Compare--don't equate--historical events

Ulf Zander (translated by Phil Holmes):

Through concrete examples in the form of more or less manifest analogies between then and now and parallel sequences of events the users of history wish to legitimise their own policy and discredit that of the opposition. The past is then taken into service in a biased way on the basis of current need. The history users try to equate—not compare—then and now. (Emphasis mine)