Criticism of Mackinder’s Heartland theory

Biased view:-

His view was biased because of imperial British interests were central focus of his theory.

Overlooked Heartland’s physical and climateological difficulties:-

Heartland is a region of permanent  problems owing to it’s interior location and extremes of climate. He overlooked Man-nature relation.

Railway development uneconomical:-

He took a rather simplified view of this subject. In an arid region with sparsely settled Heartland region, which has limited agricultural and mineral base a railway project would be uneconomical.

Era of air travel destroys Heartlands invincibility:-

He failed to see that railway era was drawing to an end and that the era of air travel has already began. Example:- German air raids on the cities of USSR during the World War proved his theory wrong.

False picture by the Marcator projection that he used to propose his theory:-

He was explaining the global strategy with a Marcator projection map which created a false picture of the unlimited expanse of Arctic ice separating North America and Eurasia. Although in reality Heartland and North America lie face to face.

Miscalculation regarding power potential and area:-

He wrongly equated power potential with sheer geographical area, a factor which made him to inflate the resources and power of the inner Heartland.

Old data for pivot area concept;-

His pivot area concept came in 1904. His thesis was based don the data available prior to 1904. At that time Russia occupied barely any important place in the world map of politics. This was an inherent weakness in his thesis.

Oversimplifiation of the land and sea power:-

He oversimplified the complex relationship of history rather in a deterministic fashion s a struggle between land and sea power.

Science has made surface transportation configuration of earth insignificant : -

Science and technology development has made a global distribution of land and sea insignificant as ballistic missile with nuclear warheads can be fired from any point of the earth’s surface. Example: Inter-continental ballistic missile.

America can become another heartland: -

Although he included America in the “Midland Basin” theory but he never thought about America with it’s vast potentialities to develop as another “heartland”.

Policy of nuclear deterrence by the Western Bloc to counterbalance heartland: -

A nuclear arsanel in the hands of west will deter USSR inspite of it’s advantages to spread communism throughout by controlling the world unchecked. This was probably why USA dropped 2 atom bombs on Japan. However, an arms race was triggered off by this act between the 2 blocs.