SOCIAL DARWINISM IN THE THEORY OF CLASSICAL GEOPOLITICS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/Keywords:
Social Darwinism, Geopolitics, Organic theory, Ratzel, Kjellén, Haushofer, Mackinder, LebensraumAbstract
In this paper we will show the presence and the influence of Social Darwinism in the works of the most influential thinkers of classical geopolitics. Biological analogies and metaphors have been regular vocabulary in the works of the founders of classical geopolitics from the very beginning. We will see how the ideas of Charles Darwin and his followers were gradually used for the emergence of geopolitics as a scientific discipline. This paper will focus in particular on how the theory of evolution was introduced into German geography, especially in the works of Friedrich Ratzel and his formulation of Lebensraum concept. The article will also reveal which authors in the field of classical geopolitics emphasized the “question of race” that caused serious political consequences in the 20th century.
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