The history of the discipline of IR

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    World War I

  • The discipline of International Relations was born, the first establishment of the discipline

    The discipline of International Relations was born, the first establishment of the discipline
    The aftermath of World War I:
    - unseen destruction all over Europe
    - famine, the spread of various diseases, total economic collapse as consequences of the armed conflicts
    The discipline is institutionalised with the establishment of the first university department in Wales, Aberystwyth and elsewhere
    The establishment of think tanks
    - longing for peace, the aim of avoiding such disasters in the future. The first establishment of the discipline of IR is based on the notion of liberalism
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    The Great Economic Crisis

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    The first 'Great Debate'

    An ontological debate erupted between the two theoretical schools: liberalism and realism
    --> the double establishment of the discipline
    Liberalism: the main aim is to find the solution to what ought to be done to prevent a war
    Realism: the main aim is to understand the world and the nature of power politics 'as it is'
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    World War II

  • The second establishment of the discipline

    The second establishment of the discipline
    • The great economic crisis and the outbreak of World War II lead to severe criticisms concerning the liberal political thought and its idealism
    --> A new paradigm emerged: realism Main representative: Edward Hallett Carr
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    The second 'Great Debate'

    • epistemological debate
    'What is the most appropriate way of pursuing and acquiring knowledge in IR? ' Behaviourism: doing it so in a scientific way by emulating methods of the natural sciences
    vs
    Traditionalism: accumulating knowledge in an interpretative way, based on historical precedents and normative judgments
    Main representative: Hans Morgenthau
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    The third 'Great Debate'

    • ontological debate 'On what should be the focus to understand the nature of IR properly?'
    • neo-neo debate / interparadigm debate
    • neoliberalism: the phenomenon of the interdependence of the international community -> Robert O. Keohane, John Burton, Ernst Haas vs neorealism: power politics: international state-system, struggle for power and security -> Kenneth Waltz vs neo-Marxism: global dominance and dependence divided the world to "North" and "South" -> Robert Cox, Immanuel Wallerstein
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    The fourth 'Great Debate'

    • epistemological debate
    Rational / Positivist approach: the study of IR can be objective and measurable just like natural sciences, rational decisions based on self-interest Constructivism: facts in social sciences are not objective but constructed by society
    Main representative: Alexander Wendt