Hans Morgenthau

Hans Joachim Morgenthau was a German-American jurist and political scientist who was one of the major 20th-century figures in the study of international relations. Morgenthau's works belong to the tradition of realism in international relations theory; he is usually considered among the most influential realists of the post-World War II period. Morgenthau made landmark contributions to international relations theory and the study of international law. His Politics Among Nations, first published in 1948, went through five editions during his lifetime and was widely adopted as a textbook in U.S. universities. While Morgenthau emphasized the centrality of power and "the national interest," the subtitle of Politics Among Nations—"the struggle for power and peace"—indicates his concern not only with the struggle for power but also with the ways in which it is limited by ethical and legal norms.

17 February 1904

Born on the same birth day (17 February): Abraham Fraenkel • Andre Norton • Arcangelo Corelli • Becky Ann Baker • Buddy DeFranco • Buddy Ryan • Dominic Purcell • Dorothy Canfield Fisher • Fred Frith • Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer • Horace Bénédict de Saussure • Joseph Bech • Joseph Favre • Michael Bay • Pontus Segerström • Shahrnush Parsipur • Tobias Mayer • Édouard Thilges

Born in the same month (February 1904): André Leducq • Antonin Magne • James T. Farrell • Keith Holyoake • MacKinlay Kantor • Pepper Martin • Pretty Boy Floyd • Ted Mack (radio and television host)