Essays
Published in 1919, Mackinder's book Democratic Ideals and Reality suggested what is now known as the heartland theory. This idea centered around the belief that a large landmass was the key to global power. His theory stated as follows:
Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland
Who rules the Heartland commands the World Island
Who rules the World Island commands the World
Basically, Mackinder suggested that the key to global power existed in Eastern Europe because that area would rule what he called the heartland. The heartland consisted of most of the nation of Russia and parts of southwest Asia. He felt that whomever controlled that key piece of land would control the world island, which consisted of the continents of Asia and Europe (including Greenland). At the time of its publishment, this theory received little attention because Eastern Europe and Russia were both in disarray. However, by the time World War II ended, the Soviet Union was powerful and controlled much of East Europe, thereby commanding the heartland.
However, one political geographer scoffed at the notion of the heartland theory. Nicholas Spykman went as far as to make a parody of Mackinder's theory when he wrote his own book, The Geography of Peace, published in 1944. He proposed that:
Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia
Who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world
This became known as the rimland theory and it was more in keeping with the popular idea that access to the oceans and large seas is the key factor in determining global power. The rimland falls over parts of Russia, as well as the large Asian countries of China, India and Japan, parts of the Middle East, and Europe. It is unlikely that this vast span of area would come under the influence of any one nation; thus, the world contains many powers and no one nation controls the destinies of the world.