The Two Maps of Europe, and Some Other Aspects of the Great War

"The Two Maps of Europe, and Some Other Aspects of the Great War" by Hilaire Belloc is a book that explains the political and military situation in Europe during World War I. It looks closely at what both Germany and the countries fighting against Germany wanted to achieve. The main idea is about how Europe might change, depending on who won the war. Germany and the Allies each had their own ideas about how the map of Europe should look. The author talks about national identity and borders, and how the war would decide what happened to them. He argues against simply taking over land as a main goal of the war. Instead, he shows how history and culture influence what countries and groups of people exist. By listing these different national identities and what they hoped for, the author shows just how complicated the war was and gets ready to talk about the war in more detail later on.