Lenkija ir Pabaltè. Pologne et Pays Baltiques. Polen und das Baltikum. Poland and the Baltic.
- Title:
- Lenkija ir Pabaltè. Pologne et Pays Baltiques. Polen und das Baltikum. Poland and the Baltic.
- Alternate Title:
- Poland and the Baltic
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- R. A.
- Date:
- 1930
- Date 2:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2354.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2354_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1920 - 1939
- Subject:
- Allegorical
Ethnocentrism
Politics & Government
Satirical - Measurement:
- 11 x 15 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This powerful image of Polish territorial ambitions is a gift to the collection from Andrew Kapochunas, a collector of maps of Lithuania and surrounding areas. It shows Poland as the head of a wolf with its jaws open wide, ready to engulf a large portion of Lithuania. There is no doubt that this postcard was intended to influence a wide audience: the title in Lithuanian is repeated in French, German and English.
Territorial disputes between Poland and Lithuania date to the middle ages. The background of this particular map is highlighted on Andrew’s website: “By the middle and late 19th century, patriotic Poles began erasing the name ‘Lithuania’ from historic maps of the area, referring to it only as ‘Poland,’ and to Lithuanians as merely one of many tribes within Poland.” http://www.lithuanianmaps.com/MapsEthnographic.html, accessed February 17, 2018. The 1930 wolf’s-head “appears to have been based on” a 1929 Polish ethnographic map (“Map of distribution of Polish population in the area of the Republic of Lithuania and in northern areas of the Republic of Poland”). As displayed on the website, this map purports to show very high population density of Poles within the same regions of Lithuanian territory. After analyzing the factual data behind this map - and a competing Lithuanian ethnographic map produced in the same year - Andrew concludes that they offer “pretty weak justification on both sides for territorial boundary and political decisions made on the basis of ‘ethnicity.’” Ibid.
The creator of this map, "R.A.," is unknown.
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.