POLITICAL REALISM Mikayla Reed, Lucas Santos, & Emma Guinane Period 6 Gifted
Meaning ◦War is sometimes necessary for self defense ◦Against pacifism ◦Belief that nations never sacrifice themselves ◦They also believe that it is good to keep peace with other nations, but defend their own nation’s interests before
Philosophy of Political Realism “A theory of political philosophy that attempts to explain, model, and prescribe political relations.” ◦Has history going back to Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War ◦The history was extended by Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, Spinoza, & Jean- Jacques Rousseau
Carl Von Clausewitz: A German general & military theorist who stressed the psychological and political aspects of war and also influenced the twentieth & twenty- first centuries Niccolo Machiavelli: An Italian diplomat who wrote a handbook about the use of ruthless, self-serving cunning which established him as the “Father of Modern Political Theory” Henry Kissinger: The secretary of state who had an appreciation for world order after his family fled Germany during the 1930s Sun Tzu: A Chinese military general, strategist, & philosopher in Ancient China Key Figures
Citations ◦Bassford, Christopher, ed. "The Clausewitz Homepage." Clausewitz. Christopher Bassford, n.d. Web. 12 Nov ◦Pak, Eudie, Leanne French, and Laura Helm, eds. "Machiavelli/ Henry A. Kissinger." Bio. A&E Television Network, n.d. Web. 12 Nov ◦Parker, Geoffrey, and Robert Cowley, eds. "Sun Tzu." History.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, Web. 12 Nov ◦Moseley, Alexander. "Political Realism." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov