Heartland is a geopolitical concept that means a significant part of northeastern Eurasia, bounded from the east and south by mountain systems. At the same time, researchers define the specific boundaries of this territory in different ways. In fact, this is a geopolitical concept that was first voiced by the British geographer Halford Mackinder in a report he did for the Royal Geographical Society. Later, the main provisions of the report were published in the famous article en titled "The Geographical Axis of History." It is this concept that has become a kind of starting point for the development of the classical Western theory of geostrategy and geopolitics. At the same time, the term itself began to be used later. In 1919, it began to be used instead of the concept of the "axis of history".
1904 article
Heartland is the key concept of the article "The Geographical Axis of History", which was published in 1904. Under himMackinder, the author of the theory, understood a part of northeastern Eurasia with a total area of about 15 million square kilometers. Initially, this territory practically repeated the outlines of the drainage basin of the Arctic Ocean, excluding only the basins of the Barents and White Seas. At the same time, it approximately coincided with the territory of the Russian Empire and later - the Soviet Union.
The southern part of the Heartland along Mackinder stretched the steppes, where historically for many centuries mobile and strong nomadic peoples lived. Now these spaces are also under the control of Russia. At the same time, the Heartland is a territory that does not have convenient access to the World Ocean, with the exception of the Arctic Ocean, which is almost entirely covered with ice.
This part of Eurasia is surrounded by coastal territories that stretch into northeast Asia from Western Europe through the Middle and Near East, as well as Indochina. It is noteworthy that Mackinder singled out the so-called "outer crescent" of maritime powers, which included Australia, the Americas, Africa, Oceania, Japan and the British Isles.
Geopolitical significance
The geographer attached great importance to this territory. In his concept, the Heartland is a site of the planet rich in natural resources. Also, its importance was influenced by the fact that it was inaccessible to Great Britain and any other maritime power due to the lack of a merchant and navy. In this regard, he called Heartland a natural fortress of people who found themselves among the land. In this zoneMackinder in the theory of the Heartland placed the axial state.
The emergence of this concept was influenced by the colonial division of the world, which had almost ended by that time, in which the British Empire settled on a kind of "inner crescent" of Eurasia. From the researcher's point of view, the political forces of the "inner crescent" and the "axis of history" must historically oppose each other. Moreover, Britain must constantly experience a certain onslaught from the former, by which the geographer understood representatives of different peoples - Mongols, Huns, Russians, Turks.
At the same time, Mackinder emphasized that the "Columbian era", when the world was dominated by maritime powers, is a thing of the past. In the future, he saw a key role in the development of a network of transcontinental railways. They, in his opinion, should have been the main competition for the navy, and in the future, perhaps even surpass the ships in their importance.
The conclusion from the Heartland theory was obvious. We must unite to resist this onslaught. Preferably under British Empire.
Democratic ideals and reality
Mackinder developed similar ideas in his later works. In 1919, his article "Democratic Ideals and Reality" was published. In it, as well as in the works of his followers, the boundaries of the Heartland were subject to certain changes.
So, in an article of 1919, he included in the "axis of history" the basins of the B altic andBlack seas. Also, H. Mackinder in the Heartland theory noted that this territory is surrounded by hard-to-surmount spaces on all sides, with the exception of the West. Only in this part there is an opportunity for interaction. Therefore, Eastern Europe, from this point of view, acquired special significance in foreign policy.
According to Mackinder's forecast, it was in this territory that cooperation between the maritime powers and the Heartland or major conflicts should have begun.
Who rules the world?
It was in this article, speaking about the Heartland, geopolitics, that he formulated his famous maxim: whoever controls Eastern Europe commands the Heartland. And whoever leads the Heartland is at the head of the World Island, by which he understood the territories of Africa and Eurasia. Finally, whoever controls the World Island rules the world. Determining who dominates the Heartland, the author of the formula meant that these same forces are becoming one of the most influential in the world.
Over time, Heartland ceased to appear to him as an independent political force, but only as an amplifier of the power of the power that controls the whole of Eastern Europe. It is worth noting that this formula was the result of the uncertain political status of this territory due to the Civil War, which at that time continued on the territory of Russia. The just ended World War I also had an impact. The consequence was the creation of a natural barrier from the Slavic countries in Eastern Europe. This was to prevent the unification of the eastern and strategicHeartlands, that is, Russia and Germany.
Round the world and achieve peace
In 1943, Heartland's concept was continued in an article en titled "The Round Peace and the Achievement of Peace." This time, the territories around the Lena River and east of the Yenisei were excluded from these territories, which were assigned to the so-called "belt of waste lands" that surround the Heartland.
In the West, its borders now coincided exactly with the pre-war borders of the Soviet Union. Events on the Soviet-German front confirmed that it was now turning into a great land power, occupying an exclusively defensive position.
At the same time, post-war demilitarized Germany was supposed to become a kind of channel for cooperation between Western Europe and North America with the Heartland. In the West, this interaction seemed important for maintaining a single civilized world.
It was only during the Cold War that Mackinder's latest work came to be seen as a juxtaposition of West and East, creating a bipolar world.
Followers of the theory
Many followers of Mackinder differed in details from his ideas. For example, they defined the boundaries of this region in their own way. At the same time, almost all of them saw it as a key region in world politics, which was identified with the Soviet Union, which after the war was considered the key adversary of the West.
In 1944In the same year, the American geopolitician Nicholas Speakman put forward the concept of the Rimland as opposed to the Heartland. This territory almost completely repeated the borders of Mongolia and the Soviet Union. Only the Far East was excluded, since this territory was assigned to the Pacific Ocean.
At the same time, Rimland was supposed to play a key role in world geopolitics, as well as in influencing Eurasia. American foreign policy should have been aimed precisely at his control.
It is believed that the practical consequence of this approach was the creation of pro-American military blocs. First of all, NATO, as well as SEATO and CENTO, which actually covered the territory of Rimland and surrounded the Heartland.
The "continental bloc" strategy
The ideas of the German geopolitician Karl Haushofer, who developed the "continental bloc" strategy, are also based on the Heartland concept. It is believed that she had a great influence on the school of Eurasianism, which was formed in the 1920s.
Followers of Mackinder
Some American political scientists actively used the concept of "Heartland". For example, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Saul Cohen.
Cohen included in the Heartland the entire east of the Soviet Union, including territories in the Pacific Ocean, and excluded part of Ukraine and the B altic states in the west.
At the same time, the Heartland was included in a single continental region in terms of geopolitics, along with communist Korea and China. Eastern Europe Cohen, following Mackinder, declared a region thatshould act as a gate. He divided the rest of the world into several geostrategic regions, each of which had its own local "gates".
When the Soviet Union collapsed, this concept was positively perceived by some domestic researchers. For example, Dugin.
French political scientist Aymeric Choprade still actively uses the ideas of Mackinder, combining them with the works of his followers.
Criticism of Halford Mackinder's concept
It is worth noting that some modern political scientists are skeptical about this theory, considering it too simplistic and also outdated.
Many geopoliticians of our time argue that the Heartland is no longer applicable to modern political processes taking place in the world.
