A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEFT-WING AND RIGHT-WING TERRORISM IN GERMANY

The article deals with a comparative analysis of right-wing and left-wing terrorism in the FRG on the basis of selected criteria (causes of emergence, social composition, tactics, ties with other groups, etc.). It is noted that in its formation both varieties of terrorism have passed three stages – social division, radicalization of the protest movement and the emergence in its ranks of a group ready to move to armed struggle, going underground. Both left-wing and right-wing terrorism were characterized by the rejection of liberal democracy and positioning themselves as the vanguard of extremist forces opposed to the state. At the same time a detailed analysis shows that there are significant deals with between right-wing and left-wing terrorist organizations, dictated by both ideology and the historical context in which they operated. The most significant of those distinctions include different social composition, objects of attack, communication, forms of organization, and others. It is also noted that for a long-time right-wing terrorism was underestimated by the authorities, which subsequently had fatal consequences.