Geopolitical Theories

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Geopolitical Theories
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GEOPOLITICS

• The power of the state to control space or
  territory and shape foreign policy of individual
  states and international relations.

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ORGANIC STATE THEORY

• Founded by Friedrich Ratzel
• The state is an organism conforming to natural
  laws and forced to grow expand into new
  territories in order to secure resources needed
  for survival.
• The state has a life cycle (birth to death)
• Adolf Hitler used this theory to invade
  surrounding countries and build German
  nationalism.

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HEARTLAND THEORY

• Founded by Sir Halford Mackinder
• World power is based on the assumption that the
  land based state controlling the EURASIAN
  heartland has the key to world domination.

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All the worlds resources, physical and human,
are here.
Heartland
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RIMLAND THEORY

• Founded by Nicholas Spykman (book The Geography
  of Peace, 1914)
• The state controlling the area AROUND the area
  surrounding the Eurasian heartland has the key to
  world domination.

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SEA POWER THEORY

• Founded by Alfred Mahan
• Interested in sea boundaries
• The nation that controls the seas, controls the
  world (trade)

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DOMINO THEORY

• Cold War and Eastern Europe
• Destabilization from any cause in 1 country can
  result in the collapse of order in a neighboring
  country leading to a chain of events that affect
  adjoining states in turn.