The Revenge Of Geography Analysis

In Kaplan’s The Revenge of Geography, one sees that geography greatly affects many aspects of a civilization. He claims that geography is “the most fundamental factor in the foreign policy of states” because it remains constant while the leadership, ideals, and theological beliefs change (Kaplan 29). He goes on to explain that the economy, trade, and military are based primarily on one’s location. Kaplan quotes Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military and political leader, when he says, “to know a nation’s geography is to know its foreign policy” (Kaplan 60). This is meant to show that almost everything a nation does is based on it’s geography; therefore, history can be analyzed by looking at geography and logically assessing or predicting the …show more content…
Since the geography of Eurasia naturally leads to strong empires that desire to expand, soon there was no more room for expansion. He “understood that European wars would have to be played out on a worldwide scale” (Kaplan 63). Based upon his studies, he saw the ways in which the great empires were heading and predicted that they would greatly affect the rest of the world. Unknowingly, a major world war would occur only a decade after the publication of his book with another world war on the way. Both of these wars were sparked in Eurasia and then spread to include other major world powers of the time. Mackinder believed that the “Heartland may best be seen as a register of power around the World-Island rather than the determiner of it” (Kaplan 77). Since the heartland was rich in “oil and strategic minerals and metals”, having control of it would be pivotal to world domination. Therefore, while the Heartland didn’t cause certain events to happen, the geography of the land aided the development of said events. His theories show not only that geography plays a vital role in the founding and continuation of empires, but also that Eurasia holds power over the fate of the rest of the …show more content…
He observed that the rise of great empires in Eurasia were due to the effects of geography. Eventually, these great empires would control the fate of the entire world. In their delivery, both Mackinder and Kaplan proved to be very persuasive because they made valid points backed up with a considerable amount of evidence. Their claims, upon speculation and analysis, are easily understood as well as applicable to a wide variety of civilizations. Nonetheless, Mackinder is described as “a child of his time” and a product of the “climate of opinion” (Kaplan 76) because he was seen as slightly biased. Ultimately, Mackinder believed that studying geography was a good way to understand a society, Eurasia was greatly affected by its geography, and control of Eurasia would lead to world