Terrorism from below involves the use of political violence by dissenters/rebels or nonconformists who wish to challenge or overthrow official state power. This may include unempowered and unsatisfied citizens who use terror to replace and obtain political power existing governments to establish freedom, socio-political and economic equality. This occurs a lot in many African countries where by those groups that do not agree with the current government often picked up arms and either conducted coup d'état or fought to terrorize and destabilize the existing government in order achieve their political agenda.

Examples of domestic terrorism from below in the Unites States include the activities of Black separatists, Anti-Abortion Groups,  Puerto Rican Independistas, White Supremacy groups, Jewish Defense League (JDL), and the Revolutionary Leftists (e.g. Student for Democratic Society (SDS), Weather Underground, and the Black Panthers).

Likewise, personalities like Mao Tse-tung used acts of terror against the corrupt government and against non-supportive peasants to rise to power (terrorism from below); and once in power he used terrorism form above to maintain control and protect the state (terrorism from above). Mao used a radical strategy with emphasis that only the Chinese peasantry offered any change for recovering Chinese dignity.  He espoused a revolutionary ideology that utilized violence and terror, arguing that, “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun,” and that change comes only thru extreme shocking violence in which the masses must be united for the cause in order defeat the corrupt government.