Mackinder’s Heartland and Spykman’s Rimland Theory

MACKINDER’S HEARTLAND AND SPYKMAN’S RIMLAND THEORY book “The Influence of Sea Power upon History” who emphasized nd its significance from the point of view of military and economic expansion. Mackinder’s “The Geographical Pivot of History” in order to elucidate his formula of ‘Geographical ’. f the Theory this huge united landmass of Europe, Asia & Africa as the ‘World Island’ which accounts for The concept of World Island is central to the theoretical precepts of Mackinder. based powers & in particular with a new ‘Geopolitical pivot of History’ His book contained the following map for the same: 1 The 3 tiers as postulated by Mackinder include: 1. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and by the icebound Arctic on the North. I o termed as a “Natural Fortress or the Uppermost Citadel of the o world” as it was not accessible to sea powers. – mineral, water, soil, o forest, etc. 2. The Pivot Area was pictured by Mackinder as surrounded by an ‘Inner’ or ‘Marginal’ o This inner or marginal crescent – o (some parts of China is in pivot area also) o . 2 3. Mackinder’s 3rd o a. F the concept of World Island is central to this theoretical percept. For him, whoever could gain control of ‘World Island’ would be in an almost unstoppable position to , 1919 in his book “Democratic Ideals and Reality” It was a much elaborate theory & probably, the most voluminous work in the entire field of political geography. ecause of the fall of the Russian empire and the emergence of the USSR as a superpower (Bolshevik Revolution), Mackinder became more assertive in his theory of Heartland. The world power seemed to be centralized around the Heartland which he said had all the resources and natural defence by the physiographic factors. . – Mackinder’s famous dictum caught the attention of the World – “Who rules East Europe commands the ” 3 The ‘Heartland’ is the strongest fortress on Earth, commanding resources of a huge TransContinental Area. Any power that could organize it effectively was bound to emerge as a great power in world politics. 1943 Until 1919, Mackinder had confined his attention to Eurasia and the Old World and did not give any attention to the New World. In the 1920s, he claimed that the west of Europe and east of North America are physical complements of one another. During the Second World War, Mackinder’s theory was put to test. The Heartland could have become the focus of power if either Russia had united with Germany or Russia had been overthrown by China or Japan. In the 2nd World War (1939-45), the USA emerged as another superpower and the intense geopolitical rivalry between USSR and US-UK combine was foreseeable. reverse his theory before his death in 1943, in a magazine, “Foreign Affair”, where he published his theory – “The Round World and the Winning of the Peace”. . the UK & New England regions of the USA (older regions of 6 colonies) have a single race of 4 people, uniform cultures, isotropic geographical conditions, similar resource base. Thus, The North Atlantic water presented no obstacle to their interaction. Rather, it is a facilitator due to similar features. Thus, there is a definite political communion between these two nations and at the geopolitical front, they present a unitary coherent picture. – o In 1943, he excluded from the Heartland that part of the Soviet Union lying to the east of the Yenisei River. He named it as Lena Land. Owing to its rugged topography and forest cover, this region was of little economic value. He envisioned the two centres of power- Heartland & Midland, to be surrounded & insulated by a guide of deserts – Sahara, Arabian, Iranian, Tibetan, and Mongolian, extending through the rugged and desolate Lena Land to Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, and the deserts of Western America. Mackinder thought that this empty land and deserts will prevent the spread of conflict to the outside world. 5 f the Theory The applications of the Mackinder’s Theory can be analysed and concluded through a set of major world events: Contemporary history between 1st World War and 2nd ➢ World War has many events that can lead us to believe that Mackinder was true in his conviction. Heartland was represented by USSR & Midland by US- ➢ UK combine in the modified theory of Mackinder of 1943. nd not a proper war in the field. Most of the geopolitics was centered around either East Europe or West Asia which had the resources as well as peripheral location or transition location forming part of Inner Crescent. Present geopolitics can also be linked to it including Crimean Annexation, West Asian Crisis which are a part of Inner Crescent. Some of the major events that happened during this period include: – It demonstrated the power of Heartland & o Midland as depicted by Mackinder in 1943. o o – – 1850s-1973) (initially Portuguese lake) USA intervened in the Indian Ocean under the pretext that USSR can politicize 6 and colonize the region and hence, the region needs a power balance. So, the USA started constructing naval bases in the Indian Ocean. ➢ the collective of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and multiple alignments taking place all over the world indicate the shift towards the emergence of a Multipolar world. of the Theory Mackinder constructed his theory on basis of Mercator’s (Bering Strait). . It is too cold in winter and parts of it are hot and dry in summer, therefore owing to these locational climatic factors, the Heartland is at a relative disadvantage as compared to other larger & well-endowed areas. With the development of technology and fast-moving fighters, 7 ballistic and cruise missiles, the fortress i.e. Heartland now lays open to air raids from all sides, as much as any other place. Nuclear deterrence is the new policy that emerged after the Japan bombings. Geographical factors are subordinate to man’s technology (Possibilistic thought which says that a man can overcome barriers by various means). than it was at the time when Mackinder presented his ‘pivot area’. The theory was soon replaced by Spykman’s Rimland theory that presented a better alternative to the understanding of world geopolitics. Spykman’s Rimland Theory . presented his work titled “The Rimland Theory” in his book – “The Geography of Peace” e gave a different interpretation of the relative importance of Heartland (Land Power) vis-a-vis the surrounding Inner and Outer Crescent. of the Theory – 8 o r o . while land can be inaccessible due to hills, rivers, deserts, etc. nd thus, are full of human & technological resources Most of the population is located in coastal areas. Spykman considered geographical features as important determinants in foreign policy because of the emphasis on spatial variations. In medieval human history and the pre-modern era, naval power had supremacy over the land power as they had navigation technology, ships, etc. e.g. British, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italy were all sea powers and whole world soon became the colonial house of these countries. . appeared “less important than the Rimland” as would in all probability control the “essential power relations of the world”. He divided the world Spykman’s theory postulated a into only two tiersi. e 9 ii. Spykman’s “Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia, ” . of the Theory 10 . The naval power was significant. Other groups like ASEAN have a focus on similar objectives. – “Who controls the Rimland has India at its mercy”. ’s . During the cold war period, Eastern Europe was the zone of contention between the superpowers – Cuban Missile Crisis and National Missile Defence Strategy of USA. But – With the defeat of Germany in the 2nd World War and the emergence of the USSR as the sole master of Heartland, kman’s prescription became the basis of American policies of . of the Theory law doesn’t permit territorial expansion i.e. Ratzel’s Lebensraum was no longer applicable 11 e. . ‘developed’ 12