What do you think?
The Realist: Hans Morgenthau and the Purpose of American Power
Not yet published
Expected 10 Nov 26The first biography of Hans Morgenthau, the pioneering political philosopher who escaped Nazi Germany and pioneered the approach to international relations―realism―that guided the United States through the Cold War and explains today’s world
“International politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power.” Hans Morgenthau wrote those words at the dawn of the Cold War, as Americans were attempting to understand the emerging global rivalry with the Soviet Union. His book, Politics Among Nations, quickly became the defining textbook on international relations in the country, shaping generations of citizens, scholars, and policymakers. Henry Kissinger, who looked up to Morgenthau, stated, “All of us who taught the subject after him, however much we differed from one another, had to start with his reflections.”
Morgenthau’s realism was rooted in the traumas that he experienced in post-World War I Germany. When Morgenthau, as a top student in his class, was given the honor of delivering a speech in front of his school, his classmates turned their backs and held their noses at the “stinking Jew.” He was spat on and ostracized. When Hitler came to Morgenthau’s hometown for his first rally outside of Munich, the police stood aside as the Nazis took over the town. He concluded that abstract ideals could not protect him and that power only yielded to countervailing power.
Morgenthau fled Germany and eventually made his way to the United States. He was advised to give up his dream of becoming a professor and to instead take a job as an elevator attendant or a chicken farmer. After a series of dead-end jobs, he found a temporary position at the University of Chicago, and from there became the country’s most influential thinker on international relations. When his peers lined up behind the Vietnam War, Morgenthau made a stand, dismantling the case for the war on realist grounds.
Meticulously researched and masterfully written, David M. Sacks’ The Realist shows how Morgenthau’s ideas continue to shape the course of the twenty-first century.
“International politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power.” Hans Morgenthau wrote those words at the dawn of the Cold War, as Americans were attempting to understand the emerging global rivalry with the Soviet Union. His book, Politics Among Nations, quickly became the defining textbook on international relations in the country, shaping generations of citizens, scholars, and policymakers. Henry Kissinger, who looked up to Morgenthau, stated, “All of us who taught the subject after him, however much we differed from one another, had to start with his reflections.”
Morgenthau’s realism was rooted in the traumas that he experienced in post-World War I Germany. When Morgenthau, as a top student in his class, was given the honor of delivering a speech in front of his school, his classmates turned their backs and held their noses at the “stinking Jew.” He was spat on and ostracized. When Hitler came to Morgenthau’s hometown for his first rally outside of Munich, the police stood aside as the Nazis took over the town. He concluded that abstract ideals could not protect him and that power only yielded to countervailing power.
Morgenthau fled Germany and eventually made his way to the United States. He was advised to give up his dream of becoming a professor and to instead take a job as an elevator attendant or a chicken farmer. After a series of dead-end jobs, he found a temporary position at the University of Chicago, and from there became the country’s most influential thinker on international relations. When his peers lined up behind the Vietnam War, Morgenthau made a stand, dismantling the case for the war on realist grounds.
Meticulously researched and masterfully written, David M. Sacks’ The Realist shows how Morgenthau’s ideas continue to shape the course of the twenty-first century.
528 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 10, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A very complete biography about the guy that created an entire school of thought in foreign policy. Nowadays, everybody claims to be a realist, even though, probably, nobody is.
A very complete biography about the guy that created an entire school of thought in foreign policy. Nowadays, everybody claims to be a realist, even though, probably, nobody is.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received this uncorrected proof through Goodreads First Reads, and I am grateful for the opportunity to read this remarkable book.
I came into this book with zero knowledge of Hans Morgenthau; what little I thought I knew of him was conflating him with Henry Morgenthau Jr.'s proposal regarding Germany. Imagine my surprise as I could not let go of this book, reading the book into the darkest hours of the night until I reached the end. This is what a good biography should be like: thorough from start to end and beyond, relevant in the present day while revealing new insights on past history, taking considerable efforts to show how people change and grow over time, not being afraid to highlight flaws and mistakes while also showing their good qualities, and addressing the complexities of a person to show how seemingly dissonant points of their character to reveal a larger truth that connects those elements into a cohesive argument.
I now greatly appreciate Morgenthau's impact on international relations and how he redefined the entire field. I admire the moral grounds he retained within his staunch realism, not letting blind idealism misguide him yet not sacrificing essential morals and truth for the sake of public face or close-minded gains.
I particularly felt a sense of empathy towards him in his early chapters regarding his early life in increasingly Nazi Germany, as many of the things brought up like the growth of fascist ideas and the failure of idealistic liberalists of the time to properly address and counter the fascists greatly parallel the current trends in American politics, a lesson we should take to heart.
For a book that was hard to gather information for given Morgenthau's disinterest in writing memoirs, the authors shows objective and discerning attention to accuracy and thorough research, not only considering Morgenthau's spoken and written statements but also the observations of those around them, considering seemingly contradictory observations to get an overall picture of Morgenthau both outside and within. The length notes and bibliography sections are yet another testament to Sacks' thoroughness.
I don't have many gripes with the book. I do think that Hans's parents kind of fade out of the picture after he leaves Germany, not really returning to the picture until his mother's death near the end of the book. And while the book points out the weaknesses in Kissinger's arguments, I would have liked it if the book had been more direct in pointing out the many dark and morally grey operations that Kissinger orchestrated throughout his work for the U.S. government. But these are just a couple small critiques I wish to point out; in general, this book is exceptionally well done, and it meets all the key criteria for a genuinely good biography that is both engaging and realistic and relevant.
I came into this book with zero knowledge of Hans Morgenthau; what little I thought I knew of him was conflating him with Henry Morgenthau Jr.'s proposal regarding Germany. Imagine my surprise as I could not let go of this book, reading the book into the darkest hours of the night until I reached the end. This is what a good biography should be like: thorough from start to end and beyond, relevant in the present day while revealing new insights on past history, taking considerable efforts to show how people change and grow over time, not being afraid to highlight flaws and mistakes while also showing their good qualities, and addressing the complexities of a person to show how seemingly dissonant points of their character to reveal a larger truth that connects those elements into a cohesive argument.
I now greatly appreciate Morgenthau's impact on international relations and how he redefined the entire field. I admire the moral grounds he retained within his staunch realism, not letting blind idealism misguide him yet not sacrificing essential morals and truth for the sake of public face or close-minded gains.
I particularly felt a sense of empathy towards him in his early chapters regarding his early life in increasingly Nazi Germany, as many of the things brought up like the growth of fascist ideas and the failure of idealistic liberalists of the time to properly address and counter the fascists greatly parallel the current trends in American politics, a lesson we should take to heart.
For a book that was hard to gather information for given Morgenthau's disinterest in writing memoirs, the authors shows objective and discerning attention to accuracy and thorough research, not only considering Morgenthau's spoken and written statements but also the observations of those around them, considering seemingly contradictory observations to get an overall picture of Morgenthau both outside and within. The length notes and bibliography sections are yet another testament to Sacks' thoroughness.
I don't have many gripes with the book. I do think that Hans's parents kind of fade out of the picture after he leaves Germany, not really returning to the picture until his mother's death near the end of the book. And while the book points out the weaknesses in Kissinger's arguments, I would have liked it if the book had been more direct in pointing out the many dark and morally grey operations that Kissinger orchestrated throughout his work for the U.S. government. But these are just a couple small critiques I wish to point out; in general, this book is exceptionally well done, and it meets all the key criteria for a genuinely good biography that is both engaging and realistic and relevant.
September 25, 2026
The Realist: Hans Morgenthau and the Purpose of American Power by David M. Sacks is a biography of Hans Morgenthau that follows his life from Germany through his education in Europe, his move to the United States, his academic career, and his development into one of the major figures in American international relations. Sacks connects Morgenthau’s personal experiences with the development of his political realism, including his disagreements with legal positivism and attempts to make political science more like the natural sciences. The book also follows his changing views as he encountered Nazism, World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War.
I liked the earlier part of the book the most. The sections on Germany, Geneva, Spain, and his move to the United States did a good job showing how Morgenthau’s experiences with antisemitism, law, politics, and the political changes around him shaped his thinking. I also liked that the book showed his ideas developing through different periods of his life instead of simply explaining realism once and moving on. The same conflicts between realism and positivism, and between law and politics, come up in different settings as his career develops. I thought that made the intellectual side of the biography easier to understand.
Because I already have a background in political science and international relations, some of the discussions of realism and positivism were familiar to me. Even so, I found Sacks’s writing fairly down-to-earth and accessible. The book gives enough background to explain why Morgenthau thought the way he did without turning every discussion into a technical explanation. I also liked the personal side of the biography, including Morgenthau’s friendships, professional relationships, and some of the conflicts he had throughout his career. Those details made him feel more like a person rather than simply a political theorist.
The later chapters became more focused on the chronology of his career, his relationships with other scholars and political figures, and his changing views on issues such as the Vietnam War. I found that somewhat less engaging than the earlier discussion of how he became the thinker he was, but I was still interested in seeing how his ideas developed as his career progressed.
Overall, I thought The Realist was a good biography and gave me a better understanding of both Morgenthau’s ideas and the experiences that shaped them. I came away with a clearer sense of why he became such an important figure in international relations and why some of the debates surrounding realism continued throughout his career.
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for providing an advance copy.
I liked the earlier part of the book the most. The sections on Germany, Geneva, Spain, and his move to the United States did a good job showing how Morgenthau’s experiences with antisemitism, law, politics, and the political changes around him shaped his thinking. I also liked that the book showed his ideas developing through different periods of his life instead of simply explaining realism once and moving on. The same conflicts between realism and positivism, and between law and politics, come up in different settings as his career develops. I thought that made the intellectual side of the biography easier to understand.
Because I already have a background in political science and international relations, some of the discussions of realism and positivism were familiar to me. Even so, I found Sacks’s writing fairly down-to-earth and accessible. The book gives enough background to explain why Morgenthau thought the way he did without turning every discussion into a technical explanation. I also liked the personal side of the biography, including Morgenthau’s friendships, professional relationships, and some of the conflicts he had throughout his career. Those details made him feel more like a person rather than simply a political theorist.
The later chapters became more focused on the chronology of his career, his relationships with other scholars and political figures, and his changing views on issues such as the Vietnam War. I found that somewhat less engaging than the earlier discussion of how he became the thinker he was, but I was still interested in seeing how his ideas developed as his career progressed.
Overall, I thought The Realist was a good biography and gave me a better understanding of both Morgenthau’s ideas and the experiences that shaped them. I came away with a clearer sense of why he became such an important figure in international relations and why some of the debates surrounding realism continued throughout his career.
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for providing an advance copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy!
I love memoirs and always rate them up. How do you put an entire life into a book?
It has been a long time since I read Politics Among Nations. Morgentuau is fascinating. His struggles with his own Jewish heritage were the silent tectonic plates shifting beneath everything he did, occasionally erupting in moments of profound emotional numbness or unexpected pride.
He is a useful realist who warned against naive idealism, moral crusades, and overreaching. Reading about his backstory as a child and his father was sad and interesting. It must have impacted him as he can sometimes downplay human rights and cooperation. He was often emotionally detached which was not necessarily a bad thing since he lived through the collapse of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Nazi Germany and his own subsequent exile, World War II, the dawn of the nuclear age, and the height of the Cold War, including his prominent opposition to the Vietnam War.
He was shaped by many of the professors and advisors he admired and learned from. He very much dwelt in a truth and tragedy mindset dispite his own moral shortcomings. Sacks writes in a way that is methodical and diagnostic in breaking down how power works and honest about tragedy, limits, and tradeoffs in world politics. Morgenthuau's life and inside look into world War 2 was unique, and completely different than anything else I've read. I really enjoyed the analytical thinking throughout and could tell it was incredibly well researched with quotes and sources sited. Sacks calls out some of Morgenthau's choices as perplexing - as they certainly are. This book is very long and emotionally heavy, but worth the read.
I love memoirs and always rate them up. How do you put an entire life into a book?
It has been a long time since I read Politics Among Nations. Morgentuau is fascinating. His struggles with his own Jewish heritage were the silent tectonic plates shifting beneath everything he did, occasionally erupting in moments of profound emotional numbness or unexpected pride.
He is a useful realist who warned against naive idealism, moral crusades, and overreaching. Reading about his backstory as a child and his father was sad and interesting. It must have impacted him as he can sometimes downplay human rights and cooperation. He was often emotionally detached which was not necessarily a bad thing since he lived through the collapse of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Nazi Germany and his own subsequent exile, World War II, the dawn of the nuclear age, and the height of the Cold War, including his prominent opposition to the Vietnam War.
He was shaped by many of the professors and advisors he admired and learned from. He very much dwelt in a truth and tragedy mindset dispite his own moral shortcomings. Sacks writes in a way that is methodical and diagnostic in breaking down how power works and honest about tragedy, limits, and tradeoffs in world politics. Morgenthuau's life and inside look into world War 2 was unique, and completely different than anything else I've read. I really enjoyed the analytical thinking throughout and could tell it was incredibly well researched with quotes and sources sited. Sacks calls out some of Morgenthau's choices as perplexing - as they certainly are. This book is very long and emotionally heavy, but worth the read.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
An excellent Biography about a fascinating important political thinker who needs remembering.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews