Science Behind Terrorism

Drew Nelson

Professor Shirk

POL357: Global Politics of Terrorism

25 February 2018

Science Behind Terrorism

            One major point that many do not consider when they are thinking about terrorism is the science behind it. This does not mean the methods or strategies of the acts, but the new technologies and fields of research that emerged during the period that promoted the acts. This has been seen with the development of the guillotine that fostered the Reign of Terror in the late eighteenth century, the creation of dynamite or TNT that helped the acts committed by the Anarchists of the late nineteenth century, and the science of eugenics was present during the Holocaust enacted by the Nazi Party of Germany in the twentieth century. *List the similarities* *List the differences*

            After the French Republic fell deeply in debt, the Committee of Public Health and Safety lead by Maximilian Robespierre. These rebels took over and began the Reign of Terror. This is lead to the rebellion calling for and following through with the execution of their enemies. At the end of the Reign of Terror, the rebellion claimed about 17,000 lives and mass hysteria throughout the country.[1] During this time, the Committee used the guillotine, which is an instrument that decapitates its victims and typically used publically. This instrument was introduced in France in 1792.[2]

            Next, the development of dynamite which helped Anarchists complete their goal. Although in theory anarchism is not violent, some participants thought it was the only way to convey their message. They used many different tactics which mostly included assassinating specific political figures. One of the most prominent ways to do this was dynamite to cause a massive explosion. These explosions were much more impactful then black powder which was previously used.[3] Now, this could “shatter into tiny bits granite and other ricks of adamantine hardness.”[4]

            Finally, the Nazi Party in Germany used eugenics to justify the murdering of Jewish, Black, and gay peoples, along with other ethnic minorities. Eugenics is choosing heritable characteristics to create offspring that are preferable.[5] The Nazi Party used this science to justify the murdering of these peoples. The Party and those who worked with them would send the oppressed peoples to concentration camps where they would be murdered from gas chambers, or camps that made them work until they died of exhaustion, or round them up and murder them.[6]

            The science used to promote these acts of terrorism have similarities and differences that aided the specific instances. Firstly, the dynamite and guillotine were inventions used to carry out the acts, while eugenics was a study that they thought justified their murder. Dynamite and the guillotine were physical tools used to murder, while eugenics was abstract. The Reign of Terror and Anarchists movement both targeted political actors, while the Holocaust targeted specific identities. The Reign of Terror was looking to start a new government, while the Nazi Party was looking to govern and kill those who aren’t like them, and the Anarchists were looking to overthrow and get rid of the government entirely. The Anarchist period and the Holocaust accomplished only their goal of murdering specific people but not their entire goal. But the Reign of Terror was successful to create a new government with a successful revolution. Finally, the guillotine and dynamite aren’t still used today in acts of terrorism because they probably are not the most effective in accomplishing a goal. But, eugenics or white supremacy, is still used today to terrorize communities and oppress them. The inventions and science behind these terrorist acts promoted and provided an environment that fostered the success that they achieved towards their goal.

Works Cited

Browning, Christopher R. “Initiation to Mass Murder: The Jozefow Massacre.” Ordinary Men. (1992).

Jensen, Richard. “Daggers, Rifles and Dynamite: Anarchist Terrorism in Nineteen Century Europe.” Terrorism and Political Violence. 16:1. (2004).

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Reign of Terror.” Britannica. Accessed February 21, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/event/Reign-of-Terror.

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Reign of Terror.” Britannica. Accessed February 21, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/guillotine.

Wilson, Philip K. “Eugenics.” Britannica. Accessed February 25, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/science/eugenics-genetics.

---

[1] The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Reign of Terror,” Britannica, accessed February 21, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/event/Reign-of-Terror.

[2] The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Guillotine,” Britannica, accessed February 21, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/guillotine.

[3] Richard Jensen, “Daggers, Rifles and Dynamite: Anarchist Terrorism in Nineteenth Century Europe,” Terrorism and Political Violence, 16:1, (2004), 117.

[4] Jensen, “Daggers,” 117.

[5] Philip K. Wilson, “Eugenics,” Britannica, accessed February 25, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/science/eugenics-genetics.

[6] Christopher R. Browning, “Initiation to Mass Murder: The Jozefow Massacre,” Ordinary Men, (1992).