THE ROLE OF MILITARY GEOGRAPHY IN THE ORIGIN OF THE LANDSCAPE DOCTRINE

Abstract

The results of the most substantive exploration of the history of the landscape doctrine origin of the Russian and Ukrainian geographers have been investigated. The conclusions of the authors of historical investigations on the chronology and content of historical events related to the emergence of the term “landscape” in science, the establishment of preconditions and driving factors of its origin have been critically analyzed. The fairness or improper conclusions about the role of certain scientists in the origin of the concept of landscape as the main target of geographical research have been indicated. The evidence to confirm the fairness of critical remarks has been provided. It has been noted that the roots of the Ukrainian landscape science are German geography of the nineteenth century, and along with Germany the landscape concept has acquired a powerful development in Russia and Ukraine (as a part of the Russian Empire), where the term “landscape” began to be widely used not only in science, but also in education at the end of the nineteenth - beginning of the twentieth centuries. It has been proved that the starting point should be considered 1805, when the German geographer G.Gommeier first used the word “landscape” in the work “Contribution of European Countries to Military Geography” from German spoken language as a scientific term for the designation of one of the units of natural land distribution for the needs of military geography. It has been shown that the prerequisites and driving factors of introduction of the term “landscape” in science was the “state order” of the European countries to differentiate the territory of Europe in terms of differences in natural conditions for the organization and conduct of hostilities.