Was Catiline a terrorist essays

Was Catiline a terrorist essays What exactly is a terrorist? If it is one who instills fear in others, then one can say that our professors are terrorists. In order to be begotten with this title, the fear one instills must be accompanied by violent action against civilians or rape and murder, or kidnapping and murder for his own political purposes. Cicero, then, would define Catiline, with all his plotting against the senate, as a terrorist. The corruption of youth, the desire for murder, the raping and pillaging associated with his character, and the plans to violently attack the senate and kill all the consuls for his own political gain, make Catiline a terrorist. At the start of his first speech, Cicero compares Catilines plotting to the actions of other contemporaries crimes. In section 3 of this speech, (an vero... sua occidit. In Cat. I.1.3) Cicero insists that, if Tiberius Grachus was killed for treasonous activity (by slightly undermining the Constitution) by a private citizen, why is the senate still tolerating Catiline, who wants to destroy the whole world with fire? If Gaius Servilius Ahala was killed for plotting a revolution, then Catiline could be view as the same type of enemy to the state, for his plotting. But what of the actual actions that Catiline committed? What crimes did he commit that would have defined him as such a monster and terrorist? According to Cicero, there is not one positive thing that he did do. He openly attacked the entire republic, and brought forth destruction and ruin for the temples of the gods and the houses of the city and the lives of all the citizens. According to Cicero, Catiline alone was responsible for the downfall of all of Italy. (nunc iam... et vastitatem vocas. In Cat. I.V.12) This attack on the innocent citizens and civilians is what makes Catiline a terrorist. Cicero also claims that for many years, there has not been a single crime committed that Catiline wasnt responsibl...