<P> Realpolitik (from German: real "realistic", "practical", or "actual"; and Politik "politics", German pronunciation: (ʁeˈaːlpoliˌtiːk)) is politics or diplomacy based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical premises . In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism . It is often simply referred to as pragmatism in politics, e.g. "pursuing pragmatic policies". The term Realpolitik is sometimes used pejoratively to imply politics that are perceived as coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian . </P> <P> Realpolitik is often confused with the philosophy of political realism . Political realism is a particular modern, descriptive paradigm, or theoretical and methodological framework, aimed at describing, explaining and, eventually, predicting events in the international relations domain . Both are often believed to suggest working from the hypothesis that it is chiefly based on the pursuit, possession, and application of power . (See also power politics) However, some international relations realists, such as Kenneth Waltz and Hans Morgenthau, have viewed states in terms of their desire for immediate survival or security, rather than the pursuit of power . </P> <P> The term Realpolitik was coined by Ludwig von Rochau, a German writer and politician in the 19th century . His 1853 book Grundsätze der Realpolitik angewendet auf die staatlichen Zustände Deutschlands describes the meaning of the term: </P> <P> The study of the forces that shape, maintain and alter the state is the basis of all political insight and leads to the understanding that the law of power governs the world of states just as the law of gravity governs the physical world . The older political science was fully aware of this truth but drew a wrong and detrimental conclusion--the right of the more powerful . The modern era has corrected this unethical fallacy, but while breaking with the alleged right of the more powerful one, the modern era was too much inclined to overlook the real might of the more powerful and the inevitability of its political influence . </P>

Who is considered to be the father of realpolitik