorist attack in Europe since the 2nd World War, committed in 4 Madrid trains (Spain). A total of 192 people were killed and 2,000 were injured.

4. One of the bloodiest terrorist attacks in Pakistan occurred in October 2007. The result was 140 dead and 500 wounded.

5. In October 2002, on Dubrovka in Moscow, during a performance of a musical called “Nord-Ost,” a group of armed militants killed 130 people. More than 900 people became hostages.

6. The world's largest terrorist attack occurred in the United States of America in 2001 on September 11th. The militants' actions (4 passenger planes were hijacked) resulted in 2,973 casualties.

7. In September 1999, an explosion occurred on the street. Guryanov in a 9-story building in Moscow. As a result, 92 people were killed and 264 were injured.

Another explosion 3 days later, also in a residential building, claimed 124 lives and injured 9 people.

8. As a result of the militant attack in June 1995 on the city of Budenovsk, 129 people were killed and 415 were injured. More than 1,600 hostages were taken to hospitals.

9. The explosion of a Boeing 747 flight from London to New York over Scotland in December 1988 killed 270 passengers and crew members.

10. The crash of a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula in 2015 killed 224 people.

Below is a more detailed description of some of the most tragic terrorist attacks.

Twin Towers

Let's look at the largest terrorist attacks abroad using the example of 2 events that brought a huge number of victims, especially among American citizens.

The day of September 11th became a mourning day for all residents of this country and people around the world. Terrorists numbering 11 (the international territorial organization Al-Qaeda), divided into 4 groups, hijacked four passenger airliners in the United States and sent 2 of them to the New York Twin Towers of a large shopping center.

Both towers were collapsed along with adjacent buildings. The 3rd plane was directed towards the Pentagon building (not far from Washington). The crew of the 4th plane, together with the passengers of the flight, tried to escape by seizing control of the airliner from the terrorists. However, it crashed in Pennsylvania (Shanksville).

The largest terrorist attack in history claimed a total of 2,973 lives (including 60 police officers and 343 firefighters). The exact amount of damage caused is unknown (about $500 billion).

Boeing 747

As a result of the Boeing 747 crash over Scotland in 1988, 259 passengers and crew members and 11 residents of the town were killed.

It was an American PanAmerican plane flying from London to New York. This terrible disaster turned out to be tragic for some residents of Lockerbie, due to the destruction of the liner on the ground. Among the dead were mainly citizens of Great Britain and the United States.

Charges were brought against 2 Libyans, although the state itself did not officially admit guilt. However, it paid compensation to the families of the victims of this tragedy (Lockerbie).

In connection with the events that took place, in 1992 the UN Security Council imposed international sanctions against the regime of M. Gaddafi, which were subsequently lifted.

During all this time, many assumptions have been made about the involvement of senior representatives of the Libyan leadership in organizing that disaster, but none of them (except for the guilt of former intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi) was proven by the court.

These two cases represent the largest terrorist attacks in the world.

Tragedy in Beslan

Russia has suffered a huge number of terrorist attacks, which resulted in many casualties among innocent civilians, including children.

The terrible tragedy in Beslan (North Ossetia) is the world's largest terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of a huge number of children.

On September 1, a detachment of terrorists (30 people) under the leadership of R. Khachbarov seized the building of school No. 1, where he held 1,128 people hostage (mostly children). The next day (Sept. 2), the ex-president of the Republic of Ingushetia, Ruslan Aushev, who was let into the school building by the bandits, managed to persuade the invaders to release about 25 women with small children and release them with him.

Everything happened spontaneously. When in the middle of the day a car drove into the school site with the aim of picking up the corpses of people killed by bandits, several explosions were suddenly heard in the building itself, after which shooting began from all sides. Women and children began to jump out of the opening in the wall and out of the windows. At that time, all the men in the school had already been killed by terrorists.

The surviving children and women were released.

"Nord-Ost"

Many of the world's largest terrorist attacks involved the taking of huge numbers of hostages. This happened in Moscow on October 23, 2002 (21:15).

Militants led by M. Barayev broke into the Theater Center, located on Dubrovka (Melnikova Street), during the performance of “Nord-Ost”. There were only 916 people in the building at that time (including approximately 100 children).

The room was completely mined by the militants. Attempts to establish contact with them were successful, and after a certain time, State Duma deputy I. Kobzon, journalist M. Franchetti and 2 doctors from the Red Cross were able to enter the seized building. Thanks to their actions, 1 woman and three children were taken out of the building.

On the evening of October 24, the Al-Jazeera TV channel showed Barayev. This video was recorded before the theater center was captured. In it, the terrorists presented themselves as suicide bombers, and their demand was to withdraw Russian troops from Chechnya.

On October 26, special forces carried out an assault using nerve gas, after which they captured the building, and the terrorists, along with the leader, were completely destroyed (50 people). Among them were women (18). Three bandits were detained.

A total of 130 people died.

Statistics on victims of terrorist attacks over the past 10 years

Over the past 10 years, more than 6 thousand terrorist attacks have occurred worldwide. More than 25 thousand people became their victims.

Currently, according to various expert estimates, there are approximately 500 extremist groups and terrorist organizations. What is worrying is the fact that recently, more and more often, the targets of these gangster formations are places of mass gathering of citizens (remember the largest terrorist attack in the world).

Also, so-called “technological terrorism” is increasingly taking place, where the latest developments and technologies are used. In addition, recently there has been an increase in extremism among young people. Foreign citizens of different ethnic backgrounds are increasingly becoming targets of attacks.

2015 terrorist attack

The world's largest terrorist attack in the air occurred recently - in 2015 in the skies over Egypt.

The terrible accident with the Airbus-A321 aircraft (Russian airline Kogalymavia) was a shock for the entire society.

During the flight, a homemade explosive device with a power of up to 1 kg was detonated on board the airliner. into TNT. equivalent. This happened on October 31st. A total of 224 people died. After this tragedy, the Federal Air Transport Agency suspended regular, transit and charter passenger flights to Egypt from November 6.

A group from the Sinai vilayat (province) of the banned Islamic State (IS) in Russia took responsibility for the crime.

What happened on the peninsula is one of the bloodiest in the world.

Conclusion

In the 21st century, terrorism has become quite active and more sophisticated. Numerous news about tragedies fill the press and television channels. Almost every month (or even more often) terrible attacks are committed all over the planet, claiming the lives of civilians. This kind of action is a disease of the earth. Attempts by some authorities to protect the population from such disasters have so far been unsuccessful.

Terrorism, as well as its consequences, is one of the main and most dangerous problems facing the modern world. This phenomenon, to one degree or another, affects both developed societies and still developing countries. Terrorism increasingly threatens the security of most countries and entails enormous political, economic and moral losses. Any country, any person can become its victims. Over the last century, terrorism has changed significantly as a phenomenon.

Terrorism has developed most since the 60s of the 20th century, when entire regions of the world were covered with zones and centers of activity of terrorist organizations and groups of various orientations. Today there are about 500 illegal terrorist organizations in the world. From 1968 to 1980, they committed about 6,700 terrorist attacks, resulting in 3,668 deaths and 7,474 injuries. In modern conditions, there is an escalation of terrorist activities by extremist individuals, groups and organizations, its nature is becoming more complex, and the sophistication and inhumanity of terrorist acts are increasing. According to studies by a number of Russian scientists and data from foreign research centers, the total budget in the field of terrorism ranges from 5 to 20 billion dollars annually.

Terrorism has acquired an international, global character. Until relatively recently, terrorism could be spoken of as a local phenomenon. In the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, it already became a phenomenon on a global scale. This is due to the expansion and globalization of international relations and interaction in various fields.

The world community's concern about the growth of terrorist activity is due to the large number of victims of terrorists and the enormous material damage caused by terror. Recently, human and material losses due to terrorist attacks have been recorded in Northern Ireland, the USA, Russia, Kenya, Tanzania, Japan, Argentina, India, Pakistan, Algeria, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Albania, Yugoslavia, Colombia, Iran and a number of other countries. Terrorist activity in modern conditions is characterized by a wide scope, the absence of clearly defined state borders, the presence of connections and interaction with international terrorist centers and organizations.

The work examines terrorism as such, its modern varieties, tasks and goals that it pursues.

1. TERRORISM AND POLITICAL EXTREMISM.

In modern conditions, terrorism is a very large-scale and widespread socio-political phenomenon, which is caused by a variety of contradictions that exist in society and relate to the main spheres of life of the latter; it has a very complex content and an extensive system of forms, affecting primarily the area of ​​political relations at its various levels: interstate, interethnic, class, group.

As a social phenomenon, terrorism is multifaceted. It includes such basic elements as extremist, terrorist ideology, relevant organizations for carrying out political violence in the form of terrorist manifestations, as well as the practice of terrorist actions (or terrorist activity itself).

Terrorist ideology is inherent in various participants in political relations: states, parties, socio-political movements, organizations, groups. In general terms, the main types of this kind of ideology include the ideology of neo-colonialism and foreign policy expansion, neo-fascist and ultra-revolutionary ideologies, radical nationalist and racist ideologies, etc. The ideological and political justifications for the use of terror as a method of political struggle and the basic guidelines for its use are contained, as shown by modern the theory and practice of terrorism, either in more general ideological concepts of certain participants in political relations (political movements, parties, etc.), or in terrorist theories themselves (for example, the concept of “urban guerrillas”).

Having a political orientation, existing in the sphere of political relations, terrorism serves the interests of certain social forces and organizations in their struggle for power, to weaken the positions of their political opponents and strengthen their own positions, while it is used to achieve both strategic and tactical goals .
As one of the phenomena of political struggle, terrorism is distinguished by the conspiratorial mode of action of its subjects, their highly secret status (if belonging to government agencies) and illegal or semi-legal position (if belonging to non-governmental organizations).

Terrorism refers to that area of ​​political struggle that involves the use of violent forms and methods condemned by law or public morality, and is characterized as a type of political extremism

Political extremism is a phenomenon of social life, characteristic not only of the modern stage of human development, it has existed since the emergence of political power and political struggle. Political extremism is a system of extreme - from the point of view of society - views and actions aimed at satisfying the political interests of individual social groups: classes, ethnic groups, political movements, parties, groupings. A characteristic feature of political extremism is the illegitimate use of violence in various forms as the main method of political struggle.

Under different historical conditions, the specific content of political extremism has changed significantly. This concerns both his ideology and the organization of extremist structures, and the practical side of the use of violence in the political interests of the relevant social groups. The modern period of political history is characterized by an exceptionally wide dissemination of the views and concepts of political extremism throughout the world, including the CIS countries, including Russia, a wide variety of ideological and political platforms (national, religious, neo-fascist, ultra-revolutionary, etc. extremism), conditions emergence and development of political extremism.
Political extremism as a phenomenon expressing the interests of various social forces in the difficult conditions of political struggle in society has a variety of objects of influence. Chief among them is the political organization of those social forces against which the struggle is being waged. This, for example, may be the political system of society, which is opposed by certain political extremist forces, the existing legal order in society, the state, its policies, etc. The objects of political extremism may also include opposing parties, movements, socio-political organizations, etc.

The objects of political extremism are often foreign states and their organizations, as well as international organizations, international law and order and security.

The goals and objectives of political extremism are realized through the use of a wide range of methods in order to exert violent influence. These include methods of an organizational nature, physical and moral-psychological influence, as well as methods of propaganda influence.

Political extremism in modern conditions is characterized by its spread among wide sections of the population, the resort to violence as a method of political struggle by many political movements, parties and organizations of various directions.

The modern practice of political extremism is characterized by the widespread use of its particularly acute violent criminal forms and methods (destruction and intimidation of political opponents, destruction of their political structures and material objects, etc.), which is observed in almost all regions of the world - with few exceptions - and has become a distinctive feature of the political situation in the CIS countries.

Terrorism occupies a central place in the system of political extremism. It is one of the most dangerous types of political extremism for society, since, unlike other types, harming the life and health of people and intimidating them is deliberately considered as a necessary condition for achieving the political goals pursued by terrorists. In this case, we can talk about both individual specific individuals (state and public figures, government officials, etc.), and about other persons or an indefinite number of them.