Haushofer, Karl (kärl hous`hōfər), 1869–1946, German geographer, theorist of Nazi geopolitics geopolitics, method of political analysis, popular in Central Europe during the first half of the 20th cent., that emphasized the role played by geography in international relations.
..... Click the link for more information. , including the doctrines that the state is a living organism and that race and territory are linked. After a successful military career he became (1921) professor of geography at Munich. Among his students was Rudolf Hess, who introduced Haushofer to Hitler. Haushofer's influence on Hitler is evident in Mein Kampf, and he remained one of Hitler's closest advisers on foreign affairs. In 1946, Haushofer and his wife committed suicide by taking poison. Haushofer was influenced by Alfred Kjellen, the Swedish creator of the term geopolitics; Frederick Ratzell and his organismic theories; and Sir Halford John Mackinder, who put forth the heartland concept. His writings include Geopolitik des Pazifischen Ozeans (1925), Bausteine zur Geopolitik (1928), and Weltpolitik von heute (1934). Haushofer also edited the periodical Zeitschrift für Geopolitik.

Bibliography

See A. Dorpalen, The World of General Haushofer (1942, repr. 1966).

Haushofer, Karl (Ernst)

(born Aug. 27, 1869, Munich, Bavaria—died March 13, 1946, Pähl, W.Ger.) German officer and leading proponent of geopolitics. As an army officer in Japan (1908–10), he studied its expansionist policies in Asia and later wrote several books on Japan's role in 20th-century politics. After retiring from the army (1919), he founded the Journal for Geopolitics (1924) and taught at the University of Munich (1921–39). Haushofer's influence in military circles was considerable, and in World War II he attempted to justify Germany and Japan in their drives for world power. Investigated for war crimes after the war, he and his wife committed suicide.