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?

Mackinder’s Heartland TheoryDrawn from Ratzel’s 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 HeartlandWho 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

Coal, iron ore, natural gas

Minerals

Coal and iron ore

Largest petroleum and natural gas fields

Largest market

• 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 HeartlandWho 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:Hitler’s Biggest MistakeOperation Barbarossa:

Hitler’s 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 areas1. Core

2. Periphery

3. Semi-periphery

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.

Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Theory:

Three Tier Structure

Core Processes that incorporate higher

levels of education, higher salaries, and more technology

* Generate more 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

Periphery Processes that incorporate lower

levels of education, lower salaries, and less technology

* Generate less wealth in the world economy

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)