Realpolitik

The term of realpolitik (German: realistic policy) can result in “political pragmatism”. It describes an international policy based more on practical matters than on theoretical or ethical principles.

The term was applied for the first time to Otto von Bismarck which followed the trace of Klemens von Metternich in the diplomatic research of a peaceful balance between European empires.

At the time of the war of 1866 it negotiated alliance Italy to tackle the Austria-Hungary and the States of the South of the Germany. After the Battle of Sadowa, he abstained from asking repairs to allow the blossoming of a German Empire under the authority of the King of Prussia. He was justified with Guillaume I°: “We should not choose a court, we must build a German policy. ” The assistance of Austria will be thus more easily obtenable at the time of the Guerre of 1870 against the France.

The origins can be required at Nicolas Machiavel which in its work the Prince in 1532 establishes that the only goal of a prince was to be the research of the capacity, independently of the religious questions and morals. The cardinal Richelieu applied his theories at the time of the Guerre Thirty Year old and invented the expression Reason of State.

If one wants to further seek, one will be interested in Thucydide, Greek Historien author of the Histoire of the Peloponnesian War which can be regarded as a precursor about it.

The count Cavour was also inspired him by these theories.

Henry Kissinger defines the Realpolitik as being “the foreign politics founded on the calculation of the forces and the national interest”.

Principle

The realpolitik is by principle a very diplomatic management of peace and avoids resorting to the arms race. The purpose of it is based on a fast making of decision in knowledge of the maximum of data and is a broad acceptance by the public opinion.

It was abandoned in Europe at the end of the 19th century and will leave the place to the Weltpolitik, based on a search for superiority military and an arms race which will find its terrible expression in the First World War.

Several schools of thought political use the term realpolitik , in particular the Realistic ones and the Marxists. At the Realistic ones (mainly in the Anglo-Saxon countries of the end of the 20th century), the term is used in a direction of search for being able, of expansion without scruple.

For example the government Nixon could use the councils of Henry Kissinger in the search for bonds with China Maoist in spite of enormous political divergences and the will posted hitherto of the Containment.

Realpolitik today

One generally has in all the parties and governments an opposition between the " realpoliticiens" and " fondamentalistes" according to their attitude vis-a-vis compromises on their ideas.

In Germany the term has a direction much simpler of realistic to distinguish the policies modest, simple, too dedicated Utopias.

In France, the term has two directions. Positively, it is employed in the direction to give up its ideals to compose with reality. In its negative direction, it is used to indicate a political lack of vision leading to an only short-term payment of the problems.

See too

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