Historians and analysts including Henri J. Barkey, Director of the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, compared the 2016 Turkish purges to Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution that started in 1966 and the Iranian Cultural Revolution in which Iranian academia was purged during 1980–1987.
Sejarawan dan para analis termasuk Henry J. Barkey, Direktur Middle East Program of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, membandingkan peristiwa 2016 tersebut dengan Revolusi Budaya Mao Zedong yang dimulai sejak tahun 1966 dan Revolusi Budaya Iran tempat akademisi Iran ditangkap selama tahun 1980–1987.