If political geography is about gaining power,

what are ways that people exude power?

How is power shown?

Questions to consider

Which countries are the most

powerful?
Which is more important
economic or military power?

Origins of Geopolitics
19th century Europe
A branch of political geography that considers
- Economic
- Political
- Military aspects of space
End of the Age of Exploration
Need to develop systems of explanations to
promote different imperial ambitions
Resources and strategy

Types of Empires
1. Land: conquest by force through another
land (e.g. Spanish in Mexico)
2. Sea: use sea power to control an area
(e.g. Portuguese in Brazil)
3. Settlement: settlers intend to stay for a
long time (e.g. British in Americas)

Land Empire
Spanish in
Mexico

Sea Empire
Portuguese
in Brazil

Settlement
British 13
colonies

Organic Theory
Friedrich Ratzel (1897)
State was like a living entity that constantly
needed to grow to thrive
States constantly need new territory to meet the
demand of their ever-growing populations
lebensraum: living space
Justifies colonialism

Where should countries expand? Having control of

what land will provide you the best resources and
the best strategic position?

Mackinders Heartland Theory

Drawn from Ratzels geographic view of state as organism

Heartland Theory

Sir Halford Mackinder (1904)

Major powers would be those that controlled land
Largest landmasses would be most powerful
World was divided into two parts: the World Island
(Eurasia and Africa) and the Periphery (everything
else)
Whatever country controlled the Heartland (in
Eastern Europe) could ultimately control the
World Island (Asia, Europe and Africa) and then
ultimately the entire world

Heartland Theory

Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland

Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island
Who rules the World-Island commands the world

Why Eastern Europe?

At the time the vast resources of Eastern
Europe were considered incredibly important
(coal, farmland, and lots of flat land for
expansion, urbanization)
Protected from invasions by sea
Countries of the periphery were spread out and
isolated from one another easier to conquer,
one at a time

Minerals
Largest market

Coal and iron ore

Largest petroleum
and natural gas fields

Coal, iron ore, natural gas

 According to the theory, once a country

controls the Heartland, it will seek to control
the Inner Crescent - Africa and Asia (the rest
of the World Island).
It will do this by first gaining control of the
warm water ports of western Europe, which
will give it control over sea lanes and the
coasts of Asia and Africa.

Heartland Theory

Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland

Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island
Who rules the World-Island commands the world

 Eventually the Americas and Oceania would

collapse and succumb to the overwhelming
power of the country controlling the World
Island
And, so, control of Eastern Europe was
considered crucial

Operation Barbarossa:
Hitlers Biggest Mistake

Validity
The theory has relevance with respect to the
two World Wars, during the Cold War, and
the Vietnam War.

Arguments against:
It did not take into consideration future rise of the
USA as a major international power - militarily
and economically.
It did not foresee the rise of aircraft as a major
military weapon.
It did not foresee nuclear deterrence, nor
intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Arguments in support:
The USSR did try to expand out from the
Heartland - it dominated the countries of Eastern
Europe militarily and economically after WWII.
NATO was the military alliance that was created
to stop this expansion.
Warsaw Pact was the military alliance of the
Soviet bloc.

Military Alliances

1979: Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Domino Theory

Some disagree that heartland is key to power.

They argue that it is trapped by its own
geography ice to the north, desert to the south,
and mountains to the east. Many start to think
control over coastal areas is key to power.

Rimland Theory
Nicholas Spykman (1944)
Coastal fringes (rimland) are the key to being
powerful
Densest populations
Most resources

Combination of land and sea power

Godfather of containment
Who controls the Rimland controls Eurasia, who
controls Eurasia controls the world

World Systems Theory

Immanuel Wallerstein (1970s)
2 varieties of world systems
1. World empires
2. World economy

3 geography areas
1. Core
2. Periphery
3. Semi-periphery

Immanuel Wallersteins WorldSystems Theory:

1. The world economy has one market and a
global division of labor.
2. Although the world has multiple states, almost
everything takes place within the context of the
world economy.
3. The world economy has a three-tier structure.
Construction of the World Economy

Capitalism people, corporations, and states produce goods and

services and exchange them in the world market, with the goal of
achieving profit.
Commodification the process of placing a price on a good and
then buying, selling, and trading the good.
Colonialism brought the world into the world economy, setting
up an interdependent global economy.

Three Tier Structure

Core

Periphery

Processes that incorporate higher

levels of education, higher
salaries, and more technology
* Generate more wealth in the
world economy

Processes that incorporate lower

levels of education, lower
salaries, and less technology
* Generate less wealth in the world
economy

Semi-periphery
Places where core and periphery
processes are both occurring.
Places that are exploited by the
core but then exploit the
periphery.
* Serves as a buffer between core
and periphery

Key Terms

Core: Processes that incorporate higher levels of

education, higher salaries, more technology, and
generate more wealth (e.g. more developed
countries or MDCs)
Periphery: Processes that incorporate lower
levels of education, lower salaries, less
technology, and generate less wealth (e.g. less
developed countries or LDCs)

More Theories
Alfred Thayer Mahan (1890): believed in sea
power (strong navy) emphasis on trade
A.P. de Seversky (1942): strong advocate of air
power (strategy and technology)

World Systems Today

Saul Cohen
2 main geostrategic regions of world with
powerful first order states:
1. Maritime Realm (Japan, U.S., and European
community)
2. Continental Realm (China and Soviet Union, now
Russia)

Middle East is shatter belt where Maritime and

Continental meet (caught in the middle of world
powers)

Irredentism
The attempt by one country to provoke coups or
separatist movements in another country
Can be through literature, radio programs, TV ads
U.S. did this in radio transmissions to other
countries to communicate benefits of capitalism
and democracy
Sent from Florida to Cuba
Sent to Eastern Europe during Iron Curtain Era

More Key Terms

Delimitation: marking of a boundary
Demarcation: process of physically representing
a boundary on landscape (e.g. border crossings,
fences, walls)