Political violence has existed for centuries in many different forms. Even in ancient times and in the time of Christ, there are many cases of political violence, although in those days the government was only recognized by the leadership of the throne of a kingdom. Wars and major battles occurred only because of land disputes or to protect their own kingdom from invasions. Today, the political violence of the 20th century is not so different from that of the past. Although nowadays it takes a lot longer to engage in wars than back then, but overall the same concept. Today, terrorist attacks, massacres, threats of war, and war itself are the most common primary examples of violence. Although violence is not something that states should encourage, it is sometimes the only action necessary when a state has no other choice. Violence plays many roles in the political system, and some of these roles may fall into the category of protection or establishment, such examples of protection may be threats of war. Such threats fall under this definition: “Political violence is then the use of physical force in order to harm a political opponent” (Porta 2). When a country that has an enemy faces constant threats of war and terrorist attacks, it is most likely that it will only go to war in order to protect its country and its innocent citizens. There have been cases like these in the past and there are still cases today in some Asian and Middle Eastern countries like Iraq where they have to fight to protect themselves from invasions and possibly from death. Iraq and the United States started a war in 2003 and continued it for nine long years. ...... middle of paper ...... If the citizens of a country are terribly affected by the fact that they need help to survive or the children need to eat, then sure , people can come together and try to make a difference. around them and try to make a difference in their lives. But if it's change that these people are looking for, then only the help of the citizens of this country can bring about change, not anyone else's. All people must be on the same page and want real peace if they want to have a non-violent country, otherwise the situation will remain the same. Works Cited Source 1: Gupta, Dipak K. Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence: The Life Cycle Birth, Growth, Transformation and Disappearance. London: Routledge, 2008. Google Books. Internet. May 12, 2014. Source 2: Porta, Donatella Della. Social movements, political violence and the State. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006. Google Books. Internet. May 12 2014.