NICHOLAS SPYKMAN: THE RIMLAND THEORY

FACTS ABOUT SPYKMAN

• Born in 1893
• Died in 1943
• A Dutch-American geostratigist
• The "Godfather of Containment"
• A Political Scientist

THE THEORY

• The Eurasian Rim controls the world
• Power does not come from the Heartland
• E.R.= West Europe, Middle East, Asiatic areas
• Heartland= All of Eastern Europe regions

THE REASON BEHIND THE THEORY

• The theory was created during post WW2 and pre Cold War
• Three super powers at the time included US, Russia, China
• Predicted that fifty years from 1938, the world:
• 1. Would have European countries united.
• 2. Would have the US, India, China, and USSR as big world powers

THEORY PROS

• It proves Spykman was ahead of his time
• It is accurate in the world's current economic trade/ways
• Suggested sea power is more valuable for success/trade in countries
• Proved states with both land and sea had less security and more power

THEORY CONS

• The Northern half of the world will always be more sucessful
• I.e. Africa's poverty, South America's political troubles.
• If one area would be more powerful, there would be a totalitarian society
• Example: the League of Nations risk

EXAMPLES OF THE THEORY

• China is successful because of land and sea access and being part of the Rimland
• Germany vs. Russia vs. UK vs. USA is a show of security through island/landlocked states
• The Cold War (the founder of the theory)

RIMLAND VS. HEARTLAND

• Two contradicting theories
• Theorist Halford MacKinder said any country in the Eurasia can own power
• Spykman believed whoever controlled the Rimland of Eurasia controlled the future

THE END

SOURCES

• www.exploringgeopolitics.org
• www.unc.edu
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.mindomo.com
• www.images.google.com