Chapters IV-V, The Eurasian Map, The Nazi Distortion Summary and Analysis

Chapter IV begins with the introduction of geographer and father of geo-politics, Sir Halford MacKinder and his piece, "The Geographical Pivot of History." MacKinder emphasizes that the discovery of the New World led the imperial European powers to expand Westward but that eventually they would fill the space provided and we would enter a new political age. European wars would occur on a worldwide scale, he predicted in 1904. MacKinger also thinks that European history is "subordinate" to the history of Asia, because European civilization arose to repel Asiatic invasion. Further, European civilization was made possible by the divisions of European geography into smaller units, guaranteeing distinct cultures (contrast this with the flat plains of Russia). Mongol invasions of Russia were successful and ended up holding back its...