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The Heartland Theory

The Heartland Theory. What is the theory?. a theory of geopolitical relations proposed by Halford Mackinder after WWI whoever controls Eastern Europe controls the “World Island” (Asia, Europe and Africa) and then ultimately the entire world. Why Eastern Europe?.

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The Heartland Theory

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  1. The Heartland Theory

  2. What is the theory? • a theory of geopolitical relations proposed by Halford Mackinder after WWI • whoever controls Eastern Europe controls the “World Island” (Asia, Europe and Africa) and then ultimately the entire world

  3. 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) • 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)

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. How valid is the theory?

  7. 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

  8. Emergence of the U.S., both from a social and economic perspective

  9. The U.S. military emerged as a dominant force globally

  10. How do these weapons change how wars can be fought? They are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

  11. 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 and COMECON were alliances of the Soviet bloc

  12. The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Russian: Совет экономической взаимопомощи, Sovet ekonomicheskoy vsaymopomoshchi,СЭВ, SEV, English abbreviation COMECON, CMEA, or CAME), 1949–1991, was an economic organization under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of socialist states elsewhere in the world. The Comecon was the Eastern Bloc's reply to the formation of the Organization for European Economic Co-operation in non-communist Europe.[1]

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