Terrorist propaganda : the Red Army Faction and the Provisional IRA, 1968-1986

Abstract

In Western Europe, the late 1960's saw the emergence of many non-state terrorist groups. Twenty years later several of these groups are still in existence, and still perpetrating terrorist acts. This thesis explores some of the factors facilitating this survival. It concentrates on relating the ideologies and propaganda of two terrorist groups, the Red Army Faction and the Provisional IRA, to their wider operating environment. It concludes that there have been limited instances where the relationship between the two has been close, and terrorists have enjoyed success. The first part of this thesis addresses the question of why the terrorists are rejecting the society in which they live, and what alternative they are proposing? It focuses on ideology and ideological sources. The second part of the thesis asks to whom and what are the terrorists trying to communicate? It analyses the propaganda of both groups within a framework of target audiences; the uncommitted, the sympathetic and the active. The third part of this thesis evaluates the success of both groups' propaganda. It assesses to what degree the terrorists' messages penetrated the target audiences, and to what extent they were accepted. The thesis concludes that in the case of the Red Army Faction, although propaganda is consistent with ideological objectives, ideological objectives are not widely accepted, and even in those areas where the Red Army Faction did achieve success, the linkage with ideological objectives is weak.. The Provisional IRA's ideological objectives are also consistent with its propaganda, but are much more widely accepted than the RAF's. This explains why the Provisional IRA has been comparatively more successful.