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THE FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY *
RICHARD HARTSHORNE
SURVEY OF PROGRESS
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96 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
and materialare freeto the choice of the student,"and whose relationshipto the
fieldas a whole was difficult to determine. I wish that we could justifya very
differentdescription;that we could claim to have developed a sound structural
evolutionof political geography,clearly integratedinto geographyas a whole,
withestablishedmethodsof scientific analysis.4
It would be easy to pointto manyoutwardsigns of success. The threatthat
politicalgeographywould be driven off the reservationhas subsided. Whereas
formerly but one or two departmentsof geographygave courses underthis name,
today politicalgeographyis foundin manycollege curricula.
One cannotbut be amazed by the temerityof Americangeographerswho feel
ready to teach this subject withoutprevious training,with but a minimumof
studyof the literatureof the field,and with the barestamountof materialsavail-
able to put in the hands of students.
True, we have more such materialsthan we had twentyyears ago. Whereas
then we had hardlymore than a single volume in the English language entitled
politicalgeography,todaythereare manyand more are promised. Unf6rtunately
these are mostlytextbooks. Better textbooksare essential for betterteaching,
but thepublicationof moretextbookscan do littleto give standingto a fieldunless
we can produce a reallygood text. To seek that resultby simplywritingmore
and bettertexts is an attemptto pull ourselvesup by our bootstraps. A really
good textbookcan be producedonly fromthe digest of sound scholarlystudies.
Whetherto providethebasis fora firstclass text,or to establishscholarlystanding
for the field of political geography,our need is for an organized structureof
scholarlyknowledge-one in whichstudentscan build upon what has been written
before.
I do not wish to belittlethe scholarlywork that has been accomplishedin this
field. In one or two directions,I thinkwe mightclaim to have laid down a few
fundamentalconceptsand principles,to have establisheda few technicalterms.
Perhaps "established"is too stronga word,since some textbookswriterscontinue
to confusestudentswithterms,such as "naturalboundaries,"althoughlong since
discreditedby scholarsin the field.
In an effortto appraise our situation,a graduateseminarjoined me a year ago
in an examinationof a wide rangeof studiesin politicalgeography. We soughtto
determinewhatmethodsgeographersuse and whatmaterialstheyemployin studies
in thisfield. We foundthegreatestvarietyof methods,and theuse of almostevery
kind of materialconceivable. We foundno indicationof commonpurpose or ob-
jective. In fact,in most cases we could not findthat the authorshad any clear
purpose or objectivein mind,otherthan the rathergeneral idea that geography
3 Carl Sauer,"RecentDevelopments in CulturalGeography," in RecentDevelopments in the
Social Sciences,E. D. Hayes, editor,Philadelphia,1927,p. 207.
4On the statusof politicalgeographyfifteen years ago, with extensivebibliography, see
RichardHartshorne, "RecentDevelopments in PoliticalGeography," AmericanPoliticalScience
Review,XXIX (1935): 785-804,943-966.
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 97
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98 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 99
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100 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
Natureof Geography,
14 p. 464.
15JohnK. Wright,"Voting Habits in the United States," GeographicalReview,XXII
(1932): 666-672.
16 JohnH. Wigmore,"PresentDay Legal Systemsof the World," Geographical Review,
XIX (1929): 120; Whittlesey,The Earth and The State,pp. 557-565.
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 101
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102 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
PRACTICAL VALUE?
446-451.
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 103
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104 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 105
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106 RICHARDHARTSHORNE JUNE
Centrifugal
Forces
Geographersare familiarwiththe effectof particulartypesof physicalfeatures
in handicappingcommunicationbetweenregions. Semple and others have de-
scribedfor our own earlyhistorythe politicalconsequencesof the forestedAppa-
lachians and later of the mountainand desert barrierof the west. Whittlesey's
studyof the Val d'Aran depictsin detail the problemin that bit of Spain north
of the Pyrenees.23 In most modernstates,however,these problemshave largely
beenovercomebythedevelopment ofthetelegraphand therailroad. They continue
of importancehoweverin parts of the Balkans, in the highlandstates of Latin
America,and in China.
Since state-organizationrequirescommunication not only fromone region to
the next, but froma centralpoint to each peripheralregion,distanceitselfis a
centrifugalfactor. Obviouslydistancewithina statedependson its size and shape.
Size and shape are significant to the state in other,quite differentrespects,but I
suggestwe wait untilwe have determinedthatin our analysis,ratherthanattempt
to proceeddeductively fromsize and shape to consequences.
Of humanbarriers,the most commonis the absence of humans. Uninhabited
or sparselyinhabitedareas were, until recently,difficult and dangerousto cross.
It was primarilyon this accountthat relativelylow mountains,in centralEurope
or the Appalachians,long functionedas dividingzones. Even in the Alps, the
problemof surmounting highelevationswas less serious,in the Middle Ages, than
the difficultyof securingsupplies along the way and the ever-presentdanger of
attackfrom"robberbarons."
Further,the presenceof such relativelyemptyareas created,and stillcreates,a
feelingof separationin the regionson eitherside. Both on this accountand be-
cause of distance,oceans continueto functionas the strongestseparatingfactors,
otherthan the Arcticice, even thoughtheyhave long been crossed with relative
ease.
France has firstinauguratedthe interesting experimentof incorporating trans-
oceanic areas into the organizationof its state. Its West Indian islands and the
islandof Reunionin theIndian Ocean are now departments ofmetropolitan France,
sendingdelegatesto its nationalassembly. We may be about to do the same with
Hawaii.
Perhaps themostdifficult barrierto overcomeis separationby a zone populated
by a different people, especiallyan unfriendly people. The Germanshave appar-
entlyconvincedtheworldthattheseparationofEast Prussia bythePolish Corridor
was an experimentthat is neverto be repeated. (They overlookedthe factthat
therewerenotone buttwo alternatives to thatdevice.) 24
Serious difficulties
may arise for a state if any of its regionshave closer rela-
23 "Trans-PyreneanSpain: The Val d'Aran,"ScottishGeographical
DerwentWhittlesey,
Magazine, 1933: 217-228.
XXXVI (1937):
24Richard Hartshorne,"The Polish Corridor,"Journalof Geography,
161-176.
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1950 FUNCTIONALAPPROACHIN POLITICALGEOGRAPHY 107
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108 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
intensifydisunity. Hungary, before 1918, was the classic example; since then
Yugoslavia has been perhapsthe leading,among several,successors.
What particularsocial characteristics maybe importantdependson the particu-
lar state. Everyonethinksof language and religion. I suggest,also, education
and standardsof living,typesof economicattitudesand institutions, attitudesto-
ward class and racial distinctions,and, especially,politicalphilosophy.
For materialson thesetopicswe look to thatbranchof geographythathas been
least developed-social geography. In mostcases what materialswe have provide
onlythe raw data, the factsabout the distribution of,say, religionsor races,rather
thanthe regionaldifferences in social attitudestowardsthese facts; it is the latter
thatwe need.
Thus, the factthatAlsace was predominantly Roman Catholic,like France but
unlikemost of Germany,was less importantthan the factthat its attitudetoward
therelationof churchand statewas similarto thatin the GermanEmpire of 1871-
1918, and was in conflictwith the anti-clericalattitudeof the French Republic.
Racial differences,in the termsstudiedby the physicalanthropologist, may be
of no relevanceto our problem. The distribution, percentage-wise, in the different
countriesof Europe, ofblondesand brunettes, dolichocephalic versusbrachycephalic
-what does it matter? These factshave no reflection in social or politicalattitudes
in those countries. Though standardmaterialin most geographiesof Europe, I
submitthattheyhave no significance to politicalgeography,or forthatmatter,to
geographyin general.
In contrast,the United States is a countryin whichregionaldifferences in atti-
tudes of people towardthe racial componentsof the regionalgroup-as indicated
by skin color-are of tremendousimportancein social, economic,and politicallife.
We have mapped and studied the underlyingdifferences in racial composition,26
but we have not studiedthephenomenonitself-namelythe differences in attitudes.
We need a map, a series of maps, portrayingdifferent kinds and degrees of Jim
Crowismin the United States. These I would rate as a firstrequirementfor an
understandingof the internalpoliticalgeographyof the United States, for in no
otherfactordo we findsuch marked regional cleavages, such disruptionto the
nationalunityof our state. For geographyin general,in one quarterof our coun-
try,theseattitudesare fundamental factorsin everyaspectof thehumangeography,
and are significantlyrelatedto its physicalgeography.
Geographersare more familiarwith differencesin economic interests,since
theseare more closelybound to the land. But theseare seldomseriouslydisrupt-
ing to nationalunity. It is true that almosteverymodernstate has experienced
markedpoliticaltensionbetweenthe divergentinterestsof highlyindustrialregions
and those of still primarilyagriculturalareas. But these very differencestend
to lead to interlocking,ratherthan competing,interests. Even when competing,
"Racial Maps of theUnitedStates,"Geographical
26 RichardHartshorne, Review,XXVIII
(1938): 276-288.
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1950( FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 109
CentripetalForces
The precedingdiscussionof politicalattitudespointsto an essentialingredient
thathas been lackingin thediscussionup to thispoint. We have been considering
a varietyof centrifugalfactorsin theregionalgeographyof a state-areawhichmake
to bind those regionstogetherinto an effectiveunit. In considering
it difficult
how such difficulties may be overcome,we have not asked whethertherewas any
forceworkingto overcomethe difficulties, anythingtendingto pull these regions
togetherinto a state.
This, omissionI suggest,has been the singlegreatestweaknessin our thinking
in politicalgeography. If we see an area markedclearly on both physicaland
ethnicmaps as suitablefora state,butwhichformanycenturieswas notintegrated
as a state-as in the Spanish peninsula,the Italian peninsula,or the Germanarea-
we cudgel our heads to findfactorsin its internalgeographythat will explain the
failure. We forgetthatbeforewe speakoffailure,we mustask whatwas attempted.
The Italian peninsula,togetherwith the northernplain attachedto the main-
land but isolatedby the Alps, witha settledpopulationspeakingapproximatelya
commontonguesince the Middle Ages, has offeredone of the most obvious geo-
to me yearslaterby two geographers:LawrenceMartin,who had been sent
27 As reported
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110 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
The State-Idea
The basic centripetalforcemustbe someconceptor idea justifying theexistence
of this particularstate incorporating
these particularregions; the state must have
a raisond'etre-reason forexisting.
Althoughignoredin much of the literatureof politicalgeography,this is not
a new thought. Ratzel definedthe state as a sectionof land and a sectionof hu-
manityorganizedas a singleunitin termsof a particular,distinctive idea.28 Maull,
amongotherGermangeographers,has discussedthe conceptat some length.29It
was presentedto thisAssociationa decade ago.30
At the primitivelevel,Ratzel explained,thisidea may be no morethanthe will
of a rulerto which,forwhateverreasons,all the regionalpartsthroughtheirlocal
leaders granttheirloyalty. In such a case, as in the empireof Charlemagneor
thatof GhengisKhan, the statemay endurehardlylongerthan the lifetimeof the
FriedrichRatzel,PolitischeGeographie,
28 3rd ed., Munichand Berlin1923,pp. 2-6.
Otto Maull,PolitischeGeographie,
29 Berlin1925,pp. 112-115.
30RichardHartshorne,"The Conceptsof 'Raison d'Etre' and 'Maturityof States'," (ab-
stract),Annalsof theAssociationofAmericanGeographers, XXX (1940): 59.
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1950 FUNCTIONALAPPROACHIN POLITICALGEOGRAPHY 111
individualruler. In the attemptto perpetuatethe bindingidea of loyaltyto a
personal ruler,there evolved the concept of hereditarymonarchy. Where that
succeeded,however,we findtherewas always somethingmore-politically-minded
people in the various parts of the kingdomcame to regardthe state,for reasons
independentof the monarch,as representing somethingof value to them. Today
the monarchicalinstitutionis safe only in those states in whichthe monarchhas
exchangedtheactivepowerto rule forthepassive role of personification of the na-
tionalheritage.
To be sure, a state in whichthe originalidea has lost its validitywill not fall
apart at once. The forcesof inertia,vestecfinterests,and fearof the consequences
of changemay keep it goingmoreor less effectively forsome time. But inevitably
a structurethathas lost its originalraisond'etre,withoutevolvinga new one, can-
not hope to stand the stormsof externalstrifeor internalrevoltthat sooner or
laterwill attackit. For when that day comes,the state,to survive,must be able
to count upon the loyalty,even to the death,of the populationof all its regions.
It is not merecoincidencethatthe termsI have been using came to me froma
Viennesegeographer, in his analysisof thefailureof the Habsburgmonarchy.Un-
less Austria-Hungary, Hassinger wroteafterthe First World War, had been able
to discoverand establisha raison d'etre,a justification forexistence,even without
the calamityof thewar, it could not long have continuedto exist.3'
Those statesare strongest,Ratzel had concluded,"in whichthe politicalidea of
the statefillstheentirebodyof the state,extendsto all its parts."32
What does this mean for our studyof the politicalgeographyof a state? It
means,I am convinced,thatbeforewe can begin to studythe problemspresented
by the centrifugalforcesI have previouslyoutlined,we must firstdiscoverthe
motivatingcentripetalforce,the basic politicalidea of the state. Under what con-
cept,forwhat purposes,are theseparticularregionsto be boundtogetherinto one
politicalunit,absolutelyseparatedfromeveryotherpoliticalterritory?
Does this seem too remotefromgeography? Too much like politicalscience?
The studentof geographyof climatesmustunderstandthe natureof air-masses,as
analyzed by the meteorologist.We cannot intelligently study the geographyof
soils until we have grasped the soil scientist'sanalysis of soil types. In agri-
culturalgeographyit is not sufficient, we now know,to studycrops and animals;
we are concernedwiththe farmunitof organizationof crops fromfields,livestock
in barnsand pasture,all directedtowardultimateproductionof foodforthefarmer
and productsto be sold fromhis farms. We are not readyto begin the studyof
farm geographyuntil we have analyzed the farmer'spurpose-the idea under
whichhis piece of land is organized.
Geographersusuallyknowquite a bit about farming,so theymay knowbefore-
hand what is in the farmer'smind,or perhapstheycan inferthatfromobservation
31Hugo Hassinger,in R. Kjellen and K. Haushofer,Die Grossniichte
vor und nach dem
Berlinand Leipzig,1930,p. 34.
Weltkriege,
32 Ratzel,op. cit.,p. 6.
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112 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONALAPPROACHIN POLITICALGEOGRAPHY 113
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114 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 115
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116 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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-1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 117
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118 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
Internal Organization
At this pointwe reach one otherproblemfor analysis-the relationof the in-
ternalterritorialorganizationof the state-areato the regionaldiversitieswe have
analyzed. Though all the regionsof a state are clearlyincludedunder the state-
idea, have completeloyaltyto the overall conceptsof the nationalunit, regional
differences inevitablycause some differences in interpretation and implementation
of those concepts.
If thesedifferences are relativelyminor,as in mostof France or, I presume,in
Uruguay,the regionsmay acceptunitarygovernment froma singlecentralauthor-
ity. If the differences are great,the attemptto imposesuch a uniformsystemmay
provokeoppositionendangeringthenationalunity. Since such regionaldifferences
are importantin most countries,but most states attemptto operateunder a uni-
form,centralizedgovernment, the numberof examples of this type of problemis
very large. Spain, at the moment,providesone of the most striking.
Certainstatesrecognizeopenlythe need to permitdiverginginterpretations of
the overall conceptsof that state and hence significantdifferences in the institu-
tions and laws thereunder. This is the system of the federal state, of which
Switzerlandprovidesthe oldest example,the United States the largest. In both
cases, a notabledegree of regionalheterogeneity is guaranteedby the constitutional
divisionof powers.
In this countrywe are at the momentengagedin one of our periodiccrises in
determiningjust how much social and politicalautonomyis to be permittedthe
regions that are crudelyrepresentedby our so-called States. This crisis, inci-
dentally,causes the Congress of the United States to work for the social and
politicalgeographer,producingraw materialusefulto us in measuringdifferences
in intensityof regionalattitudestowardsthe factsof racial composition.
The possible ways of organizingthe state-areaare not limitedto the unitary
and the federalsystems. The United Kingdom,for example,has evolved in the
course of its long historya mostcomplicatedsystemunderwhichWales, Scotland,
NorthernIreland,the Isle of Man, and the ChannelIslands-each has a different
degree of autonomyadjusted to its particularlinguistic,religious,economic,and
politicalgeography.
In determining the methodof state-organization of a country,the studentmust
studythe actual methodof government, not merelythe wordswrittenintoa consti-
tution. He will recognizethat while the constitution of the Soviet Union grants
on paper more independenceto its memberrepublicsthan is true of the individual
States of this country,and even thoughit encouragesand exploitsa great variety
of languagesand folkcultures,in everyotheraspect of economicand politicallife
regionsas a highlycentralized,mono-
it operatesits vast area of radicallydifferent
lithic state.
ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL FUNCTIONS
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 119
TerritorialRelations
Under territorial relationswe are of course concernedin the firstinstancewith
the degreeto whichadjacent statesare in agreementconcerningthe extentof ter-
ritorywhicheach includes. Whetherthe area in questionis large or small,agree-
mentultimatelyrequiresthe determination of a preciseboundary.
Of all the problemsof international relations,theseconcerningthe allocationof
territoriesand hence the determination of boundariesare the most obviouslygeo-
graphic. It is no doubtforthatreasonthattheyhave been the mostcommonob-
ject of studyby geographers. In the last two decades Americangeographerscan
point to notableprogressin the developmentof genericconceptsand usefulgen-
eralizations,if not definiteprinciples,concerninginternational boundaries.37
In muchof thisworkhowever,we stilltendto starton the wrongfoot. In the
initialclassificationof internalboundarieswe have, as geographers,looked firstat
the physicalcharacterof the zones in whichthe boundarylines are drawn. This
is not a classificationof international boundaries,but ratherof the featureswith
which such boundariesare associated.
If we startwithwhat we are studying-thestate-areas-we can recognizethe
essentialfunctionof the boundaryfromits name: it is that line which is to be
acceptedby all concernedas boundingthe area in which everything is under the
jurisdictionof one state as against areas under differentjurisdiction. In well-
developedregionsof the world it mustbe determinedto the exact foot. (Consid-
erationof the functionsof a boundaryzone, as an elementof militarydefense,for
example,is a separatequestionto be consideredelsewhere.)
The firstthingto knowabout an international boundarythereforeis the degree
to which it is acceptedby all the partiesconcerned-i.e., the adjacent states and
the populationwhose statehoodis determinedby the locationof the boundary.3S
Considerthe followingcases of international boundaries;the boundarybetween
37 The followingseriesis unusualin Americanpoliticalgeography in thateach derivesmuch
fromthe precedingstudiesand fromearlierstudiesby Europeangeographers:RichardHart-
shorne,"Geographicand PoliticalBoundariesin Upper Silesia," Annals of the Associationof
AmericanGeographers, XXIII (1933): 194-228; idem,"Suggestionon the Terminologyof
PoliticalBoundaries,"Mitteilungen des Vereinsder Geographenan der UniversitatLeipzig,Heft
14/15(1936): 180-192;abstractin Annalsof theAssociationof AmericanGeographers, XXVI
(1936): 56 f.; S. Whittemore Boggs, InternationalBoundaries,New York, 1940; StephenB.
Jones,Boundary-Making: A HandbookforStatesmen,TreatyEditorsand BoundaryCommis-
sioners,ColumbiaUniversity Press,1945.
38 A considerationof a largenumberof internationalboundariesfromthisapproachis given
in RichardHartshorne, "A SurveyoftheBoundaryProblemsof Europe,"in Geographic Aspects
of InternationalRelations,C. C. Colby,editor,University of Chicago Press, 1938,pp. 163-213.
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120 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
Great Britain and France (includingthe Channel Islands with Great Britain);
thatbetweenFrance and Spain; thatbetweenSwitzerlandand Italy (includingthe
Ticino boundarythatreachesfar down the Alpine slopes almostto the Po Plain);
and, finally,the boundarybetweenthe United States and Mexico both east and
west of El Paso. These run throughradicallydifferent types of physicalzones.
Some correspondclosely with ethnic divisions, others do not. But from the
pointof view of the primaryfunctionof an international boundary,all are in the
same category,namelythatof boundariescompletelyacceptedas finalby the states
themselvesand the people of the borderareas.
In a differentcategoryis theFranco-Germanboundary(consideredas of 1930).
Though this was fullyaccepted by France and officially so by Germanyin the
Treaty of Locarno, one could not assume that the Germanleaders intendedthat
acceptanceto be finaland by imprisoningcertainof the local leaders in Alsace the
Frenchgovernment demonstrated its lack of faithin thecompleteacceptanceby the
Alsatianpeopleof theirinclusionin the Frenchstate.
Still differentis the case of the German-Polishboundaryof the inter-war
period,whichneitherstateacceptedas morethana temporarydivisionof territory
claimedby both sides.
Where boundariesrun throughprimitive,essentiallycolonial,regionswhichat
presenthave very slightproductivevalue but offerpossibilitiesfor futureimpor-
tance,we may need to recognizea different set of categories. Thus we may find
cases in whichfora timethe states concerned, while not committing themselvesto
an ultimateboundary,raise no questionconcerningthe line lost in the wilderness,
but may at any momentchallenge,withthe forceof'arms,the line thathad appar-
entlybeen accepted.39
If we firstestablishsuch a systemof classification, based on the primaryfunc-
tion of boundaries,and only then seek to determineto what extentthose of par-
ticularcategoriesare based on different typesof features-e.g., on naturaldivides
of population,on ethnicdivisions,or on boundariesantecedentto state develop-
ment-we may hope to avoid one of our more commonformsof geographicde-
terminism.
The second questionconcerningany international boundary(whetheror not it
is fullyaccepted) is the degree to which its boundingfunctionis maintainedby
the borderingstates,the degree,thatis, to whichall movementsof goods and per-
sons across theline are effectivelycontrolledby theboundaryofficials. In examin-
ing that,the geographer will of course observethe ways in which the controlis
made easier or more difficult by the characterof the zone throughwhich the
boundaryline is drawn.
A special aspect of boundaryproblemsemergeswhere the territory of a state
reachesto the sea. Though open to use by all, the seas are in factlittleused by
Territorialclaimsin theUpperAmazon,"in Geographic
39Cf. RobertS. Platt,"Conflicting
Problems,C. C. Colby,editor,University
Aspectsof International of ChicagoPress, 1938,pp.
243-278.
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 121
Economic Relations
Trade in commoditiesamongstatesin an essentialpart of the fieldof economic
geography,treatedusuallyas simplya formof interregional trade for which defi-
nite statisticshappen to be available. Other formsof internationaleconomicre-
lations,as in services,investments,etc.,mightno less logicallybe studiedin eco-
40 Boggs, op. cit.,pp. 184-192.
* Air Transporthas ofcourseaddeda newvarietyoftransitproblems.
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122 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 123
Political Relations
The mostobviousformof politicalrelationof a stateto any outsideterritory is
politicalcontrol-as a colony,possession,dependency,or "protec-
that of effective
torate." Commonlywe recognizeonly a small numberof states as colonial,or
imperial,powers: eight or nine in western Europe, togetherwith the United
States, Japan,Australia,and New Zealand (the two latterfunctioning in islands
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124 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 125
StrategicRelations
In no phase of politicalgeographydoes the geographerexperiencesuch diffi-
cultyin maintaining his geographicpointof view or in keepinghis eye focussedon
problemshe is competentto studyas in the fieldof strategicrelations. Strategy
obviouslydependson nationalpowerand thisis a subjecton whichthe geographer
feelsreadyto contributehis share,in "geographicfoundationsof nationalpower."
But in so doing he is migratinginto a fieldwhose core and purpose is not geog-
raphy,but militaryand politicalstrategy. Further,to answerthe questionsraised
in thatfield-e.g., "How strongis a state?"-one must analyze not only the geo-
graphicconditions,but a wide host of otherfactorsincludingthe effectof party
systemson the conductof foreignpolicy,moraleof fighting of
troops,effectiveness
personalleadership,size of standingarmies,and numberof fighting planes.
It is thereforenot merelyan intellectualexerciseto attemptto distinguishbe-
tweenpoliticalgeographyand the studyof the power of states (to whichgeogra-
phy has muchto contribute);it is a problemof practicalimportanceforthe indi-
vidual geographerconcernedto outlinea unitaryfieldof political geographyin
whichhe maycompetently work.
The literatureof politicalgeographyprovidesno clear answer,so far as I can
find,to this problem. Certainlythe developmentof Geopolitikgreatlyconfused
the problemfor the Germangeographers,and those of our own colleagues who
have hoped to establisha purifiedfieldof geopoliticshave inheritedthat confusion.
Some writersevidentlysolve the problemby simplyomittingany considerationof
strategicrelations. But surelythisproducesan incompletestudy. In the analysis
of the externalrelationswith otherstate-areas,we must certainlyrecognizethat
the state-area,as a unit,has vitallyimportantstrategicrelationswith the other
areas of theworld.
I thereforeapproachthisproblemwithno assurancethatwe have a satisfactory
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126 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 127
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128 RICHARD HARTSHORNE JUNE
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1950 FUNCTIONAL APPROACH IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 129
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