The desire of nation-states to acquire resources has historically resulted in use of military action to support occupation of neighbouring territory that is not part of their country.
The German geographer Friedrich Ratzel first introduced the term Lebensraum in his 1897 book Politische Geographie (Political Geography). According to Ratzel, a nation-state should become self-sufficient by acquiring resources and territories in order to maintain independence and thrive internationally.
Friedrich Ratzel (1844–1904) was a German scientist and geographer. He is regarded as the “father” of political geography, which acquired popularity in the 19th century. Ratzel relied on the Darwinian theory of evolution and stated that the characteristics of different nationalities were determined by their geographical environment.
Inspired by Darwin’s evolution theory, Ratzel compared the state to a living organism. He claimed that young states needed territories to sustain themselves, just like a living organism needs nutrients to grow. Just as organisms are bound to their environments, Ratzel believed states were also tied to their geographic locations.
Ratzel argued that the development of all species, including humans as a race, was influenced by their ability to adapt to geographical circumstances; those who successfully adapt to one location naturally migrate to others. Thriving species strive to expand the territory they occupy. This concept of territorial expansion was linked to the idea of Lebensraum—living space.
Three key foreign policy goals of lebensraum were established:
Belief that borders of states were not fixed.
Certain races were inherently superior and needed more territory to expand and thrive.
Lebensraum is utilized to ideologically justify the invasion of foreign territory. Expansion is necessary to accommodate the needs of racially superior people who need vast territories of the rich in resources. (Cussans, 2025)
Byline Supplement is a reader-supported publication covering populism and the global rise of the far right. An article, published Feb 19, 2025, concludes that Trump Isn't Joking About Lebensraum. Trump's plans for Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada and Mexico aren't just idle talk. A senior US insider tells us what to expect
Trump might appear to be joking, or playing coy about his intentions with Mexico, Panama, Greenland, and Canada. But he’s not. He plans on military action against cartels, and he is dead serious about acquiring the canal, plus Greenland, and annexing Canada. His “jokes” are just thinly veiled desires. Militarily, he could accomplish all of these. Hanging on to them is another matter.
His plans rely on a lot of the same calculi employed by the Germans leading up into World War II, and the Russians before their invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Even if he doesn’t set off a massive conflict, it will result in the US becoming a nuclear armed pariah state. Unlike Germany and (to a lesser extent Russia), the US will have a plethora of ways to anesthetize sentiments in NATO countries that use some of the same social media platforms as the US public. (Trump Isn't Joking About Lebensraum., n.d.)
Bruce E. Johansen has published a discussion of parallels between four ideologies, including a reluctance to repudiate white supremacy and a disregard for the rule of law.
President Donald Trump's admiration of President Andrew Jackson evokes a discussion of parallels between their ideologies, including a reluctance to repudiate white supremacy and a disregard for the rule of law. These attitudes are reflected both in Jackson's authorship of the Indian Removal Act (1830) and his refusal to acknowledge a judgment by the US Supreme Court in favor of the Cherokee Nation that might have averted the Trail of Tears. Jackson's advocacy of American exceptionalism (“America first” to Trump) also provokes an analysis of what later was cast in popular discourse as Manifest Destiny. United States history--its “race law” in particular--is described here through the admiring eyes of Adolph Hitler, who likened Germany's expansion before and during World War II to United States “westward movement” during the nineteenth century.(Johansen, n.d.)
Tsira Shvangiradze, MA Diplomacy and World Politics, is an international relations specialist based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She holds a master's degree in Diplomacy and World Politics and a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Tbilisi State University. Beyond her professional endeavors, Tsira dedicates her time to researching and writing articles, including What Is “Lebensraum” and Why Did Hitler Promote It? that enrich political science and international relations discourse.
Some have dismissed the cliche that “History Repeats Itself” but the current world conflicts and desire for expansion of territory in Ukraine, Palestine, and possibly North America have strong resonance with the war that placed my Dad in a tank in the Netherlands in the mid 40’s.
References
Cussans, T. (2025, May 13). What Is “Lebensraum” and Why Did Hitler Promote It? TheCollector. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-lebensraum-why-hitler-promoted/
Johansen, B. E. (n.d.). Donald Trump, Andrew Jackson, Lebensraum, and Manifest Destiny. eScholarship. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nt557fz
Trump Isn't Joking About Lebensraum. (n.d.). Byline Supplement | Substack. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://www.bylinesupplement.com/p/trump-isnt-joking-about-liebensraum
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