ABSTRACT
Dating back to the early 18th century, the left has used various manners of political violence in its pursuit of social change. Radicals of all stripes—socialist, Communist, Marxist-Leninist, anarchist, eco/animal liberationist, and so on—have waged campaigns on many fronts and for multiple causes. This chapter traces the history of leftist political violence occurring in the United States over the past century. This exploration begins with the rise of ‘propaganda of the deed’ and the so-called “anarchist wave of terrorism” in the 1900s, exemplified by the infamous Italian Luigi Galleani and the assassination of President William McKinley. During this period, anarchists murdered world leaders, bombed the Stock Exchange, and waged pitched battles with police and soldiers. Next, we explore the rise of international Sovietism in the 1960s, popular protest surrounding opposition to the war in Vietnam, and the corresponding emergence of armed Marxist-Leninist cadres exemplified by the Weather Underground Organization. Following the decline of the red vanguards, the discussion focuses on militant underground networks fighting for environmental and animal liberation, popularizing the notion of sabotage, monkey wrenching, and the use of arson as a political tool. This discussion centers on the Animal and Earth Liberation Front, as well as the actions of lesser known groups. Finally, this chapter examines the rise of the anti-globalization movement in the latter years surrounding the millennium, and the derailing of these tendencies following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
