The British Empire Plunder History Map
- Title:
- The British Empire Plunder History Map
- Alternate Title:
- The British Empire Plunder History Map
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Ogawa, Masahiro
- Other Creators:
- Oriental Culture Association, publisher
- Date:
- 1941
- Date 2:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2353.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2353_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1940 - 1959
- Subject:
- Imperialism
Satirical
World War II - Measurement:
- 24 x 36 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This 1941 Japanese map attacking the history of British Imperial expansion is taken directly from an almost identical 1918 German poster, “Freiheit der Meere” (ID #2286).
In January 1918, President Wilson presented the famous "Fourteen Points," a statement of the U.S. views on principles essential for ending World War I and establishing enduring peace. The second of Wilson’s Points reflected Germany's U-boat attacks on American shipping, one of the principal reasons for U.S. entry into the war: "Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war." As part of its effort to gain leverage in the eventual peace negotiations, Germany responded with its octopus entitled “Freiheit der Meere” (Freedom of the Seas), attacking Britain's own historical record of overseas expansion.
The Japanese map appeared in a May 1941 (Showa 16) edition of an illustrated magazine. It plainly copies its predecessor - in the imperial claims identified; in the body of the octopus; and in the color and arrangement of its tentacles. It differs only slightly, by adding color coding to differentiate British acquisitions in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. And the map has been updated to add British possessions after World War I, for example, in the Middle East in 1920 and 1932.
The octopus is a persistent trope in persuasive cartography. It first appeared in Frederick Rose's "Serio-Comic War Map For The Year 1877," ID #2272, about the Russo-Turkish War. "Once Fred W. Rose had created the 'Octopus' map of Europe, it proved difficult to rid propaganda maps of them." Barber 2010, 164. "The prevalence of the octopus motif in later maps suggests that the octopus also spoke to humanity's primeval fears, evoking a terrifying and mysterious creature from the depths (the dark outer places of the world) that convincingly conjured a sense of limitless evil." Baynton-Williams 2015, 180.
The collection includes numerous maps - from Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Latin America, the Netherlands and the U.S. - employing the octopus motif. (Search > “octopus”.) Many of these relate to imperialism and war, from 1877 to the Cold War. Others attack social and political targets, including a "reactionary" journalist, the Standard Oil monopoly, “Landlordism,” mail order houses, Jews and Mormons.
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 - Source:
- [The Advance in Nippon] (English title, Surge of Japan), vol. 6, no. 5, May 1, 1941.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.