In the first years of terrorism (post-1968), right-wing terrorists dominated the scene with a series of spectacular bombings directed against the general public. The left-wing groups then became active in terrorist activity, with the Red Brigade emerging as the dominant group in the years 1974-1979. The Red Brigade aimed at the heart of the State by targeting significant public officials and political figures, such as Aldo Moro. The universities and the overcrowded cities provide the Red Brigade and other terrorist groups with a recruiting ground. However, violent terrorist activity has failed to precipitate any radical change in Italian political operations because the fragmentation of the Italian state and the dispersion of authority within it make the terrorist attacks symbolic rather than real strikes against the State system. Although terrorist actions have made government by consensus more difficult and have demonstrated the vulnerability of politically significant individuals, the nature of terrorist activities has criminalized their cause and rendered the politically legitimate sectors of the left open to the suspicion of being proterrorist. A total of 35 references are listed.