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Edward Hallett Carr (28 June 1892 – 3 November 1982) was a British historian, journalist and international relations theorist, and fierce opponent of empiricism within historiography.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Two versions of Carr and Morgenthau 1.2 Criticism of Realism 1.3 The Critique of the theory of Harmony of Interests 2 Bibliography 3 References 4 External links

Carr was born in London to a middle-class family, and was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School in London, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a First Class Degree in Classics. From 1916 to 1936 he served in the British Foreign Office and was part of the British delegation at the Paris Peace Conference. later he became an adviser on League of Nations affairs.After being assigned to Riga, Latvia in the 1920s Carr became increasing fascinated with Russian literature and culture and wrote several works on various aspects of Russian life. Between 1931 and 1937, Carr published many works on historians and history, works that gave much fledgling discipline of international relations. After the war, Carr was a fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and then Trinty College, where he published most of his popular works “A History of Soviet Union” and “What is History?”. He remained at Trinty College until his death <--

1. the textbook version that reduces most of the complexities, caricaturing the thinkers. Since people generally read these men from secondary sources, they mistaken what is said about them to be their original thoughts. the second version rests on their actual writings. It is said of Carr that he lacks a coherent theory, but that is not the case. Carr defines himself neither a realist nor an idealist. He first uses utopianism and realism as ideal types, secondly he criticizes both from each others perspective, thirdly he develops a utopianism that is endowed with the conceptual tools of realism. This "sound political thinking" is not realism per se.

In a nutshell: Three principles of realism according to Carr: 1. Determination 2. Practice determines theory 3. Ethics is a function of power 4. Adjustment of thought to purpose (interest)

On the last principle: according to the realist, theory is a tool in the service of its propagators. Example: harmony of interests in Carr, or the idea of peace that freezes a social organization based on slavery. If you are able to convince the slave that he is better off being a slave, you spare yourself from the bothers of a slave revolt!

Another example is the recent propaganda war during the War in Iraq (liberators from a democratic country coming to save the poor people of Iraq from a terrible dictator. The whole idea is that the democratic country is always the more benevolent one). -->

Carr is consistently inconsistent. He does not believe in essential harmony, wherever there are human beings, there is politics. Politics brings about conflict of interests. His ideas are the polar opposite of what Hans Morgenthau calls 'rational philosophy'. His chapter on realism introduces the reader with a five pages long critique of realism, of which Carr is deemed a founder. This strong critique is mostly overlooked by the IR scholars, since admitting it would recognize Carr as a much more profound thinker with considerable theoretical depth.

He points at the toothless nature of realist critique: you can show the hollowness of the utopian edifice, but you cannot construct a new ideal with it. In its logical conclusion, relativism itself, and hence the realist critique itself serves an interest.

Sometimes the utopia veils reality. In that case, the realist critique serves the purpose of unveiling it. Sometimes, realism dims our ability to dream of alternatives. In that case, we need the utopianism to dream of such alternatives. Sound political thinking rests on both frames of mind, we use one or the other as necessity requires. politics in essence is the struggle between the proponents of status quo and its enemies. Politics is the struggle between change and status quo.

There is a common solution to all the conflicts of interest in a society, an equilibrium point (liberalism) or an end of conflict (Marxism). Liberalism defends the essential harmony between individual and general interests. The same holds true for Marxism. The current conflict is unavoidable, but its result is the classless society where conflict of particular interests is gone (because conflicting class interests are gone). The reflection of the liberal mould in international arena is the well known "balance of power". In reality, however, the whole idea covers the interest of the prevailing groups in society. For example, the alleged common interest in peace during the inter-war years merely veiled the interests of status quo powers.

• Dostoevsky (1821-1881): a New Biography, New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1931.
• The Romantic Exiles: a Nineteenth Century Portrait Gallery, London: Victor Gollancz, 1933 and was also published in paperback by Penguin in 1949 and again in 1968.
• Karl Marx: a Study in Fanaticism, London: Dent, 1934.
• Michael Bakunin, London: Macmillan, 1937.
• The Twenty Years Crisis, 1919-1939: an Introduction to the Study of International Relations, London: Macmillan, 1939, revised edition, 1946.
• Conditions of Peace, London: Macmillan, 1942.
• Nationalism and After, London: Macmillan, 1945.
• A History of Soviet Russia, Collection of 10 volumes, London: Macmillan, 1950-1978. The first three titles being Bolshevik Revolution, The Interregnum and Socialism In One County.
• The New Society, London: Macmillan, 1951
• What is History?, 1961, revised edition edited by R.W. Davies, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986.
• 1917 Before and After, London: Macmillan, 1969; American edition: The October Revolution Before and After, New York: Knopf, 1969.
• The Russian Revolution: From Lenin to Stalin (1917-1929), London: Macmillan, 1979.
• From Napoleon to Stalin and Other Essays, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1980.
• The Twilight of the Comintern, 1930-1935, London: Macmillan, 1982.
• The Soviet Impact on the Western World (1946)

• Abramsky, C. & Williams, B.J. (editors) Essays In Honour of E.H. Carr, London: Macmillan, 1974.

• Cox, Michael, ed., E.H. Carr: a critical appraisal, London: Palgrave, 2000

• Davies, R.W. "Edward Hallett Carr, 1892-1982" pages 473-511 from Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume 69, 1983.

• Deutscher, Tamara "E.H. Carr-a Personal Memoir" pages 78-86 from New Left Review, Issue #137, 1983.

• Haslam, Jonathan "We Need a Faith: E.H. Carr, 1892-1982" pages 36-39 from History Today, Volume 33, August 1983.

• Haslam, Jonathan "E.H. Carr and the History of Soviet Russia" pages 1021-1027 from Historical Journal, Volume 26, Issue #4, 1983.

• Howe, P. "The Utopian Realism of E.H. Carr" pages 277-297 from Review of International Studies, Volume 20, Issue #3, 1994.

• Labedz, Leopold "E.H. Carr: A Historian Overtaken by History" pages 94-111 from Survey March 1988 Volume 30 Issue # 1/2.
• Oldfield, A. "Moral Judgments in History" pages 260-277 from History and Theory, Volume 20, Issue #3, 1981.

• Laqueur, Walter The Fate of the Revolution : Interpretations of Soviet History from 1917 to the Present, New York : Scribner, 1987 ISBN 0-684-18903-8.

• Trevor-Roper, Hugh "E.H. Carr's Success Story" pages 69-77 from Encounter, Volume 84, Issue #104, 1962.

• The Vices of Integrity: E H Carr

The Papers of E. H. Carr are held at the University of Birmingham Special Collections