欧内斯特·R.梅是20世纪后半叶美国最重要的历史学家之一,他在多个学术领域都贡献了开创性的成果,包括美国对外关系史、第二次世界大战史、冷战史、历史与决策等,而美国对外关系史与外交决策研究是其倾一生之力的专业领域。他打破了现实主义学派依赖美国政府单一档案的桎梏,强调多边档案和多元研究视角的重要性。欧内斯特·R.梅重视从美国国内因素来探求其外交行为的动因,主张将社会学、心理学的理论和方法应用于历史研究,公众舆论特别是舆论领袖的作用受到他的关注。他提倡历史研究为现实决策服务,通过历史案例,将历史研究与现实的对外政策制定紧密结合起来。欧内斯特·R.梅及其学术研究不仅推动了20世纪下半叶美国外交史从现实主义向国际主义的转向,而且对应用史学的发展做出了重要贡献。 Ernest R. May is one of the most important historians in the United States in the second half of the 20th century and has contributed groundbreaking achievements in various academic fields, including the history of U.S. foreign relations, the history of the Second World War History of the cold war, history and decision-making, etc. The history of foreign relations in the United States and the study of foreign policy making are the professional fields for which it has devoted its life to strength. He broke the reluctance of the realist schools to rely on the single files of the U.S. government and emphasized the importance of multilateral archives and multi-dimensional research perspectives. Ernest R. May attaches importance to exploring the motivation of his diplomatic behavior from domestic factors in the United States. He advocates that the theories and methods of sociology and psychology should be applied to historical research, and his public opinion, especially the role of opinion leaders, has drawn his attention. He advocated the study of history to serve the reality of decision-making and closely linked historical research with the reality of foreign policy making through historical cases. Ernest R. May and his academic research not only promoted the turning of the American diplomatic history from realism to internationalism in the second half of the 20th century, but also made important contributions to the development of applied historiography.