Rote Armee Fraktion

RAF (the causes, the three generations, the end, and the similarities between today’s terrorists and the RAF) (250-300 words)

            The RAF was a political activist group formed in West Germany in 1970, self-described as a communistic and anti-imperialistic “urban guerrilla” group. The founding members included Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, Ulrike Meinhoff, and Horst Mahler. Created in direct resistance of the “fascist state” they claimed West Germany had remained after World War Two, their aim was to change the country back to communism and free the people from their corrupt government. The young leftists saw the denazification of the country after the Second World War as completely ineffective, and altogether a failure.

            Three distinct generations of the RAF can be defined. The first was the original founding members, from 1970-1975, more commonly known to the German population as the Baader-Meinhoff Gang. The second was formed soon after the original members were arrested or killed, and lasted from 1975 to 1982. This included also mainly students, and the majority were of a middle-class background, who joined the ranks when their own political parties disbanded. The third generation was active from 1982-1993, and was perhaps the most violent with the least incentive, according to Wikipedia.com and an outside source, “Tom Vague.”

On 20 April, 1998, an 8 page, typewritten letter was faxed into the news headquarters at Reuters, signed with a machine-gun over a red star and the letters “RAF” declaring the group dissolved. According to the letter, “Vor fast 28 Jahren, am 14. Mai 1970, entstand in einer Befreiungsaktion die RAF. Heute beenden wir dieses Projekt. Die Stadtguerilla in Form der RAF ist nun Geschichte. (Almost 28 years ago, on 14 May 1970, the RAF arose in a campaign of liberation. Today we end this project. The urban guerrilla in the shape of the RAF is now history).”

There is a distinct similarity between today’s “terrorist” groups and the RAF, in that innocent people were killed to further the cause of an extreme activist group. One of the most glaring differences I can find, however, is the fact that the RAF killed police and civilians of their own country for political gain, whereas modern terrorists usually murder other citizens of other countries for their gain. Occasionally it is political; usually it tends to be more centered around religion.