Realism in World War I: Power, Security, and Alliances

Realism and the First World War

Realism, a prominent theory in international relations, posits that states primarily pursue their own interests in maximizing power and ensuring security within an anarchic international system. Realists believe states act as unitary actors, striving to amass the greatest possible power for their national interest.

Core Tenets of Realism in International Relations

Realism, whose four essential assumptions are rooted in Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, 2011), asserts that states are:

• Power-hungry: Willing to go to any limit to attain power.
• Security-focused: Interested in their own security, often achieved by building alliances with other states.
• Unitary actors: Once a decision is made (e.g., going to war), the entire state supports that decision.
• Primary actors: Functioning as the principal actors in both war and general politics.

The Pre-War Power Struggle and Multipolarity

The years preceding World War I were marked by a determined struggle for power, aligning with Realism's first assumption. Germany's ambitious plans for its rise to power significantly disrupted Europe's delicate balance of power (Forsberg). In contrast to the Cold War's evident bipolarity, where Russia and the United States dominated and adversarial relationships were clear, the era of World War I (or the Great War, as it was known before World War II) lacked such clear division. Instead, there was a multipolarity of power, with multiple nations vying for major control in Europe.

The Security Dilemma and Alliance Formation

The second assumption of Realism concerns states' desire to manage their own security by forming alliances. Britain, for instance, found itself increasingly in conflict with Germany, perceiving Germany's military buildup as a direct challenge to its own. The widespread pre-war practice of building up armies and navies, while intended to increase the security potential of nations like Germany and Britain, paradoxically lowered the security of other nations and exposed their inherent fear. This dynamic directly contributed to the shifting balance of power and the pervasive insecurity felt by states. The prevailing norm for maintaining the balance of power involved states attempting to increase their territories and populations and develop economically—a strategy precisely pursued by both Germany and Britain.