Rulers of time
Clocks and calendars provide a timeless way for regimes to illustrate their power
NORTH KOREA will go back in time on August 15th, turning back its clocks by half an hour to establish its own time zone. It seems appropriate for a country that venerates its past: the hermit kingdom already has its own calendar, with years counted from 1912, the birth year of its founder and “eternal president”, Kim Il Sung. Its time-travelling is the latest example of a long tradition of expressing political power by adjusting clocks and calendars. Doing so alters a fundamental aspect of daily life, literally at a stroke. And what better illustration could there be of a ruler’s might than control over time itself?
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Rulers of time”
From the August 15th 2015 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Joe Biden abused a medieval power to pardon his son
The president’s reversal is understandable, humane and wrong
Lessons from the failure of Northvolt
Governments blew billions on a battery champion. Time to welcome foreign investors instead
How to make a success of peace talks with Vladimir Putin
The key is robust security guarantees for Ukrainians
Javier Milei: “My contempt for the state is infinite”
Argentina’s president is idolised by the Trumpian right. They should get to know him better
Tariff threats will do harm, even if Donald Trump does not impose them
The risk of a trade war is uncomfortably high
Peace in Lebanon is just a start
Donald Trump must build on Joe Biden’s belated success