If you've read any of my other blogs and/or have known me for a while, you know that I have always liked studying maps. I spent many hours after (elementary) school with my dad looking at our atlas and globe. Both were made prior to 1989, so by the time I could actually read, many borders had changed. The USSR had broken up, some of the last parts of Africa to become independent had done so, and Yugoslavia was being divided. Then, for many years, not a lot changed. The borders that were added or subtracted were short and I got it in my head that the world was probably pretty close to its final political divisions. I was so optimistic — I figured the world was a pretty stable place, so why would the borders change further?
Although my view had changed a bit in the last few years, as I watched wars, governments, and global warming change the shapes of a number of countries, it wasn't until I watched this video on TED.com that I realized how many more border changes are likely to come.
My grandfather was born in 1912 in the village HEIDENSCHAFT, Julian Alps, at that time Austrian Empire. My mother was born in that same village in 1941, when it was Italian with the name AIDUSSINA. From 1947 that village became Yugoslavian and from 1991 it is Slovenian with the name AJDOVŠČINA.
ReplyDeleteHorrors, crimes, mournings and a lot of borders changings had crossed that village through the 20th century, but since 2007 it is possible to go from Austria and from Italy to that village without hurdles, because Slovenia entered the European Union.
I hope some day all borders histories may become like this.
That's really fascinating but also very sad. I agree with you that it would be great if borders the world over could be so open.
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