The political meaning of terror originally applied to governments, not only nonstate actors

Evidence

The word “terror” took on a political meaning with the French Revolution’s virtue-imposing dictatorship of 1793 (Gérard 1999; Greer 1935; Guenniffey 2000; Mayer 2000). From that point on, analysts often applied it to governments that enforced compliance by threat and deed. In the recent past, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, and Saddam Hussein have all figured as men who ruled by terror, with the implication that except for fear their people would have rejected them. The State Department’s definition of terror, however, excludes the threat or use of force by governments (Brockett 2005; Oliverio 1998; Stanley 1996; Tilly 1985). — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 880

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in whether regime type and repressive capacity shape whether state coercion is framed as terror or as rights defense. — connects to: The term terrorism flattened diverse political violence into one undifferentiated category — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race…, 833; Terror is the essence of totalitarian government, not a means to an end — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 808; Totalitarian terrorism served as self-expression rather than calculated policy — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 788 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 880

Broader Connections

• Terror is the essence of totalitarian government, not a means to an end #expands (0.78) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 808
• The term terrorism flattened diverse political violence into one undifferentiated category #expands (0.75) — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 833
• Totalitarian terrorism served as self-expression rather than calculated policy #exemplifies (0.75) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 788
• Terror is a strategy of asymmetric violence deployable by weak or strong actors #corroborates (0.72) — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 828