Published in English for the first time, this careful translation of Hans J. Morgenthau's 1933 French monograph La Notion du 'Politique' brings this important early work of the 'founding father' of International Relations to an English-speaking audience. Morgenthau's European writings are mostly unknown to the English-speaking IR community, yet they comprise some of his most influential work from a politics and IR perspective. In this book, Morgenthau presents his notion of the political which he develops in critical disassociation from Carl Schmidt's conception of 'friend' and 'foe'and Hans Kelsen's legal positivism. These critiques are crucial for understanding Morgenthau's later work which has often been used - and misused - by US Foreign Policy makers and International Relations scholars. With a comprehensive introduction and contextualization by the editors, this highly significant book will be essential for all students and scholars of Politics, International Relations and International Law to safeguard democratic politics against the perils of ideology and positivism.