The heroic earth
Subtitle: geopolitical thought in Weimar Germany, 1918-1933
By: David Thomas Murphy.
Publisher: Kent State University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Kent, Ohio
Language: eng
Number of pages: 368
Subjects: Haushofer, Karl, -- 1869-1946.; Geopolitics -- Germany -- History -- 20th century.; Germany -- Politics and government -- 1918-1933.; Germany -- Historical geography.
Description: In The Heroic Earth, David T. Murphy argues that geopolitical ideas were most dynamic and significant in Germany not during the Nazi era (1933-45) but in the democratic culture of the Weimar Republic (1919-33). By helping to condition the German population to geopolitical ideas, which emphasized revision of the Versailles settlement and enlarging Germany's living space, geopolitics helped contribute to Nazi imperialism.

Theories of geographical determinism shaped German thinking about politics, race, science, education, aesthetics, and many other subjects on the eve of the Nazi era. Challenging traditional historiography, Murphy argues that geopolitics faded in importance after Adolf Hitler came to power.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 307-331) and index.