History
The Outline of History
A sweeping popular history of humanity written in an internationalist and anti-dogmatic spirit.
Description
About the work
A sweeping popular history of humanity written in an internationalist and anti-dogmatic spirit.
The Outline of History is organized less as a story than as an argument. As a history, it tries to persuade readers through selection, emphasis, and direct claims about history, internationalism, and anti nationalism.
Its significance lies in the way it compresses large claims into memorable formulas and positions. Even readers who reject the work usually have to reckon with how sharply it frames questions about history, internationalism, and anti nationalism.
Overview
Why it was banned
The Outline of History entered censorship debates as a history associated with history, internationalism, and anti nationalism. In the current dossier, the main state objections cluster around anti fascism and ideological control.
The earliest event currently captured here is 1930s in Germany, where Nazi authorities banned circulation. Wells's internationalist history clashed with racial and nationalist doctrine. Broad synthetic histories often become targets because they frame the past differently from official ideology.
This entry is still incomplete: more jurisdictions, court orders, and translated justifications should be added over time.
This page is intentionally incomplete. The ban history is a starter dataset, not a final census of every jurisdiction or decree.
Counter and critical readings
Context, rebuttals, and criticism
- The Origins of Totalitarianism Hannah Arendt
A foundational analysis of state terror, propaganda, and ideological conformity.
- On Tyranny Timothy Snyder
A short modern guide to resisting authoritarian politics and controlled public discourse.
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature Nicholas J. Karolides, Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova
A compact reference on how censorship systems moved across states, churches, and courts.
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. Anne Lyon Haight
Useful for comparing older obscenity, heresy, and political bans with modern free-speech disputes.
Ban history
Known government actions
| Date | Jurisdiction | Action | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | Germany | banned circulation | Wells's internationalist history clashed with racial and nationalist doctrine. | Broad synthetic histories often become targets because they frame the past differently from official ideology. |
Sources
Harvested references for this page
- Wikipedia: List of books banned by governments reference partial
- Wikipedia REST summary API database partial
- Encyclopedia of Censorship book partial
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature book partial
- The Origins of Totalitarianism book not started
- On Tyranny book not started
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. book partial