realpolitik

Or Re·al·po·li·tik

[rey-ahl-poh-li-teek, ree-]

noun

1. political realism or practical politics, especially policy based on power rather than on ideals.

realpolitik

/ reɪˈɑːlpɒlɪˈtiːk /

noun

1. a ruthlessly realistic and opportunist approach to statesmanship, rather than a moralistic one, esp as exemplified by Bismarck

realpolitik

1. Governmental policies based on hard, practical considerations rather than on moral or idealistic concerns. Realpolitik is German for “the politics of reality” and is often applied to the policies of nations that consider only their own interests in dealing with other countries.

Other Word Forms

• realpolitiker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of realpolitik¹

First recorded in 1910–15; from German, equivalent to real real ¹ + Politik “politics, policy”; politic

Word History and Origins

Origin of realpolitik¹

C19: German: politics of realism

Example Sentences

The realpolitik calculation is simple: policymakers are largely unresponsive to the political needs and demands of these average Americans and are instead hyper-responsive to the most wealthy.

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This reflects into the Faustian pact implicit in Kissinger’s brand of foreign policy realism — realpolitik in the original German — with its empty promise that if we treat other countries badly, America will benefit.

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Juvenile power fantasies are now meeting realpolitik and power.

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“India is in many ways the epitome of the ‘realpolitik state’ in today’s world, meaning it has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests.

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In an email, Norman Ornstein, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a prominent pro-democracy voice, offered a dose of realpolitik.

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Related Words

• civics