Realpolitik: A History 1st Edition

by John Bew (Author)

4 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0199331932

ISBN-10: 0199331936

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Since its coinage in mid-19th century Germany, Realpolitik has proven both elusive and protean. To some, it represents the best approach to meaningful change and political stability in a world buffeted by uncertainty and rapid transformation. To others, it encapsulates an attitude of cynicism and cold calculation, a transparent and self-justifying policy exercised by dominant nations over weaker. Remolded across generations and repurposed to its political and ideological moment, Realpolitik remains a touchstone for discussion about statecraft and diplomacy. It is a freighted concept.

Historian John Bew explores the genesis of Realpolitik, tracing its longstanding and enduring relevance in political and foreign policy debates. Bew's book uncovers the context that gave birth to Realpolitik-that of the fervor of radical change in 1848 in Europe. He explains its application in the conduct of foreign policy from the days of Bismarck onward. Lastly, he illuminates its translation from German into English, one that reveals the uniquely Anglo-American version of realpolitik-small "r"-being practiced today, a modern iteration that attempts to reconcile idealism with the pursuit of national interests.

Lively, encyclopedic, and utterly original, Realpolitik: A History illuminates the life and times of a term that has shaped and will continue to shape international relations.

Realpolitik: A History

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Product Details

Hardcover: 408 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (December 1, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199331936
ISBN-13: 978-0199331932
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 1.3 x 6.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #116 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Diplomacy
- #142 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political History
- #143 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > International Relations

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Top Customer Reviews

Excellent Intellectual history and fascinating reading.

By B Armstrong on December 22, 2015

Format: Hardcover

This book is an excellent study in the intellectual history of the word "realpolitik" and the role that word has played in the relationships between nations. Potential readers should understand that it isn't a history of "realism" as an IR school of thought, or even an attempt to define the perfect ideal of "realpolitik", but instead a history of the word and how the concept has changed over time. Bew's writing style is at the same time authoritative and personal, making the book easy reading despite the dense material and concepts involved. An excellent work that introduces important ideas in the history of international relations and national policy.

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An incredible accomplishment and a fascinating read

By Ryan on December 14, 2015

Format: Hardcover

This book is an incredible accomplishment by one of Britain's greatest living historians. Writing the history of an idea is a much greater challenge the writing a biography of a person or a narrative about a specific period or event. It is a challenge that most historians do not even attempt and when they do, the result is usually boring. John Bew has not only met this challenge with his history of Realpolitik, but in doing so produced one of the most fascinating books on foreign policy of this decade. It spans the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, hopping back and forth between Germany, the UK, and the United States. Unlike many historians, Bew does not shy away from explaining what his subject - this elusive term, Realpolitik - has to tell us about today's decisions on strategy and foreign policy. I suspect it will quickly make its way onto official reading lists and graduate curricula and become the new "it" book on foreign policy for the smart-set. Don't be surprised if you soon spot photos of senior British and American officials carrying this book on their way to meetings, moving from a motorcade to a helicopter. And don't be surprised when the real reviews come out, praising John Bew for his latest accomplishment.

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Five Stars

By Phillip E. Myers on February 18, 2016

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Well done.

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In that regard it is a disappointment. It fails to enact the very process that ...

By Bruce E. Woych on December 3, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Perhaps the title misleads, but this is not precisely a history of Realpolitik. It does not trace the intrinsic nature of power relations in the shadows over political realism and covert political machinations in real time. In that regard it is a disappointment. It fails to enact the very process that it proposes to represent; hard truth about what drivers exist in the backrooms of reality. Not what is said but what is done. The book, instead, is the history of an idea and it follows a stage of actors that presumably represent its practical existence in the world of professional diplomacy. Intellectually impressive; ...but just as the original criticism demonstrates that ideals fail in real time, so too does the ideal model presented fail to live up to its own standards of empirical critique or comprehensive measures of the hidden dimensions in disclosing raw power in the relations of Nations and Actors. Disappointing and one dimensional despite its intellectual presentation.

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