How did automatic weapons and compact explosives change terrorism in the 20th century?

In the 20th century, technological advancements significantly altered the landscape of terrorism. The introduction of automatic weapons and compact, electrically detonated explosives provided terrorist organizations with a new level of mobility and lethality.1

These tools allowed nonstate actors to conduct operations with greater ease and impact, contributing to the evolution of terrorism as a hallmark of various political movements across the ideological spectrum. By enabling more destructive and flexible attacks, these technologies helped terrorists challenge established governments and influence political outcomes more effectively than in previous eras.1

It is essential to recognize that the use of such violence to create climates of fear and pursue political goals is fundamentally unethical, as it deliberately targets human life and undermines the principles of peace and security. The shift toward these more lethal methods, combined with other developments like the growth of air travel, forced states to confront a persistent and evolving threat that often proved difficult for conventional military forces to counter.12