100 Years Of Change In Europe (Interactive Map)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-sr...ope-history/

Not exactly on-topic for stamp collecting, but a nice visual on shifting borders in Europe since 1914.

And I figure anyone who collects stamps also enjoys maps and history

Kirk

Thanks for the link Kirk

Hmm, for the 1942 map they show the pre-war borders of Poland whereas it had been carved up between Germany & USSR by then.

The most dramatic changes happened in the roughly 35 years from 1914-1949. It's always been my favorite era of history, and collecting European stamps from this era has long been a favorite philatelic area for me. For Germany alone, there are dozens of political entities considered part of the German collecting area that issued stamps during that time. There are dozens more with Germany as occupiers of various nations during both wars. And that's just one country! The possibilities are practically endless.

hmmm...1938 - 1942. In the meantime there was the Second Vienna award in 1940.

The map showing 1942 is definitely wrong. At that time there was no Czechoslovakia. There was the first Slovak Republic (1939-1945) and the czech territories figured as Boehmen und Maehren.
-edited: I observed the second comment now. Someone else too noticed it, and he gives a link showing the correct map.

I interpreted the 1942 map to show the areas that Germany overran, not to show accurate political boundaries of the time. Quite a few lines on that map wouldn't be accurate. If that were the point, they'd also have to list a date, because boundaries would have been different on 1-Jan vs. 31-Dec. But again, my inerpretation is that it's an overlay of occupied territories on top of the pre-war boundaries. I can see where one would interpret it otherwise, however.

Looking at Eurpoean history it seems to me the greatest crime against humanity is to start a war.