Date post: | 21-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | nicholas-gallagher |
View: | 225 times |
Download: | 4 times |
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Geopolitical Theories
GEOPOLITICS
The study of power relationships past, present, and future
Branch of political geography that considers the strategic value of land and sea area in the context of national economic and military power and ambitions
Alfred Thayer Mahan: 1890
Sea power necessary to facilitate trade and peaceful commerce
The country that possessed power would be one that could control the sea
Development of a strong navy was essential ingredient to a powerful state as was the country’s location
Most powerful country would have accessible and large coastline and good harbors
Mahan
Friedrich Ratzel
Organic Theory of States
“lebensraum”
ORGANIC STATE THEORY: 1897
* 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.
State requires lebensraum Translates to “living space” Adolf Hitler used this theory to invade surrounding countries
and build German nationalism Must devour other territories to achieve this goal
HEARTLAND THEORY
Founded by Sir Halford MackinderWorld power is based on the assumption that the
land based state controlling the EURASIAN
heartland has the key to world domination. • Advent of railroads
released countries from dependence on navy to move to army
• Warfare would move from the water to land
• Railroads would make heartland easy to defend and hard to conquer
Heartland Theory Contd.
Summary:Believed the physical geographical quantities (land) are the most important aspect of stateCriticized for oversimplifying the complexity of factors that shape global geopolitics
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. Korea (1950) Vietnam (1964) Afghanistan (1980)
Domino Theory Contd.
President Eisenhower Speaks Out Against Communism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N1_JGG4XX8
Domino Theory – Presidents’ Perspective https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP9QDRDLw6c
Bush Doctrine
Two main pillars are identified for the doctrine: 1. preemptive
strikes against potential enemies, and
2. promoting democratic regime change.
Bush Doctrine
preventive war, depose foreign regimes that represented a potential or
perceived threat a policy of spreading democracy around the world,
especially in the Middle East
Close Read and Annotate
Independently, close read and annotate “Hitler and Lebensraum”