Historical Sociology by Adam Watson and the Problems of the study History of International Relations in the XX century

This article is devoted to English historian and diplomat Adam Watson (1914-2006) and his role in the making of the conception of international society. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the specific two main themes in his views as a historian: historical sociology and diplomacy in the XX century. Three main tasks studied in the article are the following. 1. Diplomacy as institute in modern international society. 2. Historical sociology as the part of schools theory. 3. The keys factors of his biography, which explain his scientific views. The sources for the article were the works by Adam Watson, which had been published in the 1980-2000 and other texts of English school authors. As a result of the study we came to the conclusions: 1. Watson was one of the main figures in English school of International relations. He was a member of British Committee for the Theory of International Politics from the beginning of its activities in 1959. He was invited in this project by famous English historian Herbert Butterfield as an expert and diplomat. But soon after that he had taken an active part in the work of Committee as scientist and then in 1972-1978 he was a chief of the Committee. 2. He was born on the tenth day after the First World War began. This war was the borderline event for the many historians and diplomats. Herbert Butterfield considered that the War divided history of diplomacy on old and new. Watson agreed with such opinions, but in his works he said about growing role of diplomacy in history of international society in XX century. Like Headley Bull - other famous person of English school of International relations, he saw in diplomacy one of the main institute for international order in the XX century. He said that two World Wars in the XX century did not prove crisis of diplomacy, but only demonstrated new needs in international order. So he said that exceptions of Germany and Japan from Great powers in international relations after the World War II were mistakes for stability of contemporary global society. Diplomacy was one of the central issues of his scientific heritage at the English school. 3. In the British Committee for the Theory of International Politics he researched issue of historical evolution of international society. He believed that in history there were different systems of international relations. He had studied ancient, medieval systems and modern international society nearly 20 years and considered that its history demonstrated movement between the empire and anarchy. At center of this pendulum he founded the concept of international society. From his point of view such sociological ideas explained key processes in the international history of XX century. 4. A. Watson noted four key periods in the history of international society in XX century: Failing of European International Society during World War I; Twenty years period between the World Wars. It was the time of Versailles Settlements and League of Nations activities; Reorganization of International Order after the World War II. Decolonization and the appearance of a new global international society. Thus historical sociology by Adam Watson explains different process in international relations through the evolution conception of international society.

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