“The Geographical Pivot of History”, the Decline of the British Empire, and the Destruction of the European System

In 1904, Halford John Mackinder, a British geographer, published an article titled “The Geographical Pivot of History” in which he advanced his heartland theory. According to Mackinder, the Heartland, which he defined as the area from the Volga to the Yangtze and from the Arctic to the Himalayas, was the key to controlling the World-Island, which comprised most of the world’s landmass. Mackinder held that any power that controlled the Heartland would control over 50% of the world’s resources.

In his paper, Mackinder argued that the Russian Empire, which ruled most of the Heartland at the time, was huge but socially, politically, and technologically backward, making it inferior to Western European powers. He believed that the West European powers had successfully combined to prevent Russian expansion throughout the 19th century. Mackinder’s theory suggested that the Heartland was the key to controlling the World-Island, and that securing control of the Heartland was the vital question.

Mackinder’s paper also discussed the concept of the “World-Island,” which he defined as the landmass of Eurasia and Africa. He believed that the World-Island was the key to global power, and that any power that controlled it would have a…