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Causality lies at the root of controversy throughout history. Developments in historiography testify to an interest in causes, whether acknowledged, concealed, or rejected. The question of causality poses the problem of determinism in history, both in terms of its deviations and its transcendence. Here, it’s the very scientific nature of history that’s at stake. The discipline has borne the opposing influences of both positivism and relativism. The resurgence of causality is now being championed by a number of historians as part of the counterfactual approach.