Sir Paul Preston

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 21 July 1946) is an English historian and

Hispanist Hispanism (sometimes referred to as Hispanic studies or Spanish studies) is the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, principally that of Spain and Hispanic America. It may also entail studying Spanish language an ...

, biographer of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

, and specialist in Spanish history, in particular the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, which he has studied for more than 50 years. He is the winner of multiple awards for his books on the Spanish Civil War.

Biography

Preston was born in 1946 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. Preston said in an interview that he has sympathy for the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

: "I came from a fairly left-wing family. You could not really be from working-class Liverpool and not be left-wing. Emotionally, in my feeling for the Republic I think there is an element of indignation about the Republic's defeat, solidarity with the losing side. Maybe that's why I support Everton, although Everton wasn't the losing side in my day." Preston studied for his undergraduate degree at Oriel College, Oxford. He then gained an MA in European Studies at the University of Reading. He moved back to Oriel College to gain his DPhil. From 1991 to 2020 Preston taught at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, where he was Príncipe de Asturias Professor of Contemporary Spanish Studies and the founding director of the Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies. He is a frequent visitor to Spain, where his work appears in Spanish and Catalan. He speaks both languages. He has a wife, Gabriella, to whom he dedicated ''The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain''.

Publications

Regarding criticism from right-wing media outlets over his depictions of Franco and other figures, Preston stated in a 2021 interview: "I try to be honest, even if the right-wing press paints me as an amateur and a liar." Preston has produced a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

of Franco (Basic Books, 1994). He has also published a biography of

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until his abdication on 19 June 2014. In Sp ...

(2003). Recent books include ''We Saw Spain Die'', on the subject of foreign correspondents who reported on the Spanish Civil War and ''Perfidious Albion: Britain and the Spanish Civil War'', a collection of essays exploring "the hypocrisy of British foreign policy towards the Spanish Republic, in contrast to the selfless contribution of medical personnel from across the globe, including many doctors and nurses from Britain, Ireland and Commonwealth countries, and assessing the influence of prominent ‘writer-historians’ including

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

and Herbert Southworth."

The Spanish Holocaust

In 2012 he published the English edition of the ''Spanish Holocaust''. This book represents a challenge to the

pact of forgetting The Pact of Forgetting () is the political decision by both leftist and rightist parties of Spain to avoid confronting directly the legacy of Francoism after the death of Francisco Franco in 1975. The Pact of Forgetting was an attempt to move on f ...

, examining the many deaths and atrocities associated with the Spanish Civil War, and following the Francoist repression into the early 1950s. The book was criticised by the historian

Stanley G. Payne Stanley George Payne (born September 9, 1934) is an American historian of modern Spain and Europe, European fascism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He retired from full-time teaching in 2004 and is currently Professor Emeritus at its Dep ...

; while Payne did praise Preston for his depth and breadth of research into atrocities in and after the war, he criticised Preston for bias when it came to Republican atrocities. Payne argues that Franco's policy was to simply eliminate the leaders and main activists of the Republicans while letting most of the rank and file go free. At the same time the book received praise among other academics and journalists, with Giles Tremlett writing in the Guardian: "Preston provides facts, figures and harrowing descriptions in the first full and proper attempt to explain the horror. He does not shy away from strong words – 'holocaust' is deliberately chosen to describe the extent of cold-blooded killing ..because its resonances with systematic murder should be evoked in the Spanish case, as they are in those of Germany or Russia".“

Architects of Terror

In 2023, he published ''Architects of Terror: Paranoia, Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism in Franco’s Spain'', in which he examined the conspiracy theories and antisemitism behind the rise of Francoism. The book included profiles of six figures within the Francoist camp:

Emilio Mola Emilio Mola y Vidal (9 July 1887 – 3 June 1937) was a Spanish military officer who was one of the three leaders of the Nationalist coup of July 1936 that started the Spanish Civil War. After the death of José Sanjurjo on 20 July 1936, M ...

Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra (5 February 1875 – 9 March 1951) was a Spanish Army general. He distinguished himself quickly in his career, fighting in Cuba and Morocco, later becoming outspoken about military and political figures which led ...

, Mauricio Carlavilla,

Juan Tusquets Terrats Juan Tusquets Terrats (March 31, 1901 – October 25, 1998) was a Spanish priest, author of the best selling book ''Orígenes de la revolución española''. Turned into a fierce antisemite and even fiercer antimasonic hate speaker during the Spani ...

José María Pemán José María Pemán y Pemartín (8 May 1897 in Cadiz – 19 July 1981, Ibid.) was a Spanish journalist, poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, and monarchist intellectual. Biography Originally a student of law, he entered the literary world wi ...

, and

Gonzalo de Aguilera Munro Gonzalo may refer to: * Gonzalo (name) * Gonzalo, Dominican Republic, a small town * Isla Gonzalo, a subantarctic island operated by the Chilean Navy * Hurricane Gonzalo Hurricane Gonzalo was the second tropical cyclone, after Hurricane Fay, ...

. Robert Low of ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

'' reviewed the book positively, saying that it "shows how fake news is certainly not an invention of the 21st century, and that its consequences can be far-reaching and frequently lethal."

Awards and honours

* 2000 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(Civil Division) * 2005

Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; ; – 1316), sometimes anglicized as ''Raymond Lully'', was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, Christian apologist and former knight from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art ...

International Prize * 2006

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gran ...

of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

* 2012

Samuel Johnson Prize The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its m ...

, shortlist, ''The Spanish Holocaust'' * 2013 Honour Prize of the Lluís Carulla's Foundation * 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List:

Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

for services to UK/Spain relations.

Honorary Doctorates

* 2015 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the Universitat Rovira i Virigili * 2015 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

* 2015 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the Universidad de Extremadura * 2015 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the

Universitat de València The University of Valencia ( ), shortened to UV, is a public research university in Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Valencian Community. It is regarded as one of Spain's leading academic i ...

* 2016 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the

Universitat de Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public university, public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. Wi ...

* 2019 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the Universidad de Cantabria * 2023 ''Doctor Honoris causa'' from the

Universidad de Granada The University of Granada (, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apart from the city of Granada ...

Bibliography

* * __ (1986) ''The Spanish Civil War 1936–39'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ** (1996) evised and updated version''A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War'', London: Fontana Press. * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As editor

* * *

References

Informational notes Citations

External links

* *
Publications by Paul Preston at LSE Research Online

Paul Preston Interview on The Señales de Humo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Paul 1946 births Living people Academics from Liverpool Academics of the London School of Economics British historians British biographers Fellows of the British Academy British Hispanists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Historians of Spain People educated at St Edward's College Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Members of the Institute for Catalan Studies Knights Bachelor Historians of the Spanish Civil War Historians of Francoist Spain Historians of the Spanish transition to democracy History Today people