Changes

[[Leftist]] Terrorism, often referred to as radical terrorism, is terrorism that embraces the fringe left side of the political spectrum (Countries that are hostile to dissident terrorist movements often also see violence from the [[far left ]] as well). Radical terrorists are future orientated. That is, radicals believe that they are currently being oppressed by some current government, ideology or regime, and therefore they should overthrow that oppressor and install a better government. Radical terrorists often operate with the belief that it is possible to create a utopia for the people. Radicals generally follow the beliefs of [[Karl Marx]] and [[Lenin]], with emphasis on the idea of Lenin's [[vanguard party]]. Marx himself had also advocated for Revolutionary Terror in one of his correspondences with fellow Communist founder [[Friedrich Engels]] and specifically wanted to reenact the year 1793 (fitting, as the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror via the Jacobins, Gironquists, and Cordeliers Club among others were the ones who coined the term terrorism). Leftist terrorists often choose symbolic targets that emphasize what they see as an oppressor to the working class. Leftist terrorist tend to target buildings and governmental structures that represent [[capitalism]], or assassinate government leaders and capitalists. Leftist terrorists are self-characterized as the young, self-educated elites of society, who are destined to both weaken the oppressive government and at the same time expose the weakness of the government to the exploited workforce. Radicals also tend to be more exclusive with what issues they champion. Often, very narrow radicals will focus on one issue, resulting in [[animal rights]], [[feminist]], and eco-terrorists. Radical groups often operated in highly organized and clandestine groups, easily recognizable and orderly. However, leftist groups often had internal divisions in the larger groups that often broke off to create new group.<ref>Gus Martin. Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues.</ref>