THE TERRORISM NOW ENDEMIC IN ITALY EVOLVED GRADUALLY FROM THE IDEOLOGICAL EXTREMISM OF THE REVOLUTIONARY GENERATION OF THE LATE 1960'S TO THE AMBUSHES OF THE MIDDLE 1970'S. GUERRILLA WARFARE NOW ADVANCES ON TWO FRONTS: FIRST, THE CLOSELY KNIT RED BRIGADES FOCUS ON THE FACTORIES OF NORTHERN ITALY FOR THE LOCATION OF THEIR SENSATIONAL, MILITARY-STYLE ACTIONS; AND SECOND, THE SMALLER ARMED FACTIONS AND THE SUBURBAN 'AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVES' SPREAD VIOLENCE SYSTEMATICALLY IN FULLSCALE GUERRILLA WARFARE, WITH INCREASING CONTROL OF THE UNDERGROUND. ARMED EXTREMISM HAS BENEFITED FROM THREE OBJECTIVE FACTORS: (1) THE ALMOST BIBLICAL EXODUS FROM THE COUNTRY TO THE CITY HAS RESULTED IN A CLASH BETWEEN THE UPROOTED SUBPROLETARIAN MASSES AND PEOPLE IN THE CONGESTED CITIES; (2) OVER A MILLION STUDENTS ENROLLED IN CITY UNIVERSITIES ARE AN EASY TARGET FOR TERRORIST RECRUITMENT; AND (3) ITALY'S ARRESTED ECONOMIC GROWTH FOLLOWING THE 1973 OIL CRISIS IS KEENLY FELT BY ITALIANS. THESE DISRUPTIVE FACTORS, COMBINED WITH A HISTORICAL INEXPERIENCE WITH RELIGIOUS OR CIVIL WARS, ATTRACT CRIME AND POLITICAL HATE. ITALIAN TERRORISTS SEEM TO BELIEVE THE WORLD IS GOVERNED BY A POWERFUL AND MYSTERIOUS CLUB (THE IMPERIALIST STATE OF THE MULTINATIONALS); THIS THEY MUST ATTACK AND DESTROY, BRINGING ABOUT THE REVOLUTION THAT IS BEAUTIFUL AND GOOD. THE NEW ITALIAN GOVERNMENT, TO RESTORE THE FAITH OF THE PEOPLE, MUST FIND A WAY TO EITHER INCORPORATE THE DEMANDS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY TERRORISTS OR TO CONFRONT AND DESTROY COMPLETELY THIS ARMED EXTREMISM. (MHP)