A collection of the greatest political maps in history and how these images have unparalleled power to influence our thinking – and our world.
In this book, award-winning journalist Peter Keating has collected dozens of the most important maps in history. Among them is a map of the meridian of the Treaty of Tordesillas, which Spain and Portugal used to divide the entire Western Hemisphere in 1494.The map used by Western leaders at the 1884 Berlin Conference to divide Africa. A map of Adolf Hitler's 1933 speeches resembles a rock concert tour poster. Maps to manipulate electoral districts. And racial discrimination in housing. For military objectives and peace treaties.The map of the world - with all its distortions - hangs on the walls of thousands of classrooms. And maps of the controversial election results, red and blue, that Americans face every two years. With stunning images and captivating stories that span continents and centuries, Keating makes a compelling case for why, in the age of the Internet, the power of maps is unparalleled, and more powerful than ever, to define borders, influence social policies, and effect political change.
