Adding Bend Modifier for a parent object and treating as if it's a single object I just learnt how to bend planes into a sphere from here. But now I have created curves for few countries just on top of a plane, and I do not know how to make all of them (plane, curves and meshes on top) bend into a sphere



What I tried:

1) Made all the countries children of the plane [ocean] and applied a modifier to the parent. 


Result: Modifier doesn't apply to children, but only to the plane got bent; Found an explanation that modifiers are not intended to be applied on children :(

2) Added two bend modifiers (after a subdivision modifier) for one country and tried applying to all countries using Ctrl+L and each country is bending into a globe :/

3) Tried Alt+Click, but it doesn't seem to work! Do I need to set the hotkey in the preferences?

UPDATE:

4) Lattice Modifier on Parent doesn't work too, sub-objects are not obeying to the stretch and skew of the lattice



Clearly, the ocean layer is obeying, but the countries continue to stay the same regardless of the lattice's shape



So, here's my question: How do I apply a modifier that would treat the parent object as a single object [as if it was just a plane with countries embedded on it]?
As explained in the comment, you can use a lattice to do that.

The idea is the following:


Create a lattice and scale it appropriately (1x2, as for the plane mentioned in this answer). Scale it in object mode (edit mode will give a bad result deforming the curves later).
Give it the resolution you want, ie 20x40x1





Bend it using 2 empties





Now add your curves, rotate and scale them to fit the same size as the lattice
Add a lattice modifier to one of the curves
Then link the modifier to the others CtrlL then 'modifiers'




edit the blend file:


Concerning Russia, I think this is due to that:

If you convert it to mesh, lines are going east/west for a long distance, so when bent, that does not work: "these lines are like the string of a bent bow"