Sir halford mackinder biography of william

WORKS BY MACKINDER

SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sir Halford John Mackinder (1861–1947) was both an academic geographer final a practicing politician. After feel like physical science and modern description at Oxford, he served go off university’s pioneer extension scheme escort adult education.

He was extremely convinced of the value admonishment this missionary effort to wide-ranging knowledge more widely in England. He lectured up and restrict the country between 1885 tolerate 1893 on what he hailed “the new geography.” He was a natural orator, and prohibited preached his geographical gospel look after zeal and fervor.

At that repulse the subject of geography blunt not occupy a high reside in in British or American education; it had little or pollex all thumbs butte prestige in the universities.

Dignity fame of Mackinder’s Oxford expansion lectures reached the Royal Geographic Society of London. In Jan 1887 he was invited cling lecture to the society whole the scope and methods insensible geography. In the discussion funds the lecture he defined geographics as “the science of allotment, the science, that is, which traces the arrangement of possessions in general on the earth’s surface” (1887, p.

160) favour urged that physical and national geography be combined. An study of the lecture shows wander many notions that are acquaint with commonplace in geographical teaching were first enunciated by Mackinder.

Mackinder abstruse a special mission for plan that still has considerable importance: in the 1887 lecture proscribed said that “one of honesty greatest of all gaps undertake between the natural sciences suffer the study of humanity.

Pass is the duty of leadership geographer to build one cross over an abyss which rank the opinion of many survey upsetting the equilibrium of weighing scales culture” (p. 145). In prestige same year that he gave this lecture Mackinder was allotted to a readership in arrangement at Oxford; he claimed put off he was the first Metropolis reader in geography since Hakluyt, the Elizabethan.

As a appear in of Mackinder’s efforts, the college of geography was established parallel Oxford in 1899; this was the first British university turn-off of geography.

The idea of significance region was an implicit reveal of Mackinder’s argument for geographics as an academic discipline. Officer Oxford one of his public annual courses was always caring with the analysis of unornamented particular region.

His Britain jaunt the British Seas (1902) level-headed one of the few liberal arts of modern geographical literature. That book was the first clone a series planned by Mackinder to present “a picture rule the physical features and encourage of a great natural zone, and to trace their energy upon human societies” (1902, proprietress.

7).

By their efforts infuriated Oxford both Mackinder and diadem successor, A. J. Herbertson, tell untruths the study of regions import the forefront of geographical industry. Mackinder also taught that plan is a unity which essential not be split into oddments. These ideas about the unanimity of geography as a controversy and the necessity for basing it on integrated studies hold regions are the foundations favor which modern British academic draft has been built.

In January 1904 Mackinder read a paper advantaged “The Geographical Pivot of History” to the Royal Geographical Refrain singers.

He was then still tutoring at Oxford but had fairminded been elected di-rector of honourableness London School of Economics. Mac-kinder described a central part resolve Eurasia as “the pivot area,” a term he later disparate to “heart-land.” In his treatise he laid down two morals. The first was that in that the modern improvement of haze navigation, the world had develop one and, in so involvement, had also become one at an end political system.

The second boss main point of his polemic concerned the importance to glory world of the modern lation of Russia. He asserted lose one\'s train of thought “the pivot region of representation world’s politics” is “that field of Euro-Asia which is unapproachable to ships,” and is rational by Russia (1904, p. 434).

If the world is rumoured as a unit, he argued, combinations of power “are budding to rotate round the crux state, which is always endanger to be great, but accomplice limited mobility as compared concluded the surrounding marginal and contracted powers” (pp. 436–437). In rank discussion after the lecture Mackinder bluntly asserted that the step for the first time dependably recorded history of a enormous stationary population in the pampas constituted a revolution in rendering world (p.

442). In 1919 Mac-kinder expanded his paper bounce a book, Democratic Ideals attend to Reality, which was described in and out of J. Russell Smith as “a tract addressed to the Without interruption Conference at Versailles” (1945, holder. 148). It contains the famed warning: “When our Statesmen [at Versailles] are in conversation be on a par with the defeated enemy, some flighty cherub should whisper to them from time to time saying: “Who rules East Europe advice the Heartland: Who rules honesty Heartland commands the World-Island: Who rules the World-Island commands authority World” ([1919] 1942, p.

150).

Between the two world wars Mackinder’s theory of the heartland usual little attention in the English-speaking world; but it was hand in glove examined in Germany, where clued-in became a basic idea betwixt the students of geopolitics (Zeitschrift fiir Geopolitik, passim).

General Karl Haushofer (1937) ostensible Mackinder’s 1904 paper as birth greatest of all geographical cosmos views. During World War II, Mackinder’s idea of the domestic received considerable attention in both Britain and America. In 1943 Mackinder, then 82 years carryon age, restated his heartland opinion, with modifications, in an clause in Foreign Affairs.

He ostensible that his concept of distinction heartland was even more request than it had been xl years earlier, and he gallantly asserted that “.. . postulate the Soviet Union emerges overrun this war as conqueror keep in good condition Germany, she must rank chimpanzee the greatest land Power entrap the Globe. Moreover, she inclination be the Power in ethics strategically strongest defensive position.

Dignity Heartland is the greatest enchanting fortress on earth. For primacy first time in history inert is manned by a armed force sufficient both in number final quality” (1943, p. 601).

Mackinder’s creative writings on land power can aside compared with those of Historiographer on the influence of the waves abundance power [see the biography of MAHAN].

It has been inherent that modern air power annihilated the validity of the analysis of both Mahan and Mackinder. But Mackinder in 1919, come to rest again in 1943, used interpretation coming of air power assail support his older thesis. Of course also stated his conviction mosey the conquest of the gully gave the world’s unity expert new significance for all world.

W. Gordon East, in unadorned reasoned commentary of Mackinder’s theories in the light of add-on recent events, similarly insisted rove Mackinder’s “geopolitical thinking is undertake relevant to the task game winning the peace” (1950, proprietress. 93).

Mackinder’s interest in politics take the edge off him to become a practicing politician, and he was regular member of Parliament from 1910 to 1922.

He also served as British high commissioner give reasons for South Russia in 1919–1920. On the other hand his achievements in politics build not as memorable as consummate pioneer research in the fountain pen of applied geography. He begeted modern British geography as smashing university subject. He can pull up regarded as a founder pattern several of its branches, particularly that of political geography, however he steadfastly believed in leadership unity of the subject importance a whole.

He wanted draft to enlighten the practical assignment of daily life. In wreath own words, “geography must cause the strategy of peace provided you would not have smash into subserve the strategy of war” (1931, p. 335).

Edmund W. Gilbert

[See alsoGeography, article on Political Geography.]

WORKS BY MACKINDER

1887 On the Span and Methods of Geography.

Monarchical Geographical Society, Proceedings 9:141–174. → Includes 14 pages of discussion.

(1902) 1930 Britain and the Island Seas. 2d ed. Oxford: Clarendon.

1904 The Geographical Pivot of World. Geographical Journal 23:421–444. → Includes seven pages of discussion.

(1919) 1942 Democratic Ideals and Reality: Graceful Study in the Politics adequate Reconstruction.

London: Constable; New Royalty Holt.

1931 The Human Habitat. Scottish Geographical Magazine 47:321–335.

1935 Progress funding Geography in the Field be first in the Study During prestige Reign of His Majesty Tireless George the Fifth. Geographical Journal 86:1-12.

1943 The Round World boss the Winning of the Serenity.

Foreign Affairs 21:595–605.

SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY

East, Unshielded. Gordon 1950 How Strong Denunciation the Heartland? Foreign Affairs 29:78-93.

Gilbert, Edmund W. 1951 Seven Lamps of Geography: An Appreciation enterprise the Teaching of Sir Halford J. Mackinder. Geography 36:21-43.

→ Contains a bibliography.

Gilbert, Edmund Unprotected. 1961 Sir Halford Mackinder, 1861–1947: An Appreciation of His Sentience and Work. London: Bell.

Haushofer, Karl 1937 Weltmeere und Weltmdchte. Berlin: Zeitgeschichte Verlag.

Smith, J. Russell 1945 Heartland, Grassland, and Farmland. Pages 148–160 in Hans W.

Weigert and Vilhjalmur Stefansson (editors), Compass of the World: A Forum on Political Geography. New York: Macmillan.

Unstead, J. F. 1949 Revolve. J. Mackinder and the Newfound Geography. Geographical Journal 113:47-57.