Download Geopolitical Theories

Objective: Understand the concept of geopolitics.
Analyze the similarities and differences between the
theories of Wallerstein, Ratzel, Mackinder and Spykman.
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I believe that America should try and gain more land
around the world.
I believe that weak countries should be taken over by
stronger countries.
I believe that every state should make attempts to expand
their borders.
I believe that each state is doomed to fail no matter what
resources they have.
Like all great states in history, I believe that America will
fall to a greater state.
 Geography + power + politics + international relations
 Helps us understand the arrangements & forces that are
transforming the map of the world
 Classical geopolitics
 German School – sought to explain why certain states are powerful and
how to become powerful
 British/America School – sought to offer strategic advice for states and
explain why countries interact at the global scale the way they do
 Most geo-politicians today fall into the British/American school
of thought & offer geostrategic perspectives on the world
 Immanuel Wallerstein
 Explains how the Capitalist World Economy was created
 Connections between economic & political factors of states
 Change bottom section to “Relationship between economic
and political power”
 Core
 Periphery
 Semi-periphery
 Colonialism
 Capitalism
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdeATFWutMg
How does each country fit into the big picture today?
Key Assumptions:
1. The world economy has one market (Capitalism) and a
global division of labor.
2. Although the world has many states, almost
everything takes place within the context of the world
economy.
(Colonialism set this up…& every state is interdependent now.)
3. The world economy is a three-tier structure.
It is about processes…but they occur in places.
 Europeans laid ground rules for state system
 Europeans laid ground rules of capitalist world economy –
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interdependence that persists today
Concentration of wealth brought to Europe during colonialism
is the reason for today’s uneven global distribution of power
Each state fits in somehow
Need to understand spatial & functional relationships within
world economy to understand any state
Political independence is possible not economic independence
Wealth allows for ability to influence others or achieve political
goals
Often, political power is lacking where there is no wealth
Periphery
• Low Technology
• Lack of Education
• Little Wealth
Semiperiphery
• Both Core and
Periphery
processes occur.
CORE
• Technology
• Education
• Wealth
What do you notice about the location of Core / Semi-Periphery / Periphery?
How does this connect to previous units on:
Population
Migration
Religion
Colonization
Globalization
 Overemphasizes economic factors in political development
 Very state-centric
 No consideration of internal factors
 No clear identification of core/semi-periphery/periphery
German 1844-1904 – What’s going on then?
• Why are some states powerful?
• How do states become more powerful?
Main Idea: States must grow, they can only thrive when they attain
more territory
Details:
State resembles a living organism & goes through the life cycle
To thrive, state needs nourishment through lebensraum (living
space)
If state is confined, it will die
Borders are temporary
Colonialism/imperialism drive this theory
 Criticisms
 Based on speculation
 Ultimately led to Nazi expansionism, Hitler embraced
geopolitics to justify the right for lebensraum because of racial
superiority
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF1BvsTMxqU
 1:10 Min.
 Main Idea: Whichever state controls the Heartland could eventually dominate the world
 Details:
 Determination of most strategic places on Earth
 Land-based power, not sea-based will ultimately rule the world
 Heartland = eastern Europe – eastern Siberia
 World Island = Europe, Asia, Africa – contains 50% of the world’s resources
 Q. Where would the conflicts be?
 A. The Rimland…also called the Shatterbelt.
 Emergence of Soviet Union and control over Eastern Europe gave
theory more attention
 Mackinder issued advice before he died:
 Keep Soviets in check by creating alliance around North Atlantic
 Shortly after, US began containment (policy to stop spread of
communism) and NATO formed
 Domino Theory – if one country falls to communism, many more will
https://ww
w.youtube.
com/watch
?v=rF1BvsT
MxqU
1:45 Min.
 Main Idea: The Eurasian Rimland (Western Europe, North
Africa, Asia), not the Heartland would be key to global power
 Details:
 “Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia, who rules Eurasia
controls the destinies of the world
 Known as the godfather of containment
 Must control the
Heartland…but how?
 CONTAINMENT!
 Creates NATO…Warsaw
Pact response.
2:45 Min.
https://www.yout
ube.com/watch?v
=rF1BvsTMxqU