Halford Mackinder and the Situation in Europe before the First World War - Essay Example

Halford Mackinder has become one of the most influential geopolitical thinkers of the twentieth century and his theories have remained relevant to the present world. It should be noted that as a geographer, he came to have a unique view of the political developments not only in Europe but also in the rest of the world and it is this view that became extremely influential in the rest of the world. Mackinder, at the beginning of the twentieth century proposed that there would be a closing of the global political system and this statement has become one of his most influential thoughts. The closing of the global political system meant that most of the world would come under the dominance of only a handful of powers most of which were based in Europe. During this period, especially after the Berlin Conference, most of the major European powers had essentially divided the rest of the world up among themselves; this being specifically Africa and parts of Asia (Kaplan, 2013). These countries had made use of their superior military might to force the less developed civilisations into their control and this had created a situation where it was extremely difficult for formerly independent states to exert their will over their former territories. Furthermore, it had become essential for a significant number of European powers to ensure that they achieved a certain degree of dominance over a part of the world in order to show their might when compared to others while at the same time ensure that they remained relevant on the world stage. The ability of European powers to exert their influence was sorely tested through the manner in which they competed among themselves. This was especially the case considering that most of the actions that they undertook to ensure their greatness tended to go against the interests of other powers. In this way, such countries as Germany had a hard time because they could not exert their influence in any direction within Europe in such a way that it was surrounded by European powers such as Britain to the west, Russia to the east, and Austria-Hungary to the south. The result was that this country could not take any action that risked antagonising any of its neighbours, hence creating a situation where there was likely to be war on the European continent. The rise of new powers such as the United States and Japan posed a challenge to the European dominance of the world especially when one considers that these were relatively young industrialised countries, which could also exert their influence over their immediate regions. It is through the rise of these powers that it became possible to notice that European powers were on the decline. The ability of European powers, especially Britain, to bring its influence to bear over the rest of the world came to be sorely tested through the coming of these two powers on the scene. Therefore, while Britain remained in command of the seas, it no longer had a monopoly over it and others were able to rise and become new naval powers. The closing of the global political system meant regional powers were rising which were essentially challenging the status quo. These powers, which were quite few in numbers, would have to work towards ensuring that they retained their dominance over their respective areas. This would make it possible for the development of a new global structure where it would be extremely difficult for even newer powers to arise because only the most developed would have a significant influence on the affairs that took place in the world. Russia before the First World War was a country that was also capable of becoming a great global power because it straddled both Europe and Asia. It is through its occupation of territory between two continents that it was possible for it to exert its influence in both these regions (Kaplan, 2013). Mackinder believed that any country that dominated Eastern Europe as well as Asia had the ability to become the dominant global power. However, Russia did not take this opportunity and it instead ended up forming the Triple Entente with Britain and France in order to counter the influence of Germany and Austria-Hungary in Europe. The alliance system in Europe meant that the countries involved had got themselves into entities which determined their future foreign relations and this meant that the global political system was closing. Not only had the alliances been formed out of a need for mutual protection, but they had been formed as a means of ensuring that other countries were deterred from taking any actions that might have led to conflict. This situation also led to high tensions among the European powers at the time because each feared that the other would make a pre-emptive strike that would make it gain an advantage. As a result, a significant number of those European countries in an alliance made the choice to invest heavily in the most sophisticated weapons that they could lay their hands on at the time. In conclusion, the situation in Europe before the First World War was one of extreme tension especially when one considers that there was an arms race taking place. The discussion above has shown that Mackinder’s statement at the beginning of the twentieth century proposed that there would be a closing of the global political system was extremely true. It has further been stated that the closing of the global political system meant that most of the world would come under the dominance of only a handful of powers most of which were based in Europe. Moreover, the e rise of new powers such as the United States and Japan posed a challenge to the European dominance of the world because they were relatively young industrialised countries, which could also exert their influence over their immediate regions. Finally, following Mackinder’s argument, Russia before the First World War was a country that was also capable of becoming a great global power because it straddled both Europe and Asia. References Kaplan, R.D., 2013. The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate. New York, Random House. Read More