There is a video published by Repubblica (it should be an italian newspaper) showing the border swings in europe during the past 1000 years.
It's incredible...
The video can be found here on a french newspapaer website :
http://www.liberation.fr/monde/2014/03/20/mille-ans-de-frontieres-europeennes-en-accelere_988551
I think the link won't work more than few days or weeks, and I didn't manage to find the original video.
After seeing that, only one feeling for me: shame on us...
that link doesn't work...
why shame?
okay i got it too work!
It seems I can't see it on my home computer, but it was working on my laptop.
In fact it's a work from Centenia (http://www.historicalatlas.com/default.aspx)
They made a software for that, and they propose some free video, but not the one we're talking about.
Anyway I managed to find it on youtube, but without the incremential date:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8jCeQAwgC8
For thos who only watch the youtube video, here are some key date (i.e clearly visible on the map):
- 1240: "Kievan Rus" disapearrance
- 1330: 1st "Ottoman Empire" appearance
- 1450: 1st "Rusia" appearance
- 1550: Spain absorbs Portugal
- 1800: French boost (Napoleonian wars)
- 1860: Italy unification
- 1910: many new countries in the eastern europe
- 1940: German boost (WWII)