Mackinder's Heartland Theory

The word "geopolitics" refers to the change in the political records of the world due to its geographical attributes. This theory opines that history without geography was mere narrative and that since every event occurred at a particular time and place, with history and geography respectively, should never be separated.

Historical Background

Many political thinkers have undergone several analyses of the spatio-temporal characteristics of the geopolitical history of the world. The renounced American strategist Alfred Thayar Mahan was the first to hypothesise the conflict between land and sea power in his famous work, "The Influence of Sea Power upon History".

He emphasised that due to the ability to move faster, wider port facilities, and better trade practices, sea power is superior to land power. Contradicting Alfred Thayar’s statement, Prof. Halford J. Mackinder, a British political geographer, proposed the now famous book on "The Geographical Pivot of History" in 1904. Later, he modified his own theory in 1919 and 1943.

Pivot Area Theory (1904)

Mackinder’s theory was a model to place the broad sweep of world history on the stage provided by global geography. He identified a "world island" composed of the continents of Africa and Eurasia, which accounted for 2/3 of the total land area and 7/8 of the total population of the world. He considered the rest of the land, such as North and South America, Australia, Great Britain, and Japan, as "isolated islands." Mackinder divided the world into spatially organised systems comprising three tiers.

• Pivot Area − This area is surrounded by the icy arctic ocean in the north, the east Siberian highlands in the east, the central Asian highlands in the south, and the Ural Mountains in the west, encompassing the whole of Siberia and most of the central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Mackinder referred to the pivot area as "the natural fortress or the uppermost citadel of the world" due to its concentration of numerous natural resources.

• Inner Crescent − According to Mackinder, the pivot area is encircled by an "inner or marginal crescent", consisting of coastal land with access to the navigable seas. The whole of Eurasia except for the pivot area falls under this tier. This symbolises the "sea powers", such as Europe, South-West Asia, North Africa, India, and China.

• Outer or Insular Crescent − The land area outside the inner crescent is stated as the "outer or insular crescent" by Mackinder. Because of their total isolation from the pivot area or mainland Eurasia, it is known as the "Outer Crescent". According to Mackinder, the new world countries such as North America, South America, Australia, Oceania, the Pacific Islands, and other parts of Africa have no geographical significance in the contemporary world.

For Mackinder, those who control the World Island would dominate the entire world.

Concept of Heartland (1919)

In 1919, Mackinder published the book "Democratic Ideals and Reality", thereby modifying his pivot area concept of 1904. This work is regarded as the most in-depth study of political geography. Here, he converted the pivot area into the heartland. The following are the modifications made by Mackinder for strategic Heartland.

• He included the Great Himalayas, the Black and Baltic Seas, the steppes, and the Volga basin in the Heartland.

• He reimagined the Heartland as a region where Sea Powers can be denied entry.

• The availability of resources and natural defence provided by the physiographic features made the Heartland invincible and a supreme land power.

• He considered the steppes the only gateway to the Heartland and called it the Southwestern Corridor.

• The British Isles and the whole of Africa were included in the Inner Crescent.

He summarised his view of global strategy with the famous dictum:

"Who rules east Europe commands the heartland";

"Who rules the heartland commands the world island";

"Who rules the world island commands the world."

Concept of Midland Basin (1943)

Until his concept of "Heartland" in 1919, Mackinder did not give importance to the New World, focusing mainly on the Old World and Eurasia. But by 1943, he found it necessary to revise his original idea. In the Second World War, both the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. demonstrated their increasing military strength and political significance. Therefore, Mackinder was quick to reverse his theory before his death in 1943, in a magazine called "Foreign Affair," where he published his theory, "The Round World and the Winning of the Peace."

He proposed a new concept of the Midland Basin, with the US-UK combined as the Heartland's parallel world power (primarily, the USSR). Mackinder regarded the Midland as an effective counterbalance to the emerging political power of the Eurasian Heartland. Thus, there are two power centres in the world. They are,

• Heartland (primarily, the USSR)

• Midland Basin (primarily the US-UK combine)

Criticism

• He failed to take into consideration the role of changing technology and the significance of air power.

• Mackinder’s world map on the Mercator projection immensely exaggerated the area of the frozen Arctic Ocean and created the wrong impression that to the north of the heartland lays a large expanse of ice.

• He has been criticised for overemphasising the potentialities and defensibility of the heartland.

• Advances in satellite, missile, atomic, and space technologies have overshadowed the strategic importance of geographic factors.

• Heartland is not as resourceful as it is made out to be, and the greater part of it is a wasteland, incapable of supporting a large population.

• He overlooked the fact that the Heartland was a region of permanent difficulties because of its interior location and the extremes of its climate.

• Mackinder’s predictions contained in his theory did not come true, except that the former Soviet Union, the pivot state, exercised considerable influence over eastern Europe.

Conclusion

Mackinder’s heartland concept helps people to understand complex sequences of events by oversimplifying them. Yet it cannot be entirely ignored. Mackinder himself was concerned with the global view, but most of his contemporaries and his followers turned their attention to the analysis of man-land relations in small areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mackinder’s Heartland Theory exactly explain?

Mackinder’s theory regards political history as a continuous struggle between land and sea powers, with the ultimate victory going to the continental power. The superiority of the continental power was due to its location, which was inaccessible from all sides, and its resource richness.

What is Pivot Area?

According to Mackinder, the Pivot Area is an area that is surrounded by the icy arctic ocean in the north, the east Siberian highlands in the east, the central Asian highlands in the south, and the Ural Mountains in the west, encompassing the whole of Siberia and most of the central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Mackinder referred to the pivot area as "the natural fortress or the uppermost citadel of the world" due to its concentration of numerous natural resources.

What is the famous dictum of Mackinder in Heartland?

"Who rules east Europe commands the heartland";

"Who rules the heartland commands the world island";

"Who rules the world island commands the world."