empires

History & Society

Modern World History

• Empires, Languages, and the States They Leave BehindWhy do people in distant countries use related languages, while neighboring communities sometimes use entirely different ones? Political maps and language maps preserve different layers of history. Empires matter enormously, but they neither erase every older culture nor explain every connection.
• How the Modern Political Map Was MadeA country map looks like a finished jigsaw. History looks more like repeated rebuilding: political units expand, combine, split, change regimes, and retain parts of earlier administrations. The same place can acquire a new flag without a new population, while a language can cross many borders without producing a single state.