Anarchist terrorism - Definition and Overview

The heyday of anarchist terrorism was from the 1870s to the 1920s. Several heads of state were assassinated, including King Umberto I of Italy (July 29, 1900) and President of the United States William McKinley (September 14, 1901). The justification of Anarchist terrorism was that such acts would make anarchist ideas famous. This policy was known as "propaganda by the deed." However, there were also many terrorists and criminals who called themselves "anarchists" but had little in common with philosophical anarchists and often rejected any association with these individuals.

Today, some anarchists are found participating with the more "violent" elements of demonstrations, such as the anti-capitalist protests in the 1990s and 2000s (see: WTO Meeting of 1999). This is usually confined to specific acts of property destruction, which is mostly considered to be a form of nonviolent direct action by those who commit it. There are significant sections of the anarchist movement that do not support these actions, including many organizations and individuals that advocate pacifism or others who simply question the effectiveness of property destruction as a tool of change.

Some (including the FBI) would consider anarchist inspired groups like the Earth Liberation Front, who have taken part in large scale property destruction, to be "terrorist" organizations.