Despite haushofers incessant campaigns for an expansion of germanys lebensraum, he had no idea about the spatial direction or extent of the expansion. Kjellen viewed the state as a living organism and, in developing his ideas, saw geopolitics as the study of the state as a geographic organism whose spatial phenomena could be a land, a territory, a space, or a country. Brill further added that according to the encyclopedia of britannica one of the branches of geopolitics is geostrategy, which forms the elastic nucleus of the political, military and economic strategy ibid. Analyzing the geopolitics of energy through the lens of long cycle theory classical geopolitics. After the cold war, some nordic scholars returned to geopolitics to explain the radical changes taking place in the european north, but this new interest for geopolitics did not primarily concern angloamerican geopolitics of halford mackinder and nicholas spykman but swedishgerman geopolitics of.
Geopolitik is the branch of uniquely german geostrategy. Rudolph kjellen, karl haushofer or halford john mackinder and more. The contemporary use of the term deviates radically from its. Until these negative images are corrected and deflected from classical geopolitics, our study of spatial impacts upon policythat is, geopoliticswill not see a full contribution. Karl haushofer, the man who popularized the term lebensraum living space, has been accused of many misdeeds.
In part, these stem from the chequered history of the term geopolitics, which fell from favour across much of the angloamerican world after the 1940s. The word geopolitics was originally coined by the swedish political scientist rudolf kjellen about the turn of the 20th century, and its use spread throughout europe in the period between world. More on geopolitics debate on the term geopolitics the term geopolitics reflects the connection between power and interests, strategic decisionmaking, and geographic space. The return of geopolitics in the era of soft power. Coined by the swedish author, rudolf kjellen, the term geopolitics highlights the role of a territory, resources and boundaries which can play an important role in shaping global political relations. Instead, we need to use a meta geopolitical lens that accounts for strengths and capabilities that go far beyond a states military. It is based on the broad foundations of geography, especially on political geography, which is the science of the political organisms in space and their structure. The role of the german geopolitik in charting the course. Cohen 2003 notes that intellectuals such as aristoteles, montesquieu, kant, hegel and humboldt already had an understanding of geopolitics. Contemporary issues in education research december 2011. Geopolitics is the art and practice of using political power over a given territory. Rudolf kjellen 1864 1922, a swedish professor and politician, published his works in swedish, which made him less accessible to those who were not familiar with the swedish language. Rereading rudolf kjellen on geopolitical imaginary and competitive identity this paper.
He was mainly a classifier and system builder and it has rather been mackinder, spykman and mahan that have stood the test of time in classical geopolitics. According to this outlook, geopolitics is the analysis of the interaction between, on the one hand, geographical settings and perspectives and, on the other hand, political processes. This definition contains two elements that are crucial within the concept of geopolitics. Practical geopolitical reasoning in american foreign policy. After the cold war, the nordic states turned to the south, to the european union. Gecgdifk was the first categoq of kjemns system and he defined it as the study. May 01, 2017 geopolitics is the art and practice of using political power over a given territory. Jan 10, 2014 rudolf kjellen the swedish father of geopolitics posted on 10 january, 2014. Apr 21, 2015 rudolf kjellen and the origin of geopolitics.
Within this broad definition, there are many variants and the differences between them are significant. A swedish political scientist, rudolf kjellen, originally coined the term geopolitics in 1899. Rudolf kjellen, a swedish citizen but ratzels student, is credited with coinage of the term geopolitics in 1899, defining it as the theory of the state as a geographical organism or phenomenon in space. Geopolitics is the science of the earth relationships of political processes. On the other hand, academic literature provides too many definitions of geopolitics, reflecting a broad and never ending intellectual debate. Feb 09, 2011 rudolf kjellen is today mainly remembered as the creator of the term geopolitics. This paper outlines a more comprehensive definition of the cold war as a. Geopolitics was, and for many authors still is, the study of statecraft and the divination of patterns of global politics.
Then power concepts and definitions in different schools of international. Geopolitics are at play when actors such as political leaders, countries, organizations, and corporations assess how their actions would affect other political leaders. Main theoretical currents in geopolitical thought in the twentieth. It is a political wisdom taking into consideration the administration of life and a localitys populations as its subject. Its original or traditional form arose towards the end of the 19th century. Kjellen s state theory and his definition geopolitics is the theory of state as a geographical organ or a phenomenon in an area has been built on the intellectual basis given by friedrich ratzel. Some call it geoeconomics, but its geopolitics too. A delve on this topic will be incomplete without first defining and examining the origin of the concept geopolitics. My definition of geopolitics is shorter and takes the term geopolitics in its. Swedishgerman geopolitics for a new century rudolf kjellens. Analyzing the geopolitics of energy through the lens of long.
Geography is the most fundamental factor in international politics because. The importance of geopolitical factors in international. Critical geopolitics international studies association. This definition contains two elements that are crucial within the concept.
What could have been a pathbreaking book on the swedish father of geopolitics was published in sweden in 2014 rudolf kjellen geopolitiken och konservatismen, eds. Thus, geopolitics can also be considered to be a combination of history political processes and geography. The differences between geopolitics and geoeconomics. Geopolitics and the study of international relations gokmen, semra rana ph. Swedishgerman geopolitics for a new century 453 discipline of other sciences like law, geography, ethnology, nationaleconomics or history.
Evolution, ideas, prospects 265 inventor of the term geopolitics was swedish political scientist rudolf kjellen. The geopolitics of history geopolitics is a muchoverused term. Antigeopolitics describes the challenges to statecentered geopolitics from within civil society, including dissidents, social movements, and allied forms of resistance. Neither of these versions receives any sort of definition. Geopolitics definition of geopolitics by merriamwebster. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Kjellen was educated at the university of uppsala, and he taught at gothenburg 190116 and uppsala from 1916.
The basics of his ideas were presented in 1900 in the book introduction to swedish geography, based on his lectures at gothenburg university. The second section deals with presentday geopolitics and how it advances the classical approach. Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Central concepts concerning the german race regarding economic space demonstrate continuity from the german empire to adolf hitlers third reich. The heartland concept inspired kjellen and haushofer in their study of geopolitics. Is postcold war geopolitics significantly different from.
In academic circles, the study of geopolitics involves the analysis of geography, history. Rudolf kjellen the swedish father of geopolitics center. Kjellen swedish citizen, 18641922 was the first who coined the concept of geopolitics in 1899 cohen, 2003, defining it as. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements. Foundations of geopolitics table of contents from the editor introduction the definition of geopolitics tellurocracy and thassalocracy geopolitical teleology rimland and borderland regions geopolitics as destiny part 1. Maull geopolitics is an applied science and it is nothing but an applied political geographyibid. His interest in geography brought kjellen out in the world. Rereading rudolf kjellen on geopolitical imaginary and competitive identity. Gecgdifk was the first categoq of kjemns system and he defined it as the study of the. Traditionally, the term has applied primarily to the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass a wider connotation. Geopolitics is about the interaction among states and empires in a particular geographical setting. Geopolitics, analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations.
International politics an overview sciencedirect topics. It does so by giving the floor to people who are specialised in areas such as geopolitics, geography, international relations, political studies and sociology. Nevertheless, one can detect in the writings of all walks of constant territorial retroactively condition of international life. An overview of concepts and empirical examples from. The ideal state and the power of geography the lifework. Such sympathizers destroyed any future esteem of kjellen s work in sweden. This second usage owes much to henry kissinger, who defined geopolitical perspective. Sep 29, 2019 hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. A summary of key thinkers and theories from the claasical period of geopolitics classical geopolitics a summary of key thinkers and theories from the claasical period of geopolitics friedrich ratzel. Such overuse ignores the fact that geopolitics as a method of. According to nayef alrodhan and others, using a geopolitical one isnt enough. Rudolf kjellens geopolitik was part of his attempt to produce a. Writers, observers, and practitioners of international politics frequently invoke the term to describe, explain, or analyze specific foreign policy issues and problems. The ideal state and the power of geography the lifework of rudolf.
Request pdf the return of geopolitics in the era of soft power. Biopolitics is an intersectional field between human biology and politics. Lecture 1 and chapter 2 geopolitics 1 free download as powerpoint presentation. The central role for the state as only powerful entity is very typical for the definition of kjellen. Professor kelly has also provided a good definition of geopolitics. It is difficult to identify theoretical approaches in the currents of traditional geopolitical thinking, as it is true that its all about worldviews contextualized by history. Nicholas spykman, an american geographer brought the term to the united states and added the element of national security to its definition purpose. Geopolitics is a product of its times, and its definitions have evolved accordingly. This author has located more than sixty generalizations that relate to the positionalgeographic dimensions of geopolitics. A geopolitical approach to teaching the world history course advocated in this paper is based on the. This term was used for the first time as this formulation in 1899, naming as a scientist in training, whose aim was to examine the member bowing on the premise that they are geographical or human.
As just noted, such explanations would remain incomplete if. The term geopolitik first appeared in germany, when one of kjellens articles. Kjellen 1917 also proposed the concept of regierung. His political geography, however, was a big successful draft of systematic basic. Rudolf kjellen is today mainly remembered as the creator of the term geopolitics. Geopolitics exam notes definitions gottman defines geopolitics as the influence of geographical factors on political action physical geography. The third section focuses on whence the three pillars of geopolitics listed above are derived, and discusses the prospects for future geopolitical research.
Rudolf kjellen and the origin of geopolitics center for. Members of the worlds intelligence organizations, officers of the armed forces, politicians, and civil servants have always been keen readers of geopolitical writings. Rudolf kjellen, swedish political scientist and politician whose conservative theory of the state was influential beyond the borders of sweden. Kjellens geopolitical work is almost immediately both re viewed in the. The nazi party came up with its own definition of geopolitics. It is to a great extent a matter of a method or analysis. They established borderland regions to handle practicalities.
Geography, geopolitics, and geographical reasoning cairn. This definition contains two elements that are crucial within the concept of. Exploring geopolitics offers valuable insights into key geopolitical approaches, geopolitical concepts and geopolitical trends. Coming up with a specific definition of geopolitics is notoriously difficult, for the meaning of concepts.
Rudolf kjellen swedish political scientist britannica. At the opposite pole, geopolitics is a synonym for great power politics. He defined it as the science of states as life forms, based on demographic, economic. This referred to a governmental system, combining a strong, centralized bureaucracy and an equally powerful military. To a certain extent the new book is a disappointment but. The word geopolitics was originally coined by the swedish political scientist rudolf kjellen about the turn of the 20th century, and its use spread throughout europe in the period between world wars i and ii 191839 and came. In regard to geopolitics, kjellen not only coined the term. Power influence, politics and space territory, soil were important. Sven holdar 319 concluding remarks in political geography, kjellen is known for having coined geopoluik, for his use of the organic theory of the state, and as the link between ratzel and haushofer.
Throughout history, geography has been the stage on which nations and empires have collided. A second way will be to locate relevant theories that will enter the geopolitical model, a model being merely a container for theories that will fit the definition of geopolitics. Geopolitics and the measurement of national power universitat. Jackson at nuremberg, wrote that haushofer was hitlers intellectual godfather.
Rudolf kjellens later formulation of an organic theory of the state. In the classical definition sea power means use and control of the sea. The most accepted definition of geopolitics is that of kjellen apudcorreia, 2004, who defines it as the theory of the state as a geographical organism or phenomenon of space. Oct 05, 2016 based on these observations, the paper concludes by stating that the postcold war geopolitics is significantly different from cold war geopolitics.
In 1905, rudolf kjellen, a swedish law professor, coined the term. Nicholas spykman, an american geographer brought the term to the united states and added. A chronology of books on geopolitics published by rudolf kjellen between 1905 and 1919. Here, geo politics is defined as a view of the state as geographic organism or as a phenomenon in space erscheinung im raume. Pdf today the term geopolitics is very used but only in few. Geopolitics definition is a study of the influence of such factors as geography, economics, and demography on the politics and especially the foreign policy of a state. The theory of the state as a geographic organism or phenomenon in space, i. Before getting started, it is important to note that this overview will constitute but a brief and selective glimpse, considering the scale and wide scope of. In other words, geopolitics studies the influence of space and location on human action and, consequently, on political action, supporting the argument of defarges. Geography, geopolitics, and geographical reasoning. The ideal state and the power of geography the lifework of. Geopolitics, critical geopolitics, international relations theory, realism. Kjellen 1917, which popularized geopolitics as a term and concept.
This concept is an analysis of the political pattern of the world and includes predictions based on this analysis. Geopolitics has never been an exclusively or even a predominantly academic formation. Geopolitics definition of geopolitics by the free dictionary. Geopolitics definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Ratzels swedish colleague, rudolf kjellen, coined the term geopolitics. Geopolitik of the weak a postcold war return to rudolf kjellen, cooperation and conflict 432. Its goal is to situate critical geopolitics in the study of international affairs and. Analyzing the geopolitics of energy through the lens of.
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