Rewriting history

Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present

controls the past.

Winston's job

• Ministry of truth• Making historical facts fit the party-line• Adjusting predictions• Deleting persons from history– Damnatio memoriae

Damnatio Memoriae

• Making persons to unpersons (1984)– Winston's job

• Damnatio Memoriae in Rome• Modern Damnatio Memoriae – Stalin– More subtle today?

Historical revisionism

• Distortion of historical facts– Mostly for a special reason• rhetoric

• Often denial of historical crimes• Some examples:– Holocaust denial– DDR Schoolbooks– Hitler after attacking Poland– Stab-in-the-back legend (Dolchstoßlegende)

Lying Pictures

Question

What do you think? Is there historical revisionism and Damnatio Memoriae in our society?

If yes, how is this possible?