In his book Geography and World Power, published in 1917, the British geographer and educator James Fairgrieve described parts of central and eastern Europe as a "crush zone".
The area was a buffer between two powerful states, Germany and Russia. When quarrels between those two erupted, Fairgrieve wrote, they often fought it out in the crush zone.
Today, this powerful image can help us to understand t...
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Already a member? Login hereCaroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This article has been adapted from one of her columns in NRC
Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This article has been adapted from one of her columns in NRC