AS Spanish studies kindled an interest in the Franco era, specifically his rise to power. Giles Tremlett’s‘Ghosts of Spain’, revealed the tragedies of the past and Spain’s race to modernity following Franco. I also admired his uncovering of an obscure past; the impact of the quasi-Fascist regime on the culture of Spain, and the extent of political actions and their influence on the culture of Spain prompted me to present a talk to the European Culture Society on the “History and Impact of Franco on the rivalry of El Clasico”. I also attend History Society meetings, discussing notions such as “nostalgia” or “eras” and arguing in favour of Counterfactual History, since it permits us to view events from different perspectives and is a useful evaluative tool, rejecting the claim that it distracts us from the historical truth and should only be applied to decisions rather than events beyond human control. The logical skills developed through the intellectual discipline of Mathematics, combined with the analytical approach to data interpretation I have acquired through Statistics and Geography, have sharpened my historical judgments.
Ancient Historiography has also fascinated me. Study of Tacitus’ work during GCSE Latin was followed up by