Writing a historical fiction novel is an immersive experience. While the story and characters may be inspired from my imagination, to tell a realistic story it’s imperative to have an authentic context to serve as their canvas.
Love of Finished Years begins just before World War I and continues throughout the war. I was drawn to the time period because it set the stage for World War II, yet comparatively, the first war is vastly under-explored in literature and cinema. This made me curious about this global event and inspired me to study the war itself as well as the world of the time.
While my historical fiction novel was born through my immersive research, I came away from the experience amazed at how many parallels there were between the pre-World War I society and our own current culture. History, of course, tends to be that way. Some truths are universal, throughout time. Human nature is certainly a through-line across all eras and cultures. It is sometimes comically, often tragically, predictable.
6 World War I Parallels Seen Through the Lens of Historical Fiction
Here are six of the modern day parallels I discovered while authoring Love of Finished Years, a historical fiction novel set just over 100 years ago.
1. Nationalism and a vilification of “other” ethnic groups.
World War II may be known for nationalism and a sense of superiority over other ethnic groups, but it didn’t just arise out of nowhere in the mid- to late-1930s. It was established much earlier and was very present as World War I was beginning.
If you watch the news, you’ll see nationalism is still alive around the world, including in the United States.
2. The controversial nature of U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict.
Regardless of your viewpoint on America’s foreign policy, the controversy regarding if and when the United States should get involved in foreign conflicts has remained a theme in our nation’s history. During my research, I found it fascinating to look at the politics surrounding World War I and see how it has shaped domestic and international policies since.
3. Immigration and the domestic response to immigrants and refugees.
Love of Finished Years is a story I created about Elsa and her family, who emigrated from Germany, a country considered hostile to the United States. This historical fiction tale reflects a very real experience to those in the 1910s as well as many immigrants today. As news surrounding our borders surfaces, I’m continually reminded the domestic response isn’t new and I see echoes of Elsa’s fictional story in the plight of real immigrants and refugees.
4. Women’s and workers’ rights movements and the pushback against them.
Love of Finished Years was also set during women’s fight for suffrage as well as fair and equal working conditions, with the garment factory district in New York City as the epicenter; two women’s marches and a city-wide strike were also part of the historical fiction story.
Although our country has made progress as a nation in the past 100 years, some of the same battles for equality are still being fought. If you turn on the news, you’ll see citizens marching and striking in support of women, minorities and other causes, none of which are new.
5.Geopolitical conflict rising after swift and unprecedented technological advancement.
The World War I era saw many new technological advancements. For example, airplanes were new, just having been invented a decade prior to the war. This invention set a pathway where long-distance travel because faster and, over time, more feasible. As you can imagine, this was one of many factors that played into the geopolitical conflicts at the time.
Additional technological advancements included machinery used in factories. Being able to mass-produce everything from clothing to cars changed the day-to-day life of all classes, from the poor working in sweatshops to the wealthy purchasing modern conveniences of the time. You can bet this changed the political conflicts both nationally and internationally, which played into the framework for my historical fiction novel.
There’s no doubt we’re seeing technology continuing to change the world. With instant communication, quick travel and a global ecommerce community, we’re also facing unprecedented geopolitical conflicts, which parallels the world before and during World War I.
6. The rise of populist leaders.
World War I saw the rise of leaders like Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicholas II, Vladimir Lenin, the Young Turks and Mustafa Kemal. If you pay attention to modern-day leaders, you will notice there are some that display similarities to world leaders from 100 years ago.
The Final Parallel: Historical Fiction as a Portrayal of Hope
While the era just before and during World War I was a dark time in history, it was also a period of hope. The war led to many horrors, but was also a catalyst for change. In my historical fiction novel, I use Elsa to reflect the dreamers of the time; they believed a better world was possible and acted on their convictions.
Much like the 1910s, we are in a time of both conflict and hope. We need modern-day dreamers with boldness, much like Elsa, to work for a better world in their own way.
Purchase your copy of Love of Finished Years on Amazon to experience the parallels between historical fiction and our own current time.