1919 Gea Verlag Propaganda Map of Germany After the Treaty of Versailles

This is a c. 1919 Gea Verlag propaganda map of Germany highlighting the territory Germany lost after World War I (1914 - 1918), published as details of the Treaty of Versailles became public. Titled 'The Dismemberment of Germany', the map represents Germany's virulent opposition to the Treaty of Versailles. This opposition created fertile ground for the 'stabbed in the back' myth and helped sow the seeds for the militant nationalism that supported Hitler's 1933 rise to power.

A Closer Look

The map's subtitle reads, ' 5.5 million Germans in East and West are to be separated from the Reich!' This 'outrage' is illustrated by highlighted zones within pre-World War I Germany.

• Zone 1 (Bright Red):Areas to be relinquished immediately without a referendum. This included Alsace, Lorraine, and Part of Poland
• Zone 2 (Vertical Red Stripes):Areas where referendums would determine their future. This zone was split between two separate locations.
• Zone 3 (Red Checkerboard):The Saar Valley, which was to be occupied by League of Nations forces for 15 years. A referendum followed in 1935, in which over 90% of voters opted to rejoin Germany. It is worth remembering that the Nazi Party had been in power since January 1933, and the vote happened in January 1935.
• Zone 4 (Gray Areas):The Rhineland, including Mainz, Koblenz, and Bonn, which were to be occupied until further notice.

Germany After World War I

In the aftermath of World War I, Germany lost 13% of its territory and 12% of its population (as illustrated here), suffered from hyperinflation of the Reichsmark, and political extremism. Burdensome war reparations payments forced on Germany by the Allies in the Treaty of Versailles helped hyperinflation run rampant. Germans began to look for those who were to blame for their plight and started blaming the German Left (seen generally as Communists, Socialists, and Jews) for surrendering to the Allies, even though no Allied armies had entered Germany (the 'stab-in-the-back myth). This political instability helped create an opening for Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party.

Publication History and Census

This map was published by Gea Verlag G. m. b. H. in Berlin c. 1919. An accurate census is difficult to assess because digital examples of the map have proliferated through OCLC. We know that the map is scarce on the market. A smaller, similar map printed on white paper was also published with the same title, which also makes a correct census difficult.