A Small World War (1937)

This map, which is generally associated with Time magazine, was published sometime between late June 1937 and early July of that same year.

The map shows the situation of the Spanish Civil War almost a year after the coup d'état that took place in mid-July 1936. Among other clues for dating the map, the upper right-hand corner mentions that Spain had been at war for almost a year. In addition, near Burgos, the location where General Mola's plane crashed on 3 June 1937 is marked.

The entire image focuses on the guidelines for international non-intervention that had been established throughout 1937. In particular, it details the areas where the various international forces in charge of naval patrols were stationed:

  • English (xxxxx): on the Cantabrian coast and the Andalusian coast.
  • French (—-): on the Galician coast and the African coast.
  • Italians (·····): north of the Valencian coast and on the Catalan coast.
  • Germans (ººººº): on the coast of Almería, Murcia and Valencia.

The information provided by the map is not entirely accurate, as France was the country responsible for patrolling the Andalusian coast. Similarly, it does not mention that France was in charge of controlling Mallorca and Ibiza, while Italy was responsible for Menorca.

The map does not appear to have a clear propagandistic intent, unlike many other maps of the period published by Time magazine, so it is possible that its source was another Anglo-Saxon magazine or media outlet.

Sources


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