NCJ Number
78821
Date Published
1981
Length
46 pages
Annotation
The historical, ideological, and sociological dimensions of terrorism in West Germany are discussed, and the political and institutional responses to terrorist activity are considered.
Abstract
Historically, organized terrorist activity in West Germany emerged when elements of the radical left became disillusioned with the constitutional left as represented by the Social Democrats. Some of the ideological reasoning of the Red Army Faction, the 2nd June Movement, and other revolutionary cells contains the concept of the 'armed struggle' and the model of Third World liberation movements, the connection drawn between Naziism and the operations of the Federal Republic, and the rejection of the consumer capitalist society as being potentially if not actually fascistic. The predominantly bourgeois background of the terrorists and the prominence of women may contribute to the somewhat utopian outlook of the terrorists, and their political isolation tends to nurture a continuing subculture alienated from legitimate power channels, thus fostering violence as a means of manifesting power. By the end of the 1970's, West Germany had developed an elaborate and sophisticated internal security system, which clearly has had an impact in helping to reduce terrorist activities. This process has been controversial because of the growth in the powers of the State and its scope for personal intrusion. Just as the specter of Nazi terrorist tactics produced a strong Government response to terrorism, so the same specter should fuel public reaction to excessive internal security measures and so temper their application. A total of 128 footnotes are provided.