Historical Legal and Comparative Aspects of Construing the Concept of Extremism

УДК 343.54, ББК 67.408.113

Abstract

The article provides a study of the retrospective of the emergence and development of understanding of extremism. The author refers to the etymology of the very concept of «extremism». The term «extremism» originates from the Latin word «extremus», which in translation into Russian means «extreme, excessive», going beyond the established limits and norms. Based on etymology, extremism can be interpreted as a commitment to extreme views, methods of action.

As early as the Ancient World and throughout the main stages of history, situations have arisen in which certain categories of people were ready to violate and violated existing norms in order to achieve their goals and ideals, while applying measures prohibited by any public regulator. In fact, this is what was called terrorism much later. This term is often used together with the term «extremism» in publications on jurisprudence and political science, and sometimes the term «terror» is added to them. It is noted that all these phenomena have been known to mankind since antiquity.

In political, sociological, journalistic literature, the concepts of «terror», «terrorism» and «terrorist act» are most often proposed to be used as synonyms. Synonymization in this case is convenient in a utilitarian sense, but becomes an obstacle in terms of methodology. Based on etymology, any act of violence can be interpreted as terrorism only if it pursues the goal of intimidation. But from the point of determining the subject and object of such crimes, synonymization does not take into account the specific situation in which the specified crime is committed. Hence, when considering the history of extremism, as the author notes, it is necessary to trace the change in the interpretation of the term «extremism» at different stages of the development of society.