Artikel

Het wetenschappelijk onderzoek van politieke aanslagen: een nieuwe dimensie

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Abstract

The research scientific on research political on assassinations political assassinations: is mainly concerned a new with dimension theoretical assumptions or focused on the most sensational and spectacular exemplars of this kind of political crime the conclusions in the present article are based on the examination of a large number of assassinations viz. 250 committed in Belgium, France and Germany, over a rather long period of time, viz. 1789-1914. Statistical and computer research turned out to be necessary. As most of these assassinations were committed between 1874 and 1914 (viz. 220) the latter period was examined more thoroughly. Newspaper-accounts were analysed in a qualitative way (models of among others, RITSERT and LAZERSFELD) and a quantitative one (sample survey research, cluster analysis, research methods of OSGOOD, HOLSTI, GERBNER and others). The results of this kind of research are remarkable. Some of the most widespread prejudices concerning assassinations are invalidated, such as: assassinations only occurred sporadically; mainly politicians and members of the royal family were subject to them ; mainly artisans committed them, industrial workers did not ; in Belgium no, or very few assassinations took place, etc. Moreover, this statistical newspaper research gives an appropriate answer to the question why these prejudices still exist, e.g. assassinations committed by artisans are 85 times more sensational than those committed by industrial workers. And cluster analysis showed out why labour newspapers did not pay more attention to assassinations committed by their «followers». Another hypothesis viz. whether a correlation exists between economical fluctuations (KONDRATIEFF - long wave) and political assassinations was examined more thoroughly. This correlation, which was found in computing the multiple correlation coefficient, not only adds a new dimension to the incorporation — revolution controversy, but can also change our point of view on contemporary political assassinations committed by leftwing groups. The overall conclusion of the following article is that more scientific research on political assassinations is highly necessary.

How to Cite:

Fordyn, A., (1981) “Het wetenschappelijk onderzoek van politieke aanslagen: een nieuwe dimensie”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 26(1), 3–20. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.94780