Why maps?
When researching modern international conflicts, maps are useful resources for research pertaining to:
- Genealogy
- trace ancestors' histories that lived during these time periods
Military History
- better understand where battles took place, how location affects the outcome of war
- Perspectives
- who participated in the war, and what their viewpoints were
- Comparing and Contrasting
- utilize multiple maps to analyze boundary changes, troop movements, areas of engagement, building of fortifications, illustrate specific events, or contrast maps used by opposing forces or journalists and news agencies from opposing sides of the conflicts
- Visual Literacy
- evaluate and analyze maps, as well visually contextualize records/text about a conflict into a visual medium
Image Source: Map reading class. NYPL Digital Collections IMAGE ID463366
Using maps from World War I, scroll down to see the different ways that we can analyze these materials.
Ways to analyze military maps: Genealogy
Danzig and Gdańsk
If you are researching or have ancestors from a specific area, knowing the names of regions (and changes to those names) is imperative for tracing backwards alongside records that you may also have.
For example, the city of Gdańsk was known as Danzig during World War I and under the Treaty of Versailles. If you have records listing Danzig as a location, a researcher can reference maps like A map of Europe to illustrate territorial changes since 1914 [1923]. When comparing this map to modern maps, a researcher would know to equate Danzig with today's Gdańsk.
Ways to analyze military maps: Military History
A geographical and historical guide to the world's wars : 4000 B.C. to 1918
A geographical and historical guide to the world's wars : 4000 B.C. to 1918 (1918) is a good example of how maps showcase military history. This set of maps is related to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and covers both the warfare of WWI as well as the historical context of these areas. On this sheet, titled No. 1 North-Western Europe showing the "Western Front," the marked close-ups indicate contemporary information concerning the war, including both geographic information and a chart.
Click the right arrow to explore other aspects of this set.
No. 1 North-Western Europe showing the "Western Front.”
Continuing to look at this sheet, based on its key, No. 1 North-Western Europe showing the "Western Front” includes notations of where the trench lines were.
While showing contemporary information, the sheet also includes an index to numbered regions, highlighting how past historical conflicts affected certain areas prior to World War I.
No. 3 Showing the Italian, Balkan and Turkish Fronts.
Similarly, in No. 3 - Showing the Italian, Balkan and Turkish fronts, this sheet shows where the battle fronts are located.
This sheet also uses a similar indexing system as the other sheet to show the historical context of these areas. In this example, it shows how conflicts both during and before World War I are present in a location.
Map sets like these are great to better understand both the geographical and historical scope of these regions; and how the past often affects contemporary conflicts.
Ways to analyze military maps: Perspectives
Y.M.C.A. Service Map [1916]
Maps are a great tool to understand how war materials were circulated, who they were made for, and how they were consumed. As you can see, this map is a Y.M.C.A. Service Map from approximately 1916. As such, it was most likely issued to U.S. residents. At initial glance, it looks like a “normal” geographic map until you look closer. To do so, click the right arrow.
Highlands of Northern France
On one side of the sheet, the map is called the "Highlands of Northern France"- according to the key, the map shows locations of forts and fortresses.
Belgium and Franco-German Frontier
Meanwhile, another map on this sheet is called the "Belgium and Franco-German frontier," which was where many major conflicts for World War I took place.
These maps would be helpful for people to better understand news about the war.
Ways to analyze military maps: Compare and Contrast
The Literary Digest liberty map of new Europe...;1920
Maps are also great for seeing how areas have changed over time. Especially as boundaries often change both during and after a conflict, looking at maps can give us a better understanding of how boundary changes occur.
Looking at The Literary Digest liberty map of new Europe, revealing the great changes brought about by the World War, 1914-1919, with complete index, our key clearly states that this map is going to show not just boundaries that have been decided by peace treaties, but also boundaries that are in flux and are still being decided. Click the right arrow to look closer at some of these boundary changes.
Looking Close at Boundaries
Using our key, here are two examples that show how boundaries are being depicted on this map.
In the left image, we see boundaries as they existed prior to World War I and boundaries defined by peace treaties.
Meanwhile, the boundaries in the right image are not yet determined.