Methodological and theoretical foundations of the Munich School Cover Image

Teoretyczne i metodologiczne podstawy Szkoły Monachijskiej
Methodological and theoretical foundations of the Munich School

Author(s): Szymon Maciejewski
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Instytut Zachodni im. Zygmunta Wojciechowskiego
Keywords: Munich School; German neorealism; theory of international politics; constellation analysis; Gottfried-Karl Kindermann

Summary/Abstract: The article introduces the reader to the most significant methodological and theoretical foundations of the Munich School (Münchner Schule), which is commonly perceived as the German version of neorealism. Since the late 1970s when Professor Gottfried-Karl Kindermann, an Austrian scholar from the University of Munich, proclaimed his theory, it has become one the most relevant studies of international politics in West Germany. It should be noted that his chief work “Grundelemente der Weltpolitik” had been published (1977) before Kennth Waltz’s “The Structure of International Politics” (1979) came out. Kindermann’s theory was created as a consequence of a polemical dialog with classical and structural realism. The contribution of the Munich School, which is based on the so-called constellation analysis (Konstellationsanalyse), is relatively little known in the Polish scientific literature. Therefore, it could be a brilliant source of inspiration for both scholars and policymakers, primarily due to its comprehensive methodological approach to examination and explanation of international politics.

  • Issue Year: 353/2014
  • Issue No: 04
  • Page Range: 25-44
  • Page Count: 20
Toggle Accessibility Mode