Deck 7: Violent Ideologies: Terrorism From the Left and Right

Question 1

One of the central premises of Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth was that oppressed people should ______.

A) cast away their sense of inferiority by engaging in revolutionary violence
B) adapt to their circumstances and work within the system for justice and reform
C) forge alliances with other oppressed people to discuss ways to bring their plight to the attention of the world
D) accept their circumstances and look forward to a better future

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following statements best summarizes a central tenet of revolutionary anarchism?

A) Propaganda is best made through violent "propaganda by the deed."
B) Revolution is necessary to build a democratic future.
C) A revolutionary party is necessary for leading the people and the creation of a revolutionary environment.
D) Ideally, there must be a disciplined political party, a charismatic leader, glorification of the military, and an organized elite.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements best describes terrorist environments created by the fringe right?

A) sustained terrorist movements, similar to those of the fringe left
B) sustained terrorist environments, unlike those of the fringe left
C) rarely sustained terrorist environments, with the exception of paramilitary violence in some cases
D) widespread paramilitary violence in most cases

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements best summarizes a central tenet of fascism?

A) Propaganda is best made through violent "propaganda by the deed."
B) Revolution is necessary to build a democratic future.
C) A revolutionary party is necessary for leading the people and the creation of a revolutionary environment.
D) Ideally, there must be a disciplined political party, a charismatic leader, glorification of the military, and an organized elite.

Question 5

The ideology of the extreme right wing is often characterized by which of the following?

A) calls for cooperation among people of all nationalities, races, and religions
B) exhortations for working-class revolution
C) belief systems that promote racial and national superiority over non-members of the group.
D) campaigns for positive reform through democratic process

Question 6

Marxists traditionally believe that the demise of capitalism ______.

A) cannot occur without democratic reform
B) will inevitably occur after democratic reform
C) is historically inevitable
D) both "cannot occur without democratic reform" and "will inevitably occur after democratic reform"

Question 7

The New Left was a movement largely made up of ______.

A) communist and anarchist terrorists
B) fascist activists and sympathizers
C) racial and ethnonationalist radicals
D) none of these

Question 8

Which of the following statements best describes the political environment created by the Red Brigade?

A) widespread urban terrorism led to a 10-year period known as the "Years of Lead"
B) rural insurgency inspired by Ernesto "Che" Guevara's theory of foquismo
C) widespread unrest caused by mass-casualty insurgency and terrorism that eventually ended after a government amnesty, declared when their leader was captured and renounced violence
D) rural terrorism carried out by their death squads

Question 9

Prior to the end of the Cold War, left-wing terrorism ______.

A) was rare and random
B) occurred frequently in Western democracies
C) occurred frequently in the Soviet Union
D) was primarily religious in nature

Question 10

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the general profile of Latin American left-wing terrorism in the latter quarter of the 20th century?

A) roving bands of guerrillas taking refuge in swamps, jungles, and forests
B) mostly young urban revolutionaries, and several examples of guerrilla movements
C) urban terrorism
D) international terrorists who cooperated with other international movements

Question 11

The classical ideological continuum represents which of the following?

A) religious extremism in the modern era
B) radical nationalism in the modern era
C) the political spectrum from the fringe left to the fringe right
D) the continuum of types of national leaders

Question 12

Which of the following statements best summarizes a central tenet of revolutionary Marxism?

A) Propaganda is best made through violent "propaganda by the deed."
B) Revolution is necessary to build a democratic future.
C) A revolutionary party is necessary for leading the people and the creation of a revolutionary environment.
D) Ideally, there must be a disciplined political party, a charismatic leader, glorification of the military, and an organized elite.

Question 13

The ideology of the extreme left wing is often characterized by which of the following?

A) calls for cooperation among people of all nationalities, races, and religions
B) exhortations for working-class revolution
C) belief systems that promote racial and national superiority over non-members of the group
D) campaigns for positive reform through democratic process

Question 14

Which of the following best describes right-wing extremism?

A) It is a reaction against perceived threats to a group's value system, its presumption of superiority, or its sense of specialness.
B) It is future oriented, seeking to reform or destroy an existing system prior to building a new society.
C) It is essentially radical in nature.
D) None of these.

Question 15

Terrorist activity conducted by the fringe right wing is often characterized by which of the following?

A) apparently indiscriminate violence that often results in civilian casualties
B) the use of high-yield weapons and weapons of mass destruction
C) relatively "surgical" attacks against defined targets that result in relatively few civilian casualties
D) asymmetrical warfare such as the use of suicide bombings

Question 16

Terrorist activity conducted by the fringe left wing is often characterized by which of the following?

A) apparently indiscriminate violence that often results in civilian casualties
B) the use of high-yield weapons and weapons of mass destruction
C) relatively "surgical" attacks against defined targets that result in relatively few civilian casualties
D) asymmetrical warfare such as the use of suicide bombings

Question 17

Which of the following statements best describes the political environment created by the Shining Path?

A) widespread urban terrorism led to a 10-year period known as the "Years of Lead"
B) rural insurgency inspired by Ernesto "Che" Guevara's theory of foquismo
C) widespread unrest caused by mass-casualty insurgency and terrorism that eventually ended after a government amnesty, declared when their leader was captured and renounced violence
D) rural terrorism carried out by their death squads

Question 18

Which of the following best describes left-wing extremism?

A) It is nostalgic, seeking to restore a past system or environment that has been "stolen."
B) It is future oriented, seeking to reform or destroy an existing system prior to building a new society.
C) It is essentially reactionary in nature.
D) None of these.

Question 19

Which of the following statements best describes the content of Carlos Marighella's Mini-Manual?

A) His Mini-Manual was a book on how to survive in a capitalist society.
B) The content of his Mini-Manual included advice and instructions on how to build a revolutionary political party.
C) Marighella's Mini-Manual was a framework for waging violent insurrection in urban areas.
D) None of these.

Question 20

Left-wing terrorism in Europe during the latter quarter of the 20th century was characterized by political violence ______.

A) motivated by Islamist radicals
B) conducted mostly by young anti-capitalist and anti-NATO extremists
C) rooted in past anarchist and communist revolutionary sentiment
D) using weapons of mass destruction

Question 21

Briefly discuss the threat from the racist skinhead movement.

Question 22

Fascists traditionally believe in equality for all members of society.

Question 23

Compare and contrast the fringe left and the fringe right.

Question 24

Briefly discuss the threat from radical leftist single-issue groups.

Question 25

Leftist extremists tend to champion their self-defined "oppressed of the world."

Question 26

Marxists traditionally believed that the demise of capitalism is historically inevitable.

Question 27

Briefly discuss the terrorist environment created by Peru's Shining Path.

Question 28

Class struggle is at the center of rightist ideology.

Question 29

Briefly discuss the terrorist environment created by West Germany's Red Army Faction.

Question 30

Briefly discuss the terrorist environment created by Italy's Red Brigade.

Question 31

Briefly discuss the terrorist environment created by Argentina's Montoneros.

Question 32

Compare and contrast the far left and the far right.

Question 33

The New Terrorism is clearly explained by the classical ideological continuum.

Question 34

Left-wing terrorist movements were predominant during the 1970s and 1980s.

Question 35

Why have reactionary rightist groups been relatively less prolific and less viable in comparison to radical leftist groups?

Question 36

The classical ideological continuum represents both mainstream and extreme political beliefs.

Question 37

The proletariat represents the middle class.

Question 38

Skinheads are anti-social associations of youths who are always racists.

Question 39

Right-wing terrorist movements have been common and long-lasting.

Question 40

In your opinion, why has the fringe right rarely produced sustained terrorist environments similar to fringe left movements other than paramilitary violence?

Question 41

What was the general profile of Latin American left-wing terrorism in the latter quarter of the 20th century?

Question 42

Discuss the significance of Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth.

Question 43

In your opinion, why did revolutionary Marxism become the predominant ideology of the extreme left rather than revolutionary anarchism?

Question 44

What was the general profile of European left-wing terrorism in the latter quarter of the 20th century?

Question 45

Describe the ideology of the extreme right wing. What are the sources of their ideology? What is their terrorist activity like? How would you describe their international presence?

Question 46

Discuss the significance of the classical ideological continuum for the analysis of political extremism in the modern world. Is this continuum useful for evaluating the nature of the New Terrorism? If so, how so? If not, how not?

Question 47

Describe the ideology of the extreme left wing. What are the sources of their ideology? What is their terrorist activity like? How would you describe their international presence?

Question 48

In your opinion, what is the likelihood that right-wing extremism will appeal to large segments of the populace in Europe?

Question 49

Discuss the significance of Carlos Marighella's Mini-Manual of the Urban Guerrilla.

Question 50

Compare and contrast left-wing and right-wing extremist movements. Describe the characteristics of their underground networks and the kinds of people who participated in these networks.