The Soviet Mapping of the World

Soviet Mapping

In this course, Dr Alex Kent (Canterbury Christ Church University) tells the remarkable story of how the Soviet Union mapped the world. In the first module, we look at the history of the idea of a global map, and how the Soviet Union designed their maps using the south east coast of England as an example. In the second module we explore the rest of the globe and look at examples of major cities that were mapped by the Soviets including Berlin, Tokyo, New York and Cairo, and then finish off with a focus on London. In the third and final module we look at how the Soviets mapped the UK and note some unexpected locations that the Soviets took particular interest, and then end with an example about how these maps are still being used today.

The Soviet Mapping of the World

In this first mini-lecture we introduce Soviet mapping with a focus on military cartography. We cover: (i) the global Soviet mapping projects and then delves into detailed city plans and examples; (ii) the historical context of Soviet mapping, beginning with Albrecht Penck’s 1897 proposal for a collaborative world map, and how the Soviet Union later adopted this idea for their secretive global mapping project; (iii) the meticulous detail in Soviet maps, covering various scales from one to a million down to one to fifty thousand, and the comprehensive global mapping effort, which remains valuable for many regions today; (iv) a comparison between Soviet and Ordnance Survey maps, illustrating the depth and accuracy of Soviet cartography.