The French Revolution: The Origins Of Modern Terrorism

Although, the concept of terrorism has been around for thousands of years, the notion of modern terrorism as a form of political violence did not exist until the “Reign of Terror” (The French Revolution). When the concept of modern terrorism was first conceived, it had been born from the brutal actions committed by a revolutionary government that wanted to punish its former leaders for previous political grievances. However, over the past two hundred years, the roots of modern terrorism have continued to grow to include alienation/discrimination, religion, and socio-economic status. In response to this expansion, several governments have tried to understand the roots of modern terrorism in order to aid in the development of prevention strategies.