geopolitics.ppt

international relations and politics
International politics

1. GEOPOLITICS
By:-ANJANI KUMAR
Roll:-GIR032107

2. GEOPOLITICS (Introduction)
Geopolitics is the study of the effects of geography (humans
and physical) on international
politics and international relations. Geopolitics is a method of
studying foreign policy to understand,
explain and predict international political behavior through
geographical variables.
These includes area studies, climate, topography, demography,
natural resources,
and applied science of the region being evaluated.

3. Geopolitics focuses on political power in relation to geographic space. In particular,
territorial waters and land territory in co-relation with diplomatic history. Academically
geopolitics analyses history and social science with reference to geography in relation
to politics. Topic of geopolitics includes relation between the interest of international
political actors, interest focused to an area., space, geographical element, relation which
create geopolitical system.
The term has been however used to describe a broad spectrum of ideas,from “a
synonym for international relations, social political and his historical phenomena”
to various theories of historical and geographic determination.

4. Some of the major factors of geopolitics,
location of the regions, state
topography (natural and artificial physical features of an area)
Distance
Immigration
States sizes and shape
Demography(statistical study of human population)
States’ foreign policies and actions

5. ✣Classical
Geopolitics
✣A summary of key
thinkers from the
classical period of
geopolitics.

6. Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904)
•Friedrich ratzelwas a German geographer and a
zoologist, also known as “Father of modern
geography”.
•He was influenced by following people –
a) Charles Darwin –Survival of the fittest
b) Hobert spencer –Social Darwinism
c) Herder (A historian)
d) Sorokin (A sociologist)
•He contributed to “Geopolitik” by the expansion on the
biological conception of geography, without a static
conception of borders.

7. •Posting that states are organic and growing, with
borders representing only a temporary stop in their
movement, he held that the expanse of a states’ borders
is a reflection of the health of the nation –meaning that
static countries are in decline
•Ratzel published several papers, among which was the
essay “Lebensraum”(1901) concerning biogeography.
•Ratzel wrote of aspiration for German naval reach,
agreeing that sea power was self-sustaining, as the
profit from trade would pay for the merchant marine,
unlike land power.

8. Critisism
•The geopolitical theory of ratzel has been criticised as
his views gave justification for the expansion of
German Empire.
•Being a zoologist he imposes political map over
ecological map of the world which was impractical.
•Generalising a state as an organism having a life cycle
was also criticized.
•And he over emphasized on expansion of states.

9. Alfred
Thayer
mahan
(1840-1914)
Sea power

10. Alfred Thayer mahan
•Alfred Thayer mahanwas an American naval officer
who emphasized the importance of sea power as a
major factor in Geopolitics.
•His ideas are picked together from the numerous
statements throughout his large number of writings,
three of them are most important.
a) The influence of sea power upon history (1890)
b) The influence of sea power upon the French revolution and
empire(1892)
c) The life of Nelson(1897)
•He was of firm believe that the essential condition
for the world power status for any state was an
effective control of the seas

11. •He said by mastering the seas, countries could also
gain huge benefits from trade. To him, sea was a great
highway, a wide common overbridge.
•Six fundamental elements of sea power
1.Geographical location
2.Physical conformation
3.Extent of population
4.Size of population
5.National character
6.Political leadership and its policies.

12. •He evaluated Russia being land power and Britain
being naval power.
•According to him Russian empire as a land power could
be shut off by any hostile sea power whereas Britain,
because of its geographical location, is in advantage
despite its small homebase.
•He then on various grounds said that the only state
having advantages as those of Great Britain was united
states of America which could well develop as a world
power in future replacing Britain.
•He was also the first one to suggest that Panama canal
can be built to join oceans on either side of USA to
enhance trade and strengthen security.

13. Contemporary Relevance
1.Even today most of the international trade is done through
sea routes only. Therefore rights of sea transport are very
important for a state’s economic development.
2.China’s unlawfully negation of claims of vicinal staes on
south china sea reflects the importance of sea power in
present time.

14. Halford
Mackinder
Heartland theory

15. •Mackinder gave this theory in 1904. This theory regards political
history as a continuous struggle between land and sea powers
with the ultimate victory going to the continental power
•According to this theory, the continental power was represented by
the world island which consisted of Eurasia and Africa (comprising
seven-eighth of a total world population and two-third of the total
land area of the world).Mackinder called it the Heartland ( total
area being 11 million square kilometres). This heartland was
percievedas the greatest natural fortes on earth surrounded on all
sides by geographical barriers.
Pivot-Area Concept

16. •Thus only between the Carpathians and the Black sea is
there a lowland route into the heartland.

17. •With its vast industrial and agricultural resources, the heartland could
conquer Europe, the middle east, India and the far east. The other
landmasses would follow later.
•These landmasses included the following:
•Inner or Marginal crescent:
•This include the rest part of the Europe, India, south-east Asia and
east Asia.
•Outer or insular crescent:
•These included North and south America, Australia, Africa south of
Sahara, Great Britain and Japan.
•Secondary Heartland:
•This was represented by sub-Saharan Africa connected to the main
Heartland through a main bridge (Saudi Arabia).

18. •The Heartland is inaccessible from sea as all the rivers either drain
inland (e.g. Volga, Oxus, Jaxartes) or into the icy sea (e.g. obi, Yenisei,
Lena which drain into the arctic sea).
•He predicted:
“Whoever rules East Europe, will rule Heartland,
Whoever rules the Heartland, will rule the World island.
Whoever rules the world island, will rule the world.”
•During the second world war, Mackinder’s theory was put to the test.
The Heartland (or pivot area) could have become the focus of power if
either Russia had united with Germany or Russia had been overthrown
by China and Japan.

19. Map of Heartland theory

20. Criticism
●The theory was formulated at the end of the railway age. Mackinder
saw it as a high point of communication system capable of uniting the
whole Heartland into a cohesive unit. That never actually happened.
Although the age of aeroplanes had begun, the theory failed to take
into account its potential.
●His map (Mercator projection of the world enclosed within an ellipse)
exaggerated the extent of the arctic ocean.
●He completely ignored Russia which also emerged as world power after
2
nd
world war.