Stanford, Edward
1917

1917 Allied Propaganda Map of the Subject Nationalities of the German Alliance

Subject Nationalities of the German Alliance . From the Allies' peace terms as stated in their reply to President Wilson's note of 19th Dec. 1916.

DESCRIPTION: British First World War propaganda map using ethnic geography to challenge the legitimacy of the Central Powers. Titled "Subject Nationalities of the German Alliance," the map covers Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire, extending from the North Sea to the Persian Gulf. Black identifies the principal ruling populations, while contrasting colors distinguish peoples presented as subject nationalities, including Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, South Slavs, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, and Arabs.

Issued circa 1917, the map quotes the Allies' response to President Woodrow Wilson's peace initiative of December 1916, invoking the rights of peoples to security and free economic development. Its stated reliance on German sources, particularly Paul Langhans's "All-Deutscher Atlas" of 1905, gives the argument a pointed rhetorical device: German cartography is used as evidence against Germany and its allies.

Population tables reinforce the visual argument by listing nationalities, their numbers, and their proportion within each state. A separate table gives the alliance's total population from figures headed "Censuses of 1910." The map emphasizes the ethnic complexity of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, presenting their territories as a patchwork of peoples governed by dominant minorities. Additional symbols identify German settlement expropriations and Jewish colonies in Palestine.

An example of persuasive cartography in which color, statistics, and selective classification advance Allied war aims. The distinction between ruling and subject peoples frames national liberation as a justification for victory and anticipates the territorial debates surrounding the postwar dissolution of the Habsburg and Ottoman empires.

Stanford's Geographical Establishment was the mapmaking and publishing enterprise developed by Edward Stanford (1827-1904), whose independent London business began in 1853. The firm became a major supplier of maps, atlases, and geographical publications for travelers, explorers, schools, and government agencies. Its output included detailed city plans, scientific and geological maps, and mapping of Britain's overseas territories. Stanford's son, also Edward, assumed leadership in 1882, and the firm received a royal warrant as Geographer to the Queen in 1893. During the First World War, it published maps and atlases explaining military events and advancing British interpretations of the conflict, including "Subject Nationalities of the German Alliance."

CREATOR: Stanford, Edward

PUBLICATION DATE: 1917

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Europe

BODY OF WATER: Mediterraaaaanean Sea

CONDITION: Fair.  Split and two holes at fold.

COLORING: Litho.

ENGRAVER: 

SIZE: 36 " x 28 "

ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 

PRICE: $600

ADD TO CART



This web site provides security by Rapid SSL



Use Visa credit card Use Discover credit card
Use MasterCardcredit card Use American Express credit card

Similar items: