The tendency to weaponize the past to attain one’s aims is neither a novel nor a parochial vice. Yet claiming victimhood and/or glorifying the past to empower one’s political objectives is tragically more prevalent than ever.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has made avenging a “century of humiliation” both a sword and a shield to destroy its opponents and perpetuate its totalitarian rule. The CCP does not deign to mention its less-than-stellar role in avoiding combat with the invading Japanese army, while letting the Kuomintang exhaust itself defending China. Nor does the regime allow its more recent sins, such as Mao’s Great Famine or the Tiananmen Square massacre, to be discussed. No, the CCP claims it is best to look ahead at how it is building a glorious future—at least for the CCP.
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