This map was published by Stanfords, a London publishing house, in 1917 in an attempt to show the aggressiveness of the German Empire and its objectives during the First World War.

This piece of propaganda is direct, as can be seen in the title. What Germany Wants (What Germany wants). Furthermore, it is clarified that what the map shows are not mere assumptions, but is based on 36 statements from 23 German thought leaders.

The map shows in red all the territories that the German Empire aspired to, according to the map. The numbers on the map refer to each of the 36 statements made by various German generals and thinkers. Among them, the following are noteworthy:

• Points 7 and 19 refer to an interest in South America, whether through reason and alliance or through conquest. According to one of the generals, “to free the new republics from their colonial past”.
• 33 speaks of freedom of the seas, citing it as the primary cause of the war between England and Germany. And, according to one general, this could only be achieved by conquering Egypt.
• The 15th refers to Pan-Germanism and how this ideal requires the unity of Germanic peoples, as is the case in Scandinavia.
• Number 5, the conquest of China, is justified as a means of maintaining global balance.

Although all these quotes are authentic, their selection clearly aims to maximise the real intentions of the German Empire, thereby reinforcing the idea of demonising the enemy.

Sources

• What Germany Wants – Her Claims As Set Forth by Leaders of German Thought