Mackinder’s Heartland Theory

What is Heartland?

• It had rugged mountains of Lena Land in the north-east; in the east it had the Altai, Tienshan mountains across which lie the wastelands of Mongolia and Sinkiang; in the south it had Hindukush ranges and the plateau of Afghanistan and Iran; in the south-west, between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea lie the Caucasus and the plateau of Armenia; in the west, the Heartland was surrounded by the Carpathian mountains; in the north-west were the Baltic Sea and the wastes of Lappland; in the north lies the Arctic Ocean.

Which landmasses surround the Heartland?

Inner or Marginal Crescent:

• This included the rest of Europe, India, South-East Asia and much of China.

Outlying Island:

• These included England and Japan.

Secondary Heartland:

• This was represented by Sub-Saharan Africa connected to the main Heartland through a main bridge (Saudi Arabia).

Outer or Insular Crescent:

• This was represented by the Americas and Australia.

Mackinder’s Heartland Theory

• Mackinder gave this theory in 1904.
• He offered a very original approach to the regional geopolitical structuralization of the Eurasian continent and the identification of the functional value of its spatial segments.
• His doctrine suggested that the geopolitical subject (actor) that dominated the Heartland would possess the necessary geopolitical and economic potential to ultimately control the World Island and the planet.
• Mackinder’s gave the theory of a world power shift which is widely known as the “Heartland Theory”.
• It reflects the intricate dynamics of geography, political power, and military strategy, interwoven with demography and economics. It is these dynamics and relationships, which Mackinder viewed as strengths, that characterize the Heartland and speak to its importance.
• According to Mackinder, the geographically connected landmass of Europe, Asia, and Africa, what Mackinder called the “World Island”. This is centrally positioned in the world. Mackinder called it the Heartland.
• To Mackinder, this geographic positioning means that as a united force, the World Island could both project power in a way that demonstrates her global supremacy and protect herself against external powers.
• This theory regards political history as a continuous struggle between land and sea powers with the ultimate victory going to the continental power.
• Mackinder predicted that whoever got the balance of power in its favour would rule-the World Island and who would rule the World Island would rule the World.
• Its simplicity and boldness have been achieved at the cost of accuracy regarding the historical and the geographical details.

Drawbacks of Heartland Theory

• One major drawback of this theory is its inability to make allowances for the technological advances.
• 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.
• China later went on to join the communist sphere, while the Saudi Arabia-Sahara barrier could not prevent the Cold War from spilling over into Africa.
• The advances in satellite, missile, atomic and space technologies have overshadowed the strategic importance of geographic factors.