Recently, assassinations have re-entered our society’s zeitgeist following the attempted assassination of Donald J Trump on July 13. However, the concept of assassination dates back much further and has historically caused significant political shifts in many parts of the world. Merriam-Webster defines the word assassinate as “to murder (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons”. Assassinations have been carried out throughout history, by terrorists, usurpers and revolutionaries for power, change and many more reasons, some of them still unknown.
The first assassination in recorded history is speculated to have happened to the Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhat 1 around 2000 BC, for reasons unknown. However, the most famous assassination in ancient history is of course that of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Caesar was assassinated by 60 senators led by Marcus Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and Decimus Brutus Albinus. They claimed to have done it to stop the concentration of power that was placed upon Caesar due to his dictatorship and undermining of the Roman Republic.
Assassinations have played an integral role in the fate of countries, kingdoms, and empires. They have shaped events throughout history and led to some of the most historic events. For instance, the First World War was caused by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, presumptive heir to Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June 1914. Gavrilo Princip, the man who killed the duke and duchess was blamed for sparking the chain of events that led to the war. When put on trial, Princip stated: “I am a Yugoslav nationalist, aiming for the unification of all Yugoslavs, and I do not care what form of state, but it must be free from Austria.” The end of the First World War then created the conditions that made the Second World War a possibility.
Assassinations have also been a tool used by governments in power to eliminate or weaken their enemies. The Art of War, one of the most widely celebrated books on military tactics, mentions the use of assassinations and the merits of using them. Many assassinations have been carried out by individuals or by small groups, sometimes with the backing of external parties. Groups or specialised units of assassins were a reality. The earliest of these specialised units were the Sicarii in 6 AD. The Sicarii were a group of Jewish people who opposed the Roman occupation of Judea. In the decades preceding Jerusalem’s destruction, they conducted a campaign of “terror-kidnapping, extortion, robbery, and murder” against other Jewish people and Romans, and became known for a reported mass suicide at the Siege of Masada.
There was also The Order of Assassins, a Middle Eastern group of assassins that existed between 1090 and 1275.
They were a Nizari Isma’ilism order, a segment of Ismaili Muslims, founded by Hassan-i Sabbah. Over the course of two centuries, they killed hundreds that they considered to be the enemies of the Nizari Ismaili state. The term assassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by The Order of Assassins. The most famous and well-known group of assassins is of course the Japanese shinobis or, as they are more commonly known, ninjas. Ninjas were infiltration agents, mercenaries, and guerrilla warfare experts who later became bodyguards in feudal Japan.
South Africa also has its own history of government-sponsored assassinations. Over a dozen anti-apartheid activists were killed by the Apartheid regime, the most notable being Steve Biko. There have also been alleged post-apartheid political assassinations, with The Mail & Guardian claiming that a total of 488 politically motivated assassinations were reported from the year 2000 to 2023.
When people think of assassinations, they usually think about the past. Kings being poisoned, emperors being stabbed or presidents getting shot. We do not really think about it happening in the modern day and when we do, we usually envision it in black and white. But the recent attempt on Trump’s life has proven that assassinations still take place in the 21st century.
Assassinations have been used to carry out political ideologies, to stage coups, to gain power, and to bring about change. They have been happening for thousands of years and will probably continue to happen for a couple more centuries. Are they effective? Or would it be better to create a system that disallows corrupt groups or individuals from gaining or keeping power? Killing a corrupt official may seem like a good idea on the surface, but how much does it truly change?
When most countries nowadays are ruled by political parties whose members all share similar values, change is no longer as simple as cutting off the head of a snake. These days, governments are hydras and can simply regrow their heads. A far more effective and less violent way to enact change would be to vote in all elections, giving power to those who have the citizens’ best interests at heart. At the same time, that power should be kept in check by holding the elected officials accountable for their actions.
