Realism and Idealism

Realism has ancient root which going to ancient Greece and mainly became popular after the

second World War. Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Morgenthau and others are the main

important supporters of Realism. Realism became popular with unsuccessful results of idealism

after the First World War. Realists blame Idealists as being utopianists, because realism is dealing

with reality.

Morgenthau is the one of the most important scholars of modern Realism. He supports that

international policy from the power perspective is governed by national interests after Second

World War. According to Morgenthau international politics is the struggle of power. International

Politics is ruled by universal rules which sources of these rules come from the human nature.

Unlike Idealists, Realists mention that human nature is not good. They are selfish and pursue their

interests. National interests should be define from the power perspective. Main purposes of states

are increasing their power. Interests in terms of power are fixed and do not change. Moral ethical

values don’t have any affect to the International politics. International politics in contrast to

economy and law area are autonomy area and main targets are state’s military-economic power and

its interests. Actors of international politics are states.

There were some deficiencies in classical realism and had many criticism from liberals. So in 1979

Kenneth Waltz wrote the “Theory of International Politics” and tried to resolve the deficiencies of

classical realism. Waltz mentioned that should not be only focused on the nation states. Also all

system should be examine for analyze the international politics. According to him international

system is anarchic and the system is formed by itself. Main aims of states are survival. States are

main actors of international system. States support their interests in international and supranational

structures (organizations). States have different character and have different capacity but

functionally are the same. Being system of anarchy states integration probability are getting low. In

this system states should believe themselves.

Idealism is a political ideology which supported by John Locke, John Stuart Mill, David Hume,

Adam Smith, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant and etc. With the ideology international

system gain some terms such as limited vote right, republic, secularism and parliamentarism.

Liberals have positive ideas about human nature. Individual rights and freedoms are the basis terms

of liberalism. Liberalism mainly reposes to the free market economy.

After the First World War international sytem tried to look for new world order and Wilson’s 14

points became the power example for the idealism. Wilson was affected by Immanuel Kant’s ideas.

According to Kant’s Democratic Peace Theory democratic states cannot fight each other in the

world system. Kant mentioned that if we would like to keep peace, we should create world

federation which provisions of international law by states. For this the world needs democratic

states instead of authoritarian states. So that was the reason of First World War. The war occurred

by authoritarian states. For idealists powers are not only tool for international politics. Also

international law, moral values and international organizations are playing important role in the

system. With the League of Nations Wilson tried to change the system from collective attack to

collective security.

Natig SAMADOV

Political Science and International Relations

Master degree