This year's OHTE Annual Conference highlights the risks societies face when historical knowledge is misused or devalued.
Manipulating history, undermining democracy
Reliable information is essential for democratic societies, enabling citizens to access, evaluate and use their knowledge to participate in public life. Yet the deliberate manipulation of information, including of historical events and figures has become an increasingly visible threat. Disinformation campaigns, propaganda, selective uses of the past, and misleading AI-generated content all distort public understanding and weaken democratic culture in profound and unexpected ways.
Strengthening media literacy and democratic citizenship is therefore indispensable in countering the misuse of history in the public sphere. Therefore, when education[1] seeks to build the competences required for democratic culture[2], it can play a central role in supporting democratic engagement and resilience. When delivered in line with Council of Europe standards, education in general - and history education specifically - fosters critical thinking, inclusion and dialogue across political, generational, cultural, and digital divides.
In line with the New Democratic Pact for Europe of the Council of Europe, this year’s OHTE Annual Conference, “Manipulating history, undermining democracy”, focuses on how quality history teaching can help prevent democratic backsliding by offering learners the tools to contextualise past historical events. Recent election cycles across Europe have shown how rapidly public opinion can be influenced through the misrepresentation of historical events, simplified narratives, and emotion-driven messaging. The Conference will also examine how these practices undermine trust, distort political debate and weaken democratic institutions, and why renewed action is urgently needed to ensure that history remains a source of understanding rather than manipulation.
Addressing the manipulation of history therefore requires specific competences, practical tools[3], shared standards, and spaces for exchange. To support this, the Conference will continue with the proven formats of OHTE Talks, OHTE Debates with an intergenerational twist, as well as introduce new workshops that will showcase innovative initiatives designed to combat the manipulation of history.
By bringing together policymakers, educators, researchers and young people, the OHTE Annual Conference reaffirms that history education is not a secondary concern but a central democratic safeguard. “Manipulating history, undermining democracy” highlights the risks societies face when historical knowledge is misused or devalued. Ensuring that citizens have the capacity to critically interpret the past is essential to understanding present challenges and to building a democratic future grounded in accuracy, pluralism and respect for human dignity.
[1] https://www.coe.int/en/web/education
[2] https://www.coe.int/en/web/history-education/rfcdc-and-history-teaching
[3] “HISTOLAB Toolkit for history classes - Debunking fake news and fostering critical thinking”
Lineup
Dealing with artificial historians: disinformation in the age of AI
The machine of lies: propaganda and the misuse of history
Good to know
Highlights
- 1 day 4 hours
- Online
Location
Online event
Agenda
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Opening session: “Democracies standing up against manipulations of history”
Opening words by Alain BERSET, Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Gabriel REVEL, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Monaco, on behalf of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
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Plenary Session 1: “The facts, the whole facts and nothing but the facts”
This session will address the growing challenges posed by the distortion and instrumentalisation of historical narratives in contemporary societies, while bringing together diverse perspectives that reflect the varied backgrounds of its speakers. The discussion will highlight how historical facts can be manipulated, and how such distortions can be analysed and debunked. At a time when disinformation and selective interpretations of the past increasingly threaten democratic values, the session will emphasise the essential role of reliable knowledge, methodological rigour and critical engagement with sources, helping citizens better understand the complexity of the past and engage more thoughtfully in public debates.
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OHTE Talk - The machine of lies: propaganda and the misuse of history
Fabrice D’ALMEIDA Professor of History, Chair of the Department of Information sciences and communication, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas This OHTE Talk will explore the historical roots, mechanisms and contemporary manifestations of propaganda and disinformation, examining how narratives are deliberately constructed to influence public opinion and shape collective memory. By viewing these phenomena through a long-term historical lens, light will be shed on the strategies used to legitimise power, mobilise societies and manipulate perceptions of the past and present. The session will also invite reflections on the role of education in equipping learners with the analytical tools required to recognise these processes, fostering critical awareness and strengthening democratic resilience in an increasingly complex information environment.