Encyclopedia > Realpolitik

  Article Content

Realpolitik

Realpolitik (meaning practical politics) is the practice of politics independent of moral or ethical considerations, usually for the advancement of the national interests of a country. Another term for this is power politics.

One of the most famous proponents was Niccolo Machiavelli, best known for his Il Principe (The Prince). Machiavelli held that the soul aim of a prince was to seek power, regardless of religous or ethical concerns.

Other great practitioners of realpolitik include Otto von Bismark and Count Camillo Benso di Cavour.

The policy of Realpolitik was introduced to the Nixon Whitehouse by Henry Kissinger. In this context, the policy meant dealing with other powerful nations in a practical manner -- diplomacy with China rather than containment.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Battle Creek, Michigan

... individuals and 12.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.43 and the average family size is 3.04. In the city the ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 24.5 ms