“Parallel in History- A Quiz!”

“Parallel in History”

I am a bird

Flying through history

Back and forth through time.


What do I see?

I see parallels, man!

So catch me before lunchtime,


And I'll give you a quiz

On my observations

That you can finish before bedtime!



OK, I'm caught! 

So this is a quiz

For a history wiz-

On a most interesting parallel in time-

Between history and current events

That I, during my time-travel flights, spied.

 

So pull up a chair,

Light up your cigar,

Let’s see how you fare

And see how scholarly you are!

 

Now the two times in parallel

Might interest a Brit-

Their 1870’s 2^nd Afghan War

And modern America’s fits.

 

(All answers are at the bottom of the page, so don't lament,

But don't peek until after I've administered to you my full torment...)

 

 

1. Who was it who said, “In Afghanistan we need

to create a buffer against Russian expansion?”

 

1870’s Britain expanding in Asia, or

1950’s America who then propped up the Shah

 

 

 

2. Who’s non-expansionist policy was

“Futile, stationary, and negative to a fault”

in the face of the expanding Russian juggernaut:

 

Liberals in Britain just before their 2^nd Afghan War, or

Liberals in the US just before the Cold War

 

 

 

3. Who was it who lamentably said,

“The policies that we’ve so carefully webbed

has been rudely and terribly shattered,

we now need to weave a wider web

from unfortunately less and weaker matter”?

 

Lord Lytton, Viceroy of India, 1870's,

To Parliament during their 2^nd Afghan War, or

McNamara to Johnson, 1960’s,

During the US’s Vietnam War

 

 

 

4. “His sartorial tastes ran to velvet jackets,

bell bottoms, jeweled rings, and silk cravats”:

 

Ringo Starr, 1960's, the Beatle’s soulful drummer, or

Lord Lytton, 1870's, Viceroy of India,
and author at large (remember "It was a dark and stormy night..." - that was our Lord Lytton!)

 

 

 

5. “His bolder verse touched the limits

Of his society’s propriety”:

 

Lord Lytton, the poetic Viceroy of India, 1870's,

during the 2^nd Afghan War, or

Alan Ginsberg, American hippie-poet at large, 1960's,

during the US’s Vietnam War

 

 

 

6. “Men were simply being murdered

Which prompted an outcry from radicals at home:

 

1870’s Britain during the 2^nd Afghan War, or

1960’s America during the Vietnam War

 

 

 

7. Who said, “So long as the public

Thought there was “Peace With Honor”

I will remain with the voters very popular!”

 

Benjamin Disraeli, 1870’s during Britain’s 2^nd Afghan War, or

Richard Nixon, 1970’s during the US’s Vietnam War

 

 

 

8. Who said, “We are thoroughly hated

And not enough feared!”

 

Major Sir Charles MacGregor, Britain, 1870’s,

during their 2^nd Afghan War, or

Advisors to President Clinton, US, 1990’s

concerning International Terrorists

 

 

 

9. Which country fought a war in Afghanistan

“To counter Russian influence in Kabul”:

 

Britain in their Imperial 1870’s, or

The US in their conservative 1980’s

 

 

 

10. Who said, “If Afghanistan’s new leader

Tilts toward Russia,

Our intervention seems likely”:

 

Britain in the 1870’s, or

The US in the 1980’s

 

 

 

11. Who said, “If the Afghans accept our advice,

We will give them arms, money, and troops

to get themselves out of the Russian vice”,

while the majority of the Liberals of the time

opposed it as too interventionist:

 

Benjamin Disraeli, Britain Prime Minister, and British Liberals, 1870’s, or

Ronald Reagan, US President, and US Liberals, 1980’s

 

 

 

12. Which General was “A Godsend to politicians,

and was admired by all at the war’s end”;

and “He grasped the influence of the press and the camera",

and "carefully cultivated war correspondents”:

 

British General Sir Frederick Roberts, 1870’s, 2^nd Afghan War, or

General ‘Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf, 1990’s, Desert Storm

 

 

 

13. After several years of chaotic civil war,

Afghanistan was somewhat unified by:

 

Warlord Sher Ali, 1860’s, just before the 2^nd Afghan War,

The Taliban, 1990’s, just before the US’s International War on Terror

 

 

 

14. Who was it who said,

“They are emboldened by our present inaction…”:

 

Sir Bartle Frere,  Britain, 1870’s, concerning Britain in Central Asia, or

Advisors to Clinton, US, 1990’s, concerning US interests and International Terrorists

 

 

 

15. When did Afghan leaders say, “Posting foreign troops in Afghanistan

would be so offensive to Afghans that harm would befall the foreign troops”

and who were they referring to:

 

Afghan leaders in the 1870’s, referring to British troops, or

Afghan leaders in the zero 2000’s, referring to today's US troops

 

 

 

16. Who were “typical Afghanistan Warlords who tried with limited success

to unify Afghanistan’s discordant amalgam of feudal duchies and incendiary tribes”:

 

Afghan Warlords, 1860's, or

Afghan Warlords, 1990's

(my how times change there!)

 

 

 

17. Which Conservatives were “anxious

for a quick end to an unpopular war”:

 

The Conservatives in Britain, 1870’s, during their 2^nd Afghan War, or

The Conservatives in America, 2003, during their 2^nd Iraq War

 

 

 

18. Who said, “What happened after the initial victory

could not have been anticipated by any human being”:

 

Lord Lytton, British Viceroy of India, 1879, 2^nd Afghan War, or

Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defense, 2003, US Invasion of Iraq

 

 

 

19. Which war “had a divisive effect at home”:

 

The 2^nd Afghan War’s effect in 1870’s Britain, or

The Iraq War’s effect in the zero 2000’s in America

 

 

 

20. Who campaigned that “thousands were being killed",

and reminded the voters that "the sanctity of all lives

are as valuable as your own”:

 

Liberals in Britain, 1880 elections, during the 2^nd Afghan War, or

Liberals in America, 2004 elections, during the US’s Iraq War

 

 

 

21. Which Conservative had “defeated Liberals soundly

in the previous elections”:

 

Conservatives in Britain, just before the 2^nd Afghan War, or

Conservatives in the US, just before the War on Terror

 

 

 

22. Who concluded that “even our good public works done for the occupied country were turning into a swindle”:

 

Wilfred Scawen Blunt, concerning Britain’s work in India, 1880’s, or

Liberals in the US Congress, concerning US and Halliburton’s work in Iraq, the zero 2000’s

 

 

 

23. In which election did Liberals “attacked Conservative foreign policy,

and made it central to their campaign”

While the Conservatives countering Liberal platitudes,

turning the election into a plebiscite on imperial wars:

 

Britain, 1880 elections, or

US, 2004 elections

 

 

 

24. Bonus: Extra Credit Question:

Which US Congress reduced the US military

to “nothing more than a corporal’s guard”:

 

The US Congress in the 1920’s, just after WWI,

which contributed to the expansion of tyrants around the world

and eventually led to WWII, or

The US Congress in the 1990’s, just after the Cold War,

which contributed to the expansion of tyrants around the world

and eventually led to the War on Terror

 

 

 

And now and the drums roll…

The answers are brought forth:

The true answers for all questions are…

Both answers, of course!

 

And so it goes in history

Where parallels exist,

Those who see them are wiser-

So where’s the next twist?

 

 

 

 

Over 800 thousand poems

On allpoetry.com there is,

And I’ll bet this is the only one

In the form of a grueling quiz!

 

 

wbiro

 

 

Hope it wasn’t too grueling!