ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
Volume 13
THE GEOGRAPHY OF FRONTIERS AND BOUNDARIES
THE GEOGRAPHY OF FRONTIERS AND BOUNDARIES
J. R. V. PRESCOTT
First published in 1965
This edition first published in 2015
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1965 J. R. V. Prescott
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ISBN: 978-1-138-80830-0 (Set)
eISBN: 978-1-315-74725-5 (Set)
ISBN: 978-1-138-81362-5 (Volume 13)
eISBN: 978-1-315-74796-5 (Volume 13)
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The Geography of Frontiers and Boundaries
J. R. V. PRESCOTT
HUTCHINSON & CO. (Publishers) LTD
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First published 1965
J. R. V. Prescott 1965
This book has been set in Times New Roman type face, printed in Great Britain on Smooth Wove paper by The Anchor Press, Ltd., and bound by Wm. Brendon & Son, Ltd., both of Tiptree, Essex.
I would like to thank Professor W. G. East for his initial suggestion that I should write this book and for his many helpful comments on the material used. I am also grateful to Professor O. H. K. Spate, Professor S. B. Jones and Professor R. Hartshorne for helpful suggestions about various sections of the work; to the reference staff of the Baillieu Library in the University of Melbourne for their patient collection of references from many Australian and Overseas sources; and to my wife for preparing the index.
J. R. V. PRESCOTT
Le caractre marquant de la notion de frontire est son universalit dacception. De lhomme de rue ou du paysan jusquau politique et au savant, elle est susceptible, selon les catgories et les classes, de rencontrer les interprtations les plus diverses.
(Lapradelle, 1928, p. 9)
Le sujet (les frontires), avouons-le, est dangereux pour un savant, car il est tout pnr de passions politiques, tout encombrs darrire-penses. Les gens ont trop dintrts en jeu, quand ils parlent de frontires, pour en parler de sang-froid: le malentendu est permanent!
(Siegfried, writing in Ancel, 1938, p. vii)
It is impossible to study boundaries and frontiers without being continually aware of the points made by these distinguished authors. First, there is the challenge of studying a subject which has general appeal, and which is of crucial importance in the field of political geography and international relations. The second point arises from the first and concerns the need to clear the mind of subjective views which will influence the selection of facts and presentation of cases. The danger of subjectivity is probably greater in political geography than in any other branch of the subject. Failure to maintain objectivity would be academically embarrassing to a geomorphologist or historical geographer, and would detract from the value of his completed work, but the present century has seen how subjective studies in political geography can be perverted to political arguments which can have far-reaching consequences. Every effort has been made to preserve the present study from prejudice, and the author is grateful that it is made at a time when the passions generated by the second world war have largely disappeared and when there is no threatening shadow of further world conflicts. This advantage was denied to such authors as Holdich, Haushofer and Ancel.
A comprehensive review of the literature in the field of boundary and frontier studies is not possible in the space available, and it has been decided to review the works of ten authors who have written generally on this subject and span the period 18951957. This historical review will be followed by a summary of the main concepts agreed by the authors, an outline of the terminology used in this book, and an indication of the general plan of the remaining chapters.
Ratzels concept of boundaries followed logically from his view of the state as a living organism. The boundary was the skin of the living state and like the epidermis of animals and plants it provided defence and allowed exchange to occur. This fundamental belief provided the point from which Ratzel sought to define the character of boundaries and the way in which they altered.
First, Ratzel maintained that the boundary was an abstraction and that the border area (Grenzraum) was the reality.
Der Grenzraum ist das Wirkliche, die Grenzlinie die Abstraktion davon.
(Ratzel, 1895, p. 538)
According to Ratzel the border consisted of three zones, two of which were the periphery of the adjoining states, and the third a central zone where there was a mingling of the two states. This was a concept accepted and developed by Lapradelle when he considered boundaries in relation to international law.
In developing the same theme Ratzel maintained that it was unrealistic to attempt to dissect the boundary from the state for individual study. Again and again it was stressed that the fringes of the state were an integral part of the whole and that it was unrealistic to talk of the greater importance of the centre (Ratzel, 1895, pp. 6056, and p. 614 ff). This view underlay the second point which was that boundaries were a factor influencing state power and a measure of state power.
