Hans Morgenthau and the historical construction of Realism

Abstract

The experience of the 1960s has dispelled the illusion that truth can show power the way in direct confrontation. But historical experience reassures us that truth can indeed make people ‘see a lot of things in a new light’. And when people see things in a new light, they might act in a new way. Hans Morgenthau Few figures are as closely associated with Realism as Hans Morgenthau. Indeed no assessment of the development of International Relations can overlook the importance of Morgenthau in the intellectual evolution of the field, and his role in placing Realism at the centre of that evolution. Yet despite this centrality, it is difficult to escape the impression that for several decades Morgenthau was more often cited than read, and that in the process he has been reduced by both his supporters and his critics primarily to an implacable opponent of liberalism and an advocate of power politics. In recent years, however, Morgenthau's thinking has become the source of renewed interest, as a series of analyses have sought to recover the depth and complexity of his thinking by locating it within the complex philosophical and political debates and traditions through which it emerged. Focusing in particular on Morgenthau's relationship to the complex legacy of Max Weber, his location within the politics of Weimar Germany, and particularly on his intellectual engagement with the controversial figure of Carl Schmitt, an understanding of Morgenthau's political Realism is now taking shape that bears little resemblance to the conventional portraits that continue to dominate International Relations.