Rudolf Kjellén facts for kids
Johan Rudolf Kjellén was a Swedish political scientist, geographer, and politician. He was born on June 13, 1864, in Torsö and passed away on November 14, 1922, in Uppsala. Kjellén is famous for creating the word "geopolitics." This term describes how geography and politics are connected.
His ideas were shaped by another geographer named Friedrich Ratzel. Kjellén, along with others like Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter, helped create the foundation for German Geopolitik. This idea was later strongly supported by General Karl Haushofer.
Kjellén finished high school in Skara in 1880. He then went to Uppsala University the same year. He earned his PhD from Uppsala in 1891. He taught there from 1890 to 1893. He also taught at Gothenburg University starting in 1891. From 1901, he was a professor of political science and statistics there. In 1916, he received a special professorship at Uppsala.
As a conservative politician, Kjellén served in the Swedish Parliament. He was a member of the Second Chamber from 1905 to 1908. Later, he was in the First Chamber from 1911 to 1917.
What Were Kjellén's Main Ideas?
Kjellén was a student of Ratzel. He further developed the idea that a state is like a living organism. During this process, he created the term "geopolitics." He was also influenced by John Robert Seeley and Heinrich von Treitschke. These thinkers believed in expanding a country's power and influence.
Kjellén first shared his main ideas in 1900. This was in his book Introduction to Sweden's Geography. His most important book about the theory of the state is Staten som lifsform, published in 1916. In this book, Kjellén said that states have five key parts. He believed these parts should be studied by different political science areas:
- The state as a land or area should be studied by geopolitics.
- The state as a group of people should be studied by demopolitics.
- The state as an economy should be studied by eco-politics.
- The state as a society should be studied by sociopolitics.
- The state as a government should be studied by crato-politics.
Kjellén disagreed that states were only about laws. He argued that the state and society work together. He believed the state is responsible for law and order. But it also has a duty to help with social well-being and economic growth.
For Kjellén, a country being self-sufficient (called autarky) was a political goal. It was not just an economic plan. He thought that depending on imports meant a country was not truly independent.
How Did Kjellén Influence Others?
General Karl Haushofer adopted many of Kjellén's ideas. Haushofer was not focused on economic policy. However, he also supported autarky. He believed a nation that is always striving needs to be self-sufficient.
Kjellén was also an early user of the term "national socialism" in 1910. His ideas helped shape the Swedish welfare state, called Folkhemmet. This term, which means "the people's home," was coined by Kjellén. It was inspired by the social reforms of Otto von Bismarck's Germany.
Geopolitics later became important again in the United States. Thinkers like Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Kissinger, and Robert Kaplan brought it back into discussion.
See also
In Spanish: Rudolf Kjellén para niños
- Biopolitics
