Geopolitická teorie Halforda Mackindera
Geopolitical Theory of Halford Mackinder

Summary/Abstract: Main purpose of this article is to introduce Mackinder’s geopolitical theory, also known as the heartland thesis, in its entirety and complexity. The heartland thesis is considered to be the most prominent among geopolitical theories and it is subject to vital discussions up to present-day. At the beginning of the 20th century Mackinder envisioned the creation of a closed political system on a global scale. In such a system a redistribution of power which would favor continentalscale polities with large land bases was about to occur. Mackinder warned that the most basic security interests of Western powers would be endangered if any polity controlled the huge inner region of Euro-Asia which he called the heartland. This paper examines fundamental aspects of the theory as they were outlined by their author during the period of almost four decades (from 1904 to 1943). It first analyses Mackinder’s view of geography and international relations as the two constitutive parts of geopolitical approach. Then it describes essential features of the heartland concept in its geographical and strategic sense. The core of the work is dedicated to the evaluation of key aspects of the theory as they constitute its logical framework as well as to subsequent modifications that author worked out in the light of political events of the first half of the 20th century.

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