The Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, was a radical left-wing terrorist organization in West Germany. Founded in the 1970s, the RAF aimed to overthrow the government and combat capitalist oppression through violent means, including bombings and assassinations. Key figures like Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, and Ulrike Meinhof led the group's notorious campaigns, which culminated in the German Autumn of 1977. The RAF's influence declined by the late 1990s, leading to their disbandment.
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The Red Army Faction's ideology was heavily influenced by Marxist-Leninist and anti-imperialist ideas
First known attack: arson of two department stores in Frankfurt
The Red Army Faction's first known attack was the arson of two department stores in Frankfurt, intended as a protest against consumerism and the Vietnam War
The Red Army Faction's operations were designed to destabilize the Federal Republic of Germany and inspire a revolution among the working class by targeting symbols of the state and capitalism
Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin were central to the formation of the Red Army Faction, with Baader's charismatic and militant leadership and Ensslin's background as a former student activist
Journalist Ulrike Meinhof joined the Red Army Faction after aiding Baader's escape from custody
The deaths of Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, and Ulrike Meinhof in Stammheim Prison marked the end of the first generation of the Red Army Faction and became a rallying point for subsequent members
The second generation of the Red Army Faction emerged in response to the incarceration and deaths of the original leaders, including individuals from various backgrounds such as the Socialist Patients' Collective
Assassinations of Attorney General Siegfried Buback and industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer
The German Autumn of 1977 was a peak of Red Army Faction activity, characterized by the assassinations of Attorney General Siegfried Buback and industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181
The hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Red Army Faction ended with a successful rescue operation by the German counter-terrorism unit GSG 9 and resulted in the deaths of the hijackers
The Red Army Faction's influence waned in the 1980s and 1990s as the political and social climate in Germany changed, particularly after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany
The discovery of the Red Army Faction's connections with the East German Stasi security service further eroded their support base
The Red Army Faction officially disbanded in 1998, despite a few sporadic attacks, as their operational capabilities and ideological appeal diminished
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After ______, the ______ Faction, also known as the ______ Group, conducted terrorist activities in ______ Germany to combat capitalism.
World War II
Red Army
Baader-Meinhof
West
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RAF's ideological influences
Marxist-Leninist, anti-imperialist thought.
02
RAF's view on FRG's role
Perceived complicity in global conflicts, social injustices.
