ABSTRACT
The activities of right-wing groups in power can be a catalyst for leftist parties to resort to terrorism. The anarchists were an early version of a network of terrorist groups that utilized a form of leaderless resistance to some extent since attacks were often spontaneous and uncoordinated. Unlike religion and ethnicity, ideological affiliation involves a much more conscious choice for the followers of the set of political beliefs. If the government in power seems to be antithetical to the cherished ideological concepts and hopes, violence becomes possible for those who strongly identify with the views. Almost any ideology can be used to support the use of violence and terrorism in the appropriate circumstances. While ideological conflict, like nationalism, is often seen as a nineteenth- or twentieth-century phenomenon, there have been occurrences of political violence and even terrorism in the past that have some of the hallmarks of ideological attacks.
