ABSTRACT
The philosophical origins of modern terrorism may be found in the Catechism of the Revolutionary by the Russian Nechayev, who over a hundred years ago spelled out exactly what the function and morality of a terrorist should be. It is generally believed that Russian terrorism failed, that the terrorists did not achieve their purpose, and that in 1917 power was seized by a group the Bolsheviks who were hostile to terrorism. The roots of Soviet terrorism, indeed of modern terrorism, date back to 1879. It should be noted that not only did the terror campaign demystify Russian rulers in the eyes of the people, but it also caused the government to overreact. It is negative, on the one hand, because the Soviet government feels itself vulnerable to terror internally. The Soviet Union has enjoyed great success with terror and profited from it in many ways, just as the Bolsheviks did before 1917.
