Explain how Carlos Marighella believed a campaign of revolutionary terrorism in an urban setting could be used to destabilize governmental power. Evaluate his beliefs

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• A psychological assault would convince the government and the people that the status quo no longer held.
• They would come to feel that the terrorists were in control.
• When this situation developed, Marighella believed, the government would be forced to show its true colors.
• With its authority challenged and the economic stability of the elite eroded, the government would be forced to declare some form of martial law.
• This would not be a defeat for terrorism but rather exactly what the terrorists and their supporters wanted.
• Marighella believed the public supported governmental policies because they did not realize the repressive nature of the state.
• The terrorist campaign would force the government to reveal itself, thereby alienating the public.
• With no place to turn, the public would turn to the terrorists, and the terrorists would be waiting with open arms.
• As the ranks of the urban guerrillas grew with the rush of public support, the revolutionaries would gradually abandon their terrorist campaign.
• Their efforts would focus more and more on the construction of a general urban army, an army that could seize key governmental control points on cue.
• When the urban army had reached sufficient strength, all its forces would be launched in a general strike.