The Subversive Power of Historical Parallels

Drawing parallels is the historian’s second nature. This essay looks at historical parallels created for political purposes, that is, messages about the past intended or perceived as political commentaries on the present. Excluding parallels in democratic regimes and parallels presented in the official propaganda of non-democratic regimes, I focus on those historical parallels that are used as tools against autocratic power. Drawing from a pool of 51 examples from 33 countries between 1945 and 2014, I illustrate four types: parallels contrasting past freedom and contemporary tyranny; parallels comparing past and present tyrants; parallels comparing past and present crimes; and parallels comparing past and present freedom struggles. Hors catégorie, I also discuss some parallels in which historians themselves play a role. I then engage in an analysis of the phenomenon by discussing its different aspects: the authors, their message, the intervention of the censors, and the audience. Finally, I ask for the reasons to use historical parallels: rather than safety, newsworthiness, or embellishment, I see connectedness and remembrance as the principal reasons. In contexts of oppression, historical parallels challenge the present by evoking the past and briefly bring awareness and relief.