What can be inferred from the following maps about the changes europe underwent after world war i?

This is a preview. Log in through your library.

Journal Information

The Russian Review is a multi-disciplinary academic journal devoted to the history, literature, culture, fine arts, cinema, society, and politics of the peoples of the former Russian Empire and former Soviet Union. Each issue features original research articles by established and upcoming scholars, as well as reviews of an extensive range of new publications. Founded in 1941, The Russian Review stands as a chronicle of the continuing evolution of the field of Russian/Soviet studies in North America. Its articles manifest the changing understandings of Russia through the rise and decline of the Cold War and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian Review is an independent journal, not aligned with any national, political, or professional association. JSTOR provides a digital archive of the print version of The Russian Review. The electronic version of The Russian Review is available at http://www.interscience.wiley.com. Authorized users may be able to access the full text articles at this site.

Publisher Information

Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley has published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley has partnerships with many of the world’s leading societies and publishes over 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols in STMS subjects. With a growing open access offering, Wiley is committed to the widest possible dissemination of and access to the content we publish and supports all sustainable models of access. Our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) is one of the world’s most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.

A century ago at the beginning of the First World War, the maps of Europe, Asia and Africa looked much different than they do today. Historians say many of the border changes - agreed upon after the war - were made for political rather than economic reasons, creating new problems whose impact can be felt even today.

After four years of carnage and more than 16 million dead soldiers and civilians, three empires that had lasted for centuries - Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman - gradually ceased to exist and many new nations emerged, says Mike Heffernan, professor of historical geography at the University of Nottingham.

"Poland was reconstituted in the East; the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are established. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, this vast zone to the southern part of Europe, is divided up into a range of smaller states," said Heffernan.

It took about five years and several treaties to dismantle the three empires. The new nations welcomed their new independence, but Heffernan says experts who advised national delegations during the negotiations were not economists.

“They tended to be historians, geographers and classically trained Oxford academics for example, who were not necessarily aware or mindful of creating a new economically integrated and viable European world," said Heffernan.

The old empires had provided a degree of stability, so many had trouble adjusting to life under a different rule, says Margaret MacMillan, professor of international history at Oxford University.

“Suddenly people throughout the Middle East and the center of Europe found themselves living in a world where they didn't know what country they belonged to; it wasn't quite clear what the borders of those countries would be; a whole lot of small wars were breaking out between different national movements trying to grab territory, and so it was in fact a very difficult time for people," said MacMillan.

The peace lasted merely a couple of decades and a new conflict was already brewing. Even the Second World War did not solve all the border problems. The peace lasted longer, but as soon as the Soviet Empire fell apart, new conflicts broke out. Again, the maps had to be redrawn.

Stanislao Pugliese is a European history professor at Hofstra University in New York. He says most people do not understand that maps are often times arbitrary and usually do not correspond to culture and politics. He spoke via Skype.

“We might think that borders are sacred and sacrosanct and immutable, but history has told us that they aren’t," said Pugliese.

Pugliese says only a couple of decades ago, nobody could picture the Soviet Union ceasing to exist, which also changed the lines on the maps. They should not be expected to last forever, either.

How did the map of Europe change after WWII quizlet?

What arguments does Eugene V Debs make about the right of dissent in wartime quizlet?

Where did construction of the Panama Canal involve the building of locks?

What nineteenth century developments contributed to the outbreak of World War I?