1916 British Propaganda Map of Europe with Prussia as an Octopus

This is a scarce 1916 British propaganda map of Europe with Prussia and Austria-Hungary depicted as voracious octopuses. This Italian-language example was issued to persuade a divided Italian public to ally with the Entente against the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary).

A Closer Look

This map was published two years into World War I (1914 - 1918) and a year after Italy joined the Entente powers (Britain, France, and Russia). The map adopts Fred Rose's famous octopus motif to illustrate the ever-expanding reach of Prussia and Austria-Hungary. Territory annexed by Prussia, either through 'force or fraud' as the map states, is highlighted with diagonals. This annexation began with the Partition of Poland in 1772, 1793, and 1795, and then Silesia in 1866. Prussia expanded into Schleswig-Holstein (which it took from Denmark in 1864) and the rest of the German states by annexation or treaty. Its final acquisitions were Alsace and Lorraine, which it took from France after the Franco-Prussian War (1870 - 1871). Belgium is labeled as occupied by Germany from 1914, the beginning of World War I. Austria-Hungary further probes its tentacles into Silesia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by an unknown cartographer and printed by H. and C. Graham in London for the War Office in 1916. We note cataloged examples that are part of the collections at the Università di Bologna, the Imperial War Museum, and the Australian War Memorial. Another 4 are cataloged in OCLC: the National Library of Scotland, the University of Leeds, Stanford University, and the University of Manchester (3 examples: 1 in English and 2 in Italian).