E. H. Carr facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Edward Hallett Carr CBE FBA

Born	(1892-06-28)28 June 1892 London, England
Died	3 November 1982(1982-11-03) (aged 90) London, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Occupation	Historian · diplomat · International relations theorist · journalist
Known for	Contributions to classical realism; studies in Soviet history; outlining radical historiographical principles in his book What Is History?
Spouse(s)	Anne Ward Howe Betty Behrens
Children	1

Edward Hallett Carr (born June 28, 1892 – died November 3, 1982) was a British historian, diplomat, and journalist. He also studied international relations, which is about how countries interact. Carr was known for his long history book about the Soviet Union, called A History of Soviet Russia. He also wrote The Twenty Years' Crisis, which looked at global politics between World War I and World War II. Another famous book, What Is History?, shared his ideas on how history should be written.

Carr went to school in London and then to Trinity College, Cambridge. He started his career as a diplomat in 1916. Three years later, he was part of the British team at the Paris Peace Conference. He became very interested in international relations and the Soviet Union. Because of this, he left his job at the Foreign Office in 1936 to become a professor. From 1941 to 1946, Carr worked for The Times newspaper. There, he wrote articles that supported a socialist system and a strong friendship between Britain and the Soviet Union after the war.

Early Life and Education

Edward Hallett Carr was born in London into a middle-class family. He went to the Merchant Taylors' School in London. Later, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a top degree in Classics in 1916.

Carr's parents were Francis Parker and Jesse Carr. They were initially Conservatives but later supported the Liberals. This change happened in 1903 because they strongly believed in free trade. Carr grew up believing that the world was always getting better. This idea stayed with him throughout his life.

In 1911, Carr won a special scholarship to attend Cambridge. At Cambridge, he learned something important about history. One of his professors explained how the Greco-Persian Wars influenced the historian Herodotus. Carr realized that historians' own experiences and views can affect how they write history. This idea later became a key part of his 1961 book, What Is History?.

Diplomatic Career

World War I deeply affected Carr, changing the world he knew. He joined the British Foreign Office in 1916. He stayed there until 1936. Carr was excused from military service for health reasons.

At first, he worked on enforcing a blockade against Germany. Then, in 1917, he worked on relations with Russia. Carr later became convinced that the Bolsheviks would win the Russian Civil War. He supported Prime Minister David Lloyd George's decision not to fight against the Bolsheviks.

In 1919, Carr was part of the British team at the Paris Peace Conference. He helped write parts of the Treaty of Versailles, especially those about the League of Nations. He felt that the Allied powers, especially France, treated Germany unfairly. He wrote that the German team was "cheated" and "subjected to every petty humiliation."

Carr also worked on setting the borders between Germany and Poland. He initially supported Poland. However, his views changed, and he began to favor German claims over Polish ones. His biographer, Jonathan Haslam, noted that Carr's love for German culture influenced his views.

After the peace conference, Carr worked at the British Embassy in Paris until 1921. In 1920, he received an award called the CBE. He initially believed strongly in the League of Nations, thinking it would prevent future wars.

From 1925 to 1929, Carr was a diplomat in Riga, Latvia. Riga had many Russian people who had left their country. During this time, Carr became very interested in Russian literature and culture. He learned Russian so he could read Russian writers in their original language. In 1927, he visited Moscow for the first time. Reading Russian thinkers made him rethink his own liberal ideas.

From 1929 onwards, Carr started reviewing books about Russia, the Soviet Union, and international relations. He became a key expert on the Soviet Union for the Times Literary Supplement. Because he was a diplomat, many of his early reviews were published without his name or under a fake name. In the 1930s, Carr also wrote biographies of famous figures like Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Karl Marx, and Mikhail Bakunin.

The Great Depression in the early 1930s shocked Carr almost as much as World War I. He became more interested in finding new political ideas to replace liberalism. He started to admire the Soviet Union. In a 1932 book review, he praised the Soviet economy.

In his 1934 book about Marx, Carr described Marx as very smart but focused on destruction. Carr later found this book embarrassing and did not want it republished. He called it his worst book.

As a diplomat in the 1930s, Carr believed that global trade problems caused by the American Smoot–Hawley Act of 1930 led to Germany's aggressive foreign policy. He thought that if Germany had its own economic zone in Eastern Europe, like other major powers, it could help keep the peace.

Carr also believed the Treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany. He supported Adolf Hitler's efforts to undo parts of the treaty, like the remilitarisation of the Rhineland in 1936. His support for these ideas caused problems with his boss, Sir Robert Vansittart. This played a role in Carr leaving the Foreign Office in 1936.

International Relations Scholar

In 1936, Edward Carr became a professor of International Politics at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. He is well known for his ideas on how countries relate to each other.

Carr's appointment caused some debate because he used his position to criticize the League of Nations. This upset Lord Davies, who had created the professorship to support the League. Carr believed the League was not effective.

In 1937, Carr visited the Soviet Union again and was impressed. He also visited Germany. In a speech, he said Germany was "almost a free country."

In the 1930s, Carr supported "appeasement," which meant giving in to some demands to avoid war. He believed that countries like Czechoslovakia should accept being in Germany's sphere of influence. He also admired the Soviet Union's economic achievements during its Five-Year Plans. He saw these as a contrast to the failures of capitalism during the Great Depression.

His famous book, The Twenty Years' Crisis, was published in 1939. It discussed international relations from 1919 to 1939. In it, Carr argued that appeasement was the only realistic choice at the time.

In The Twenty Years' Crisis, Carr divided thinkers on international relations into two groups: "utopians" and "realists." He criticized "utopians" like Norman Angell who believed that the League of Nations could build a perfect international system. Carr felt the League was a hopeless dream. He argued that international relations was a constant struggle between "have" powers (rich countries) and "have-not" powers (poorer countries). "Have" powers like the United States and Britain wanted peace, while "have-not" powers like Germany and Japan were more likely to go to war.

Carr defended the Munich Agreement, which allowed Germany to take parts of Czechoslovakia. He saw it as a necessary recognition of changes in power. He also criticized Winston Churchill, calling him an opportunist.

After 1939, Carr mostly stopped writing about international relations. He focused more on current events and Soviet history. After World War II began, Carr admitted he had been somewhat wrong about Nazi Germany. In a later edition of The Twenty Years' Crisis, he was more critical of German foreign policy.

Carr believed that major social changes happen through revolutions or wars. He saw these as necessary ways to bring about change, even if they were unpleasant.

World War II and Beyond

During World War II, Carr's political views became much more left-leaning. He worked for the propaganda department of the Foreign Office. He was very sad when Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, as he didn't believe Britain could win.

In March 1940, Carr started writing editorials for The Times newspaper. He supported the Soviet Union's takeover of the Baltic States. From 1941 to 1946, he was the assistant editor of The Times. He was known for his strong pro-Soviet views in his articles. After June 1941, when the Soviet Union joined the war against Germany, Carr's admiration for them grew even more.

Carr's articles often called for a socialist economy in Europe. He also supported a strong alliance between Britain and the Soviet Union after the war. Unlike many others, he was against punishing Germany too harshly. He argued for rebuilding Germany as a socialist country. He consistently wrote that Eastern Europe would naturally fall into the Soviet Union's influence after the war.

From 1942 to 1945, Carr led a study group on Anglo-Soviet relations. This group concluded that the Soviet Union had moved away from pure Communist ideas and towards Russian nationalism. They also believed that Britain could have a friendly relationship with the Soviets after the war.

In his 1942 book Conditions of Peace, Carr argued that a flawed economic system caused World War II. He believed that Western countries needed to adopt socialism to prevent another war.

In 1943, Lord Davies tried to get Carr fired from his professorship because Carr had not taught since 1939 but was still getting paid. However, most of the university staff supported Carr, and Lord Davies's efforts failed.

In December 1944, when fighting broke out in Athens between Greek Communists and the British Army, Carr supported the Greek Communists in a Times article. This led Winston Churchill to criticize him in Parliament.

Carr was also critical of the Polish government-in-exile. He urged Britain to recognize the Soviet-backed Polish government instead. Because of Carr's pro-Soviet articles, The Times newspaper was sometimes jokingly called the "three-pence Daily Worker" (a socialist newspaper). The writer George Orwell noted in 1942 that Carr seemed to have switched his support from Hitler to Stalin.

In 1946, Carr gave a series of lectures called The Soviet Impact on the Western World. He argued that the world was moving away from individualism and towards "totalitarianism." He saw Marxism as the most successful type of totalitarianism, pointing to Soviet industrial growth and the Red Army's role in defeating Germany. Carr also claimed that democracy in the West was a fake, allowing capitalists to exploit people. He praised the Soviet Union for offering true democracy.

Cold War and Later Life

In the late 1940s, Carr became more and more influenced by Marxism. In 1948, he criticized Britain for accepting a loan from America, saying it ended British independence. Carr believed Britain should stay neutral in the Cold War. He thought that "peace at any price" should be the main goal of British policy.

In the early 1950s, Carr tried to stop a book about repression in the Soviet Union from being published. He argued that the topic was not serious enough for a historian. As interest in Communism grew, Carr largely stopped studying international relations. He did not comment on the Soviet Union stopping the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. However, he did criticize the Suez War at the same time.

In 1966, Carr married historian Betty Behrens. That same year, he wrote an essay comparing India and China. He suggested that China, despite rejecting liberalism, managed to feed its people, while millions in India relied on charity. Some critics pointed out that Carr seemed unaware of the millions who starved in China during the Great Leap Forward.

In the late 1960s, Carr supported the New Left student protests. He hoped they might bring about a socialist revolution in Britain.

Carr had a big impact on the study of the Soviet Union and international relations. Many scholars contributed to a book honoring him in 1974. In a 1978 interview, Carr called Western economies "crazy" and believed they would fail. He also wrote that Margaret Thatcher's government had forced "the forces of Socialism" in Britain to retreat. He believed that socialism could not be achieved through traditional democracy.

History of Soviet Russia

Carr's History of Soviet Russia runs to 14 volumes and has been extended into the 1930s by historian R. W. Davies and others.

After World War II, Carr became a fellow at Balliol College, Oxford, and then at Trinity College, Cambridge. During this time, he published most of his 14-volume work, A History of Soviet Russia. He also published What Is History?.

Carr decided to write a full history of Soviet Russia from 1917. He wanted to explain how the Soviet Union survived the German invasion. His massive work covered social, political, and economic history up to 1929. Like many others, Carr believed that Russia's change from a poor farming country to a major industrial power was one of the most important events of the 20th century.

The first three volumes were called The Bolshevik Revolution (published 1950-1953). They covered Soviet history from 1917 to 1922. He then wrote The Interregnum (1923-1924) and four volumes called Socialism in One Country (up to 1926). His final volumes in the series were The Foundations of the Planned Economy, covering up to 1929. Carr had planned to continue the series up to 1945 but died before finishing. His last book, The Twilight of the Comintern (1982), looked at how the Comintern (a global Communist organization) responded to fascism.

Another related book was Carr's 1951 work, German-Soviet Relations Between the Two World Wars, 1919–1939. In it, he blamed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain for the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. In 1955, Carr's reputation was damaged when he wrote the introduction to a supposed memoir of a Soviet official, which was later found to be a fake created by the KGB.

Carr was known in the 1950s for admiring the Soviet Union. His friend, historian R. W. Davies, said Carr believed the Soviet Union was the main force for progress in the world. He saw the Cold War as American aggression against the Soviet Union. Carr's History of Soviet Russia received mixed reviews. Some called it "monumental," while others saw it as defending Joseph Stalin.

What Is History?

Carr is also famous for his book on historiography, What Is History? (1961). This book was based on lectures he gave at the University of Cambridge. In this work, Carr argued against the idea that history is just a collection of "facts."

Carr said that historians decide which "facts of the past" are important enough to become "historical facts." He believed that historians make these choices based on their own views and goals. This means that the historian's own perspective plays a big role in how history is written.

Contribution to International Relations Theory

Carr helped create what is now known as classical realism in international relations theory. This theory looks at how countries interact. Carr studied the works of ancient thinkers like Thucydides and Machiavelli. He strongly disagreed with what he called "Idealism," which is the belief that international relations can be based on moral principles and cooperation.

Carr argued that international relations is more about power and self-interest than about ideals. Hans Morgenthau, another famous realist, praised Carr's work for showing the problems with how Western countries thought about international affairs.

Selected Works

Dostoevsky (1821–1881): A New Biography, 1931.
The Romantic Exiles: A Nineteenth-Century Portrait Gallery, 1933.
Karl Marx: A Study in Fanaticism, 1934.
Michael Bakunin, 1937.
International Relations Since the Peace Treaties, 1937.
The Twenty Years' Crisis, 1919–1939: an Introduction to the Study of International Relations, 1939, revised edition, 1946.
Britain: A Study of Foreign Policy from the Versailles Treaty to the Outbreak of War, 1939.
Conditions of Peace, 1942.
Nationalism and After, 1945.
The Soviet Impact on the Western World, 1946.
A History of Soviet Russia, 1950–1978. (14 volumes)
Studies in revolution, 1950.
The New Society, 1951.
German-Soviet Relations Between the Two World Wars, 1919–1939, 1952.
The October Revolution: Before and After, 1969.
What Is History?, 1961; revised edition ed. R.W. Davies, 1986.
1917 Before and After, 1969.
The Russian Revolution: From Lenin to Stalin (1917–1929), 1979.
From Napoleon to Stalin and Other Essays, 1980.
The Twilight of the Comintern, 1930–1935, 1982.
The Comintern and the Spanish Civil War, 1984.

Images for kids

In the 1930s, Carr saw Adolf Hitler as a leader of a "have-not" nation struggling for economic justice and considered Lebensraum a zone of economic influence for Germany in Eastern Europe
In his 1939 book The Twenty Years' Crisis, Carr attacked Norman Angell as a utopian thinker on international relations