Realpolitik

Realpolitik (German for "politics of reality") is foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than theory or ethics.

Realpolitik in many cases has been for the advancement of the national interests of a country over ethical or principled concerns.

One of the most famous proponents was Niccolò Machiavelli, best known for his Il Principe (The Prince). Machiavelli held that the sole aim of a prince was to seek power, regardless of religious or ethical considerations. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who wrote the History of the Peloponnesian War, is also cited as an intellectual forebearer of realpolitik.

Other significant practitioners of realpolitik include Prince Metternich, Otto von Bismarck, and Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. Indeed, it was Bismarck who coined the term "realpolitik", with regard to his efforts in what led to the unification of Germany under Prussia in 1871.

In the "realist school" of Anglo-Saxon Political Science of the late 20th century this term is mostly used as a synonym for power politics. The policy of Realpolitik was introduced to the Nixon White House by Henry Kissinger. In this context, the policy meant dealing with other powerful nations in a practical manner, i.e. diplomacy with the People's Republic of China rather than containment.

See also

• Pragmatism
• List of English words of German origin