Terrorism and Political Change

FAIN: FA-11788-77

Martha C. Hutchinson
Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT 06459-3208)

A comparative analysis of selected historical cases of terrorism against governments in order to determine why terrorism occurs as a means of resistance to an established political order and whether it is effective. The cases to be explained will vary in terms of historical period, political, cultural and geographic background, ideology of the terrorist movement, and outcome. The aim of the study is an objective theoretical explanation of the strategy of terrorism, based on concrete historical evidence, which will contribute to understanding the relationship between violence and politics.