Deck 3: The History of Terrorism

Question 1

Why study terrorism at all, let alone its early history?

A) Terrorism did not begin with Osama Bin Laden, nor will it end with him.
B) The history of terrorism is significantly different from terrorism today.
C) Terrorism can be pinpointed with a few simple characteristics that we may be able to learn about by looking to the past.
D) Terrorism did not start until recently so we might as well include everything we know about it.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In his seminal 1984 article on religious terrorism, Rapoport characterizes these groups - the Zealots, Thugs, and Assassins - as practicing

A) suicide bombings.
B) jihad.
C) Judaism
D) sacred terror.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The Zealots were a religious group existing early in the 1st Century (C.E.). Their goals were to

A) overthrow the Roman Empire in Judea and reform the practice of Judaism in their own image.
B) increase piousness of the Jews and destroy the Pagans in nearby places such as Samaria.
C) establish an early Islamic caliphate and convert everyone to Muslims.
D) increase zealotry of all religions in an effort to bring people to any religion at all.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

"________________________ are rare in history, as are religious pressure groups with no political ambitions." - Chailand and Blin

A) Religious terrorist groups
B) Groups that impose their religion on others
C) Exclusively political terrorist organizations
D) Terrorist organizations without a purpose

Question 5

In order to create a sense of vulnerability in the general population, Zealots attacked their victims, usually political or religious figures

A) after they made a definitive stance to oppose the Zealots.
B) in open, highly populated public places.
C) and the relatives or close friends of their targets.
D) scattering the remains of their victims for everyone to see.

Question 6

The reason that Jerusalem was sacked, the Second Temple destroyed, and the Jews scattered to the wide corners of the Roman Empire was because of

A) sudden natural disasters that made the Jews think they were under the wrath of God.
B) the Roman Empire crushing not only the Zealots but also stamping out Judaism in general.
C) the Zealots turning on their own people and terrorizing them.
D) an invading empire that slew all of them.

Question 7

The Assassins were founded by Hassan I Sabah in 1090 and lasted until 1275. The group was active in Persia, Syria, and Palestine. Their goal was to

A) tell people the truth - that nothing is real, and everything is permitted.
B) bring an end to the Christians and Jews, since the Assassins viewed Jerusalem as their holy land and wouldn't share it with anyone else.
C) purify Islam in both its religious and political institutions which they viewed as inseparable.
D) terrorize everyone into becoming Muslim.

Question 8

In effect, the Assassins could be viewed as the precursors to the suicide bombers of today.

Question 9

The assassins even declared themselves to be a(n) _______________; a feat few terrorist groups have ever been able to repeat.

A) worldwide terrorist organization
B) sect of Islam
C) peace-enforcing military
D) independent state

Question 10

The Thugees were a Hindu cult who worshipped and killed for

A) Shiva - the Hindu god known as "The Destroyer"
B) Lakshmi - the Hindu goddess of wealth, since their targets were chosen for having lots of money.
C) their fearless leader who they believed to be a God.
D) Kali - often called the Hindu Goddess of Death.

Question 11

To kill their victims, Thugees used

A) explosives to cause damage to people and structures.
B) daggers because they were a traditional weapon.
C) their hands, since weapons were forbidden in some places.
D) cloths so that no blood would be spilt.

Question 12

The longevity of the Thugees is due mostly to

A) their targets, travelers, undertook long journeys through dangerous territories where death may come by natural causes or common robbers and no one would be able to know anything of it.
B) their large arsenal of weapons and their support base among citizens.
C) their random strike pattern that no one could predict.
D) their strong, centralized leadership that stayed alive for generations.

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of the Thugees not found in the Zealots or Assassins?

A) The Thugees sacrificed the people that tried to leave their organization.
B) The Thugees were secretive and did nothing for publicity.
C) The Zealots and Assassins were religious terror organizations; the Thugees were secular.
D) The Thugees were not generally viewed as terrorists.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a reason the Thugees eventually met their demise?

A) They took greater risks in killing more important people in more public places.
B) The advance of technology.
C) The loss of their original goal and they became overwhelmed with greed.
D) A British invasion welcomed by the peasants that wanted security and order.

Question 15

Of the three groups, which had the most limited political effect?

A) The Assassins.
B) The Thugees.
C) All three had a substantial effect on the political environment at their time.
D) The Zealots.

Question 16

The use of the term "terrorism" or "terror" can be traced back to the

A) War of 1812
B) Revolutionary War
C) French Revolution.
D) First World War

Question 17

Robespierre utilized ____________ against all enemies, foreign and domestic, real or imagined, to ensure the failure of any opposition to the ruling Jacobins.

A) private assassinations
B) the guillotine
C) poison
D) propaganda

Question 18

The French Revolution saw the execution of many people; however, those that revolted made an honest effort to execute the nobility with few accidents in executing citizens in other classes.

Question 19

"Propaganda by deed" is the idea that

A) propaganda is only necessary through actions and does not need to be distributed through other means.
B) propaganda forced hard enough upon people becomes an effective form of indoctrination.
C) once propaganda is distributed, people will act of their own volition to enforce it.
D) simple propaganda without action will be ineffective and violent, but mostly targeted, actions are needed

Question 20

The Russian group Narodnaya Volya (the People's Will) assassinated Alexander II who was considered a reformer and probably the only one capable of creating and leading a transformed Russia.

Question 21

Which of the following is a common strategy of anti-colonial groups?

A) Try to hold territory against the larger military force of the state.
B) overwhelm the larger military forces and win big battles that matter.
C) frame the military as having committed crimes against humanity by acting as them and doing terrible things.
D) Force an occupying power to overreact, by randomly targeting soft targets and generating a fear of attack in the general population.

Question 22

The main goal in the anti-colonial terrorist movements was to

A) reach a diplomacy so that they could gain more political power as a colony.
B) end all governments they saw as corrupt in their quest for anarchy.
C) achieve independence and establish their own nation.
D) amass a large fortune so they could hire another country's military to fight their battles.

Question 23

A key difference between earlier anti-colonial movements and later nationalist groups that followed was

A) the popular support - anti-colonial groups were much more popular among most people.
B) that most people thought the nationalist groups had a moral argument.
C) the commitment of anti-colonial movements to their cause - nationalist groups were easier to wipe out.
D) that their independence, in some cases, resulted from powerful forces other than terrorism.

Question 24

The third wave was motivated by

A) the overthrow of oppressive regimes of governments that colonized other nations.
B) the communist ideologies of Marxist and Lenin and used violence to try to overthrow Capitalist systems.
C) instituting religion in their governments.
D) their desire to free everyone from all governments.

Question 25

In the fourth wave of terrorism, the goal of the groups was to fundamentally overthrow the current system and replace it with one that is based upon, and adheres strictly to, a rigid religious code.

Question 26

In the 1st Century, the Zealots provided an early lesson in how a strong and large civilian force can challenge a decentralized weak occupying power -- a lesson used in tactics and strategy by the anti-colonial terrorist groups of the 20th Century

Question 27

Both the Zealots and the Assassins (beginning in the 11th Century) used terrorist activities to "purify" their respective religions of corrupt practices, likely providing a justification and a road map for the current Islamic fundamentalist groups such as Hamas or Al Queda.

Question 28

The anti-monarchical flavor of the terrorism of the French Revolution (in specific their executions) influenced the anti-state motivations of the anarchist groups of the 19th Century.

Question 29

The anarchists significantly influenced the teachings of the left-wing ideologies of Marx and Lenin, who in turn provided the ideology of left-wing groups in Europe, Latin America, and even in the United States, particularly in the latter half of the 20th Century.

Question 30

A number of terrorist groups in operation today have over time found vital support, funding, and shelter with foreign governments in much the same way as the Zealots did.

Question 31

When an anarchist assassinated President William McKinley in September 1901, his successor Theodore Roosevelt

A) demolished the group the anarchist came from over a period of five years and no one has heard of them since.
B) called for a crusade to exterminate terrorism everywhere.
C) signed a treaty with anarchists and worked with them as long as he could.
D) watched as the group fell apart from members disgusted in the loss of morality.

Question 32

The primary tool of the anarchist wave of terrorism was

A) suicide bombings.
B) assassinations.
C) guerilla warfare.
D) anti-governmental propaganda.

Question 33

Which of the following best describes a wave, in the terrorism context of the term?

A) It is a cycle of expansion and contraction phases, with internationally similar interests, causes, or goals.
B) It is seen when terrorists across the board wipe out their targets, like an ocean wave that eradicates sand castles on the beach.
C) It is when the flow of terrorism goes beyond what people can initially contain, but they may later overcome it.
D) Waves are periods of time in which terrorists gain enough support to form an army and challenge other nations head on.

Question 34

Normally, organizations disappear before the initial wave associated with them does.

Question 35

A comparison of Nechaev's Revolutionary Catechism with Osama bin Laden's training manual, Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants, shows that they share one very significant feature -

A) a desire to institute a religious government.
B) the necessity of communism overthrowing capitalism.
C) ultimately, a desire for peace.
D) a paramount desire to become more efficient by learning from the experiences of friends and enemies alike.

Question 36

The high point of the first wave of international terrorist activity occurred in the 1890s, sometimes called the ___________________ when monarchs, prime ministers, and presidents were struck down.

A) Golden Age of Assassination
B) Anarchical Era
C) Decentralization Period of Government
D) Reign of Terror

Question 37

The suspicion that Serbia helped Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassin precipitated World War I. An unintended consequence of the four terrible years that followed was

A) a unification of all nations against terrorism.
B) the placing of sanctions against Serbia and all other state sponsors of terrorism
C) the use of women in assassinating.
D) a dampened enthusiasm for the strategy of assassination.

Question 38

In the first wave of terrorism, terrorists rebranded themselves as "freedom fighters" struggling against "government terror."

Question 39

The second wave of terrorists sought to eliminate

A) secularity from governments.
B) any and all political opponents immediately, since if no one could speak against them, no one would be able to tell if they were distorting the truth or not.
C) what they saw as "tainted religion."
D) the police force first, theorizing that the military would replace them and make government perception worse, increasing support for the terrorist cause.

Question 40

With a fairly precise definition of terrorism, many decisions are objective and easily made.

Question 41

1975 was called "The Year of the Terrorist" because there was a drastic increase in terrorism around the world.

Question 42

Public perceptions of the level of terrorism is actually influenced by

A) the number of times per year the most active terrorist strikes.
B) location, religious views and nationality of the terrorist(s).
C) the number of natural disasters that also occur that year.
D) how radical the terrorist appears to be, since it will attract media coverage.

Question 43

Religious elements have always been important in modern terror because religious and ethnic identities often overlap.

Question 44

The first time missiles were used against a group rather than a state, the United States turned bin Laden from a marginal figure in the Muslim world to a global celebrity.

Question 45

The disruption of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has altered the organization's previous routine because

A) al-Qaeda struggled to find a foothold anywhere else.
B) support for al-Qaeda waned after it lost its sensational leadership.
C) al-Qaeda sleeper cells remained inactive until the moment to strike materialized, often designated by the organization's senior leadership.
D) people lost a lot of faith in Islam in general.

Question 46

An integral and innovative part of the Irgun's strategy was Begin's use of

A) threats to start a nuclear war if no Jewish state was created.
B) women suicide bombers to pull the heartstrings of the media.
C) daring and dramatic acts of violence to attract international attention.
D) slandering the Muslims and defiling what they considered to be holy.

Question 47

Deploying a large number of forces to combat terrorism is ineffective because

A) terrorism is not a war of numbers; one does not use a tank to catch a mouse.
B) the terrorists slaughter them by the thousands on their home turf.
C) lots of troops trip over their own feet and friendly fire becomes an issue.
D) the brutality of the troops only serves the terrorist purpose.

Question 48

To most terrorists, several targets that draw little attention is much more valuable than one target that draws a lot of attention, since smaller targets are less likely to get the terrorist killed.

Question 49

Hoffman says that one can argue that terrorism does "work" because

A) it kills a lot of people.
B) the end goal, acquisition of power in government, is almost always achieved.
C) if it didn't, it wouldn't be so widely popular.
D) positive or negative, attention is drawn to the cause of the terrorists.

Question 50

The FLN was especially concerned with influencing policy not only in Algiers but in New York and Paris as well because

A) The French and Americans were responsible for some of the bad things happening to citizens.
B) Their enemies had previously sought alliances with those people.
C) they saw in terrorism an effective means of transforming hitherto local conflicts into international issues.
D) those cities previously had managerial roles over the colony in which the FLN resided.

Question 51

Identify three similarities between historical terrorism and recent terrorism and explain why the history of terrorism is important and relevant.

Question 52

Briefly summarize the four waves of terrorism, giving at least two or three characteristics of each wave.