But it happens, doesn't it

But to put something in context is a step towards saying it can be understood and that it can be explained. And if it can be explained then it can be explained away.

Credit The History Boys. Although, like Rudge, sometimes I get fed up and think that history's "just one fucking thing after another".

Can you give an unbiased explanation of what happened, and what were the consequences?

But the thing is, really, history is like our memory - it's not completely unbiased; it will be influenced by our own prejudices and external factors; and sometimes, it's better to accept what you want to see, not what Is and what Isn't.

And if you have the influence and the power to do so, what better way to change history than to rewrite it based on what you think should have happened, instead of what did? Wouldn't you come to believe it too, after a while, simply because the only explanation or proof available was the one you thought was right?