When I last read through the Harry Potter series, I started seeing parallels and similarities all over the place with history. In DH, there were lots of World War II parallels. For instance, people listening to Potterwatch in secret was exactly like the Dutch listening to BBC in secret under the Third Reich. Some of the methods Dumbledore's Army was using in its rebellion, like writing graffiti on the walls at Hogwarts, were exactly like the methods of the White Rose resistance, which also was a student resistance.

Do you see any others in the series, from any time in history? If so, share your insights.

I see them alot, in HPDH, Grinlewald reminded me a bit of Hitler, trying to blame everything in the minority in his eyes. I think this is an intersting topic I can't wait to see what people will say!

I remember when I first read OotP and especially HBP, I began to find some more recent historical parallels. The US government denied for so long that there was a problem in Iraq/Afganistan/Sadaam Hussein/and especially Osama Bin Laden and a spreading dislike for US politics that were/are creeping across the globe. Then all of a sudden...massive wake-up call! Terrorist attacks on the WTCs. Can't deny the problem anymore! Big attacks on Afganistan, but then not much happening, can't find Bin Laden...Bush decided to come up with some story about WMDs, attacks Iraq. Needs to make it look like we're winning...

Then, after reading about Stan Shunpike being arrested, and Scrimgoer trying to pull Harry in to make the MoM look good, I couldn't help but make some connections to (at the time) more recent events in the US... Homeland security being in full force, people being questioned for minor events. A good friend of mine was actually questioned because of an away message on AIM..she'd had a bad day a work and wrote that she wished the bank she worked at would blow up. Not the best choice of words given the current world events, but she had a private AIM account, and figured only her "friends" would see it and not take her seriously. Homeland security was at her house within the hour. The government had already screwed up so badly with the WMD, that they were using anything they could to reinstill the fear and make themselves look good (this is my opinion..take it as you will).

**note that some may disagree with my interpretation of US military/political events,... I'm a bit of a liberal and am counting down til Jan 20***

I have noticed quite a few instances of historical parallels - most of which have slipped my mind since I've discovered this thread . I hate it when that happens. But the one that is in my head at the moment, which is only vaguely interesting, was that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 - which is of course the final year of WWII. I swear I had heaps more... some that related even to the Russian Revolution I think but I can't remember them! I shall post back here when I remember.

Great topic by the way

I was sure that I read an editorial on this very topic somewhere, but I can't seem to find it.

I don't think this is a coincidence.

Nuremgard = Nuremberg

The Deathly Hallows symbol being seen as a sign of evil = The swastika--neither in actual fact a symbol of anything at all evil, but just seen as representitive of it.

The whole genocide theme, which I thought was very shocking indeed, with the Magic is Might statue of wizards a top of muggle bones.

The Death Eaters and the SS, although Rowling was originally going to name the Death Eaters the Knights of Walpurgis. Walpurgis Night, in Teutonic myth, was held on April 30 or the night before Beltane (May Day). Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945.

It was also believed that Hitler was part Jewish = Voldemort part muggle, Although Grindelwald was the contempory of Hitler, Voldemort could be equated to Himmler?

Hitler, not unlike Grindelwald, was partial to acient occult objects particularly 'Grail' items. He was said to have been in possesion of 'The Spear of Destiny until Walpurgis night. The Spear of Destiny and The Wand of Destiny, another similarity.

Personally, I think this is typical of one of the moral lessons that JKR placed within the pages of her books.

Edit: I knew I'd read something somewhere...and here it is! Just click on the 'Excerpt' link and open the folder!Harry Potter and World WarII

Harry Potter dose relate to real life. Potions is like science. Muggle History is like History. And many other subjects are like the human races' subjects. I think. What do you think about the subjects comparison?

Mod Note: harry_potter_luve_4life I think you have got the wrong idea about the context of this thread. E.Austen asks in her first post



as in do you see any other Historical parallels. She is referring to significant events that have happened in our past, rather than real life parallels to everyday things.

You may be interested that we do already have a thread open comparing wizards lessons to muggle lessons which can be found here.

Edit: I also found this editorial here on VTM, which compares HP characters to biblical ones. Something I have always found to be slightly far fetched but interesting all the same.

Yeah, and I think the Muggle-Born Registration Commission is very like what the Nazis did to the Jews, trying to round them up. I'm sure Jk Rowling also said that she half based the Death Eaters on the KKK.

Another thing to bear in mind, is that the Nazis standard was this: if you had a single Jewish ancestor as far back as three generations (or something around there), you were considered to be Jewish.

I was reminded of this when reading Order of the Phoenix, when Bellatrix calls Harry a half-blood even though both of his parents were magical, because Harry's mother was Muggle-born. And in Deathly Hallows, with all that rubbish about magic only being passed down through wizard ancestry, therefore all Muggle-borns are just Muggles "who stole magic." It is the same line of thinking, and I think Rowling herself said somewhere that that's not a coincidence.

She also said that it's not a coincidence that Grindelwald was defeated in 1945, which was the year World War II ended.

And thanks, etphonehome, for the links! Those were very interesting!

How many of these parallels do you think are deliberate, and how many are coincidences? And you can name off parallels from any time period you wish. I'm curious about this!