THE LECTURE THAT LAUNCHED GEOPOLITICS in the Anglosphere was given 120 years ago, on 25 January 1904, to the Royal Geographical Society in London. The speaker, Halford Mackinder (1861-1947), didn’t invent the term, but did more than anyone else to give the idea currency, not least because he was a leading commentator of the world’s most powerful empire and naval power — two elements that featured so heavily in the concept.
As director of the London School of Economics, Mackinder was a well-connected academic who was also active in politics. He had joined theConservativesin 1903, having been oneoftheir allied Liberal Unionists. After two unsuccessful attempts to enter Parliament in 1900 and 1909, he was to serve as MP for Glasgow Camlachie from 1910 until 1922.
During Britain’s intervention in the Russian Civil War, he was High Commissioner to (anti-Bolshevik) South Russia in 1919-20. Subsequently, he was chairman of the Imperial Shipping Committee from
