World War I: Legacies Cartoons
This section displays the First World War Political Cartoons Some cartoons are patriots, while others express a cynical view of the war and of waste.
British caricatures underlined the imperturbable coolness and urbanity of the British public and soldiers against German atrocities The alleged rape of Belgium during the German occupation was the main target of Allied propaganda cartoon while the German treatment of civilians in occupied territories was far from sweet, it was a little later against the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World war 2.
The Kaiser and to some extent under the Emperor of Austria-Hungary were also favorite targets caricatures.
GERMAN BULL I know I'm not doing a rotten exhibition of myself; but I will say that everyone I goaded into it.
In this cartoon, the Germans are portrayed as a bull running amok in a neutral china shop carrying the flags of neutral nations Legend says that I will tell everyone that I goaded actually the point of the comic is that Germans attack the neutral countries, such as Belgium, with the excuse that they were caused by the actions of the victims the original comic published in the British satirical magazine punch, during the first part of the war.
In this cartoon, a charge of British soldier with his heavy kit and weapons offer to help a lady with her bags The comic, like many others like her, exalts self-sacrifice and gentility of the allied troops, unlike voracious German soldiers this cartoon appeared in punch.
THE KAISER So you see - you have lost everything KING OF BELGIAN Not my soul.
In this cartoon, the German Kaiser seen mocking the Belgian king, telling him that he has lost everything Belgian answers he has not lost its soul The cartoon refers to the fact that neutral Belgium was invaded and largely overrun by the Germans as they sought to outflank the French and British armies pushing along the Channel to Paris Belgians were hopelessly outnumbered, but fought bravely against the Germans.
DOCTOR Your throat is in a very bad state Have you ever tried gargling with salt water.
In this drawing is seen a doctor examining a British ship captain sore throat and telling him to gargle with salt water boss replied that he had been gargling because it has already been torpedoed six times the cartoon alludes to the German u-boats in the success of the British maritime shipwreck It depicts the British sailors stoic face of danger.
The artist writes The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few here is only one, but it is quite sufficient reaper whose name is Death, a skeleton on which a peasant dress shirt and a bone ragged pants pair hangs loose skeletal sleeved shirt are shot well, as if for a more active effort, as he seized the two blocks of the great scythe with which it scans the harvest.
This is not the war of the old type, with its possibilities of chivalry, its glories and pride of manly strength, the German development of the war was a simple exercise of murder, a logging company which side can kill most, and survive another When one reads calculations demonstrating that careful statisticians in the first seventeen months of the war, Germany alone has lost more than a million men killed fight, we feel that this cartoon is not exaggerated is the naked truth.
In this cartoon a beastly German soldier is seen seducing a young girl who is bound and gagged writer GK Chesterton this comment on the cartoon The cartoon in which the Prussian is depicted as saying to his victim bound and gagged Ain t I a very friendly companion is one of the sharpest and vital of all pictorial, or other, critical of the war, it is very important to note that the German savagery did not interfere with the German sentimentality blood of the victim and victor tears flow together in a stream unpleasant effect on a normal mind to read some of the things the Germans say, side by side with some of the things they do, is an impression that may well really be transmitted in the violent paradox of the actual image is exactly like being tortured by a man with an ugly face, that we realize slowly writhed in an attempt to affectionate expression in these soliloquies of self-worship which constituted almost the entire defense Prussia in the international controversy, the brigand of the Belgian annexation has repeatedly said that its apparent hardness the necessary support of its inherent strength Nietzsche said I give you a new commandment hard and Prussia says I'm hard, fast and in a respectful manner But in fact it is not difficult; it is only heavy, it is not indifferent to the feelings; it is only indifferent to everyone feelings at the thought of his own virtues, he is always ready to burst into tears Her smiles, however, are more frequent and more foolish than his tears; and they are all leers like Mr. Raemaekers shot the face of expansive Prussian officer in the chair Compared to such exposure, there are some relatively manly thing about the cruelty of the tiger that has sometimes distorted the record But the Spanish or Arabic to conquer the Germans that they would like to be eaten by slugs.
The comic is a dead nurse to be cast before swine The drawing refers to the execution of the American nurse Edith Cavell, who worked in Belgium during the German occupation, it was tried, convicted and executed for spying , although there is little evidence to support the load and the US government has protested Although millions have died in this war, the execution of this unique civilian nurse was seized by allied propagandists and cartoonists as the quintessence German barbarism Note that the pigs in the cartoon are monocles door and pointed helmets typical German Prussian officers.
Zeppelin TRIUMPH But Mother had done nothing wrong, had she, Dad.
In this animated by Raemaekers drawing, a British girl crying at the bedside of his dead mother, killed in an air raid Zeppellin London Cartoonist runs very efficiently triumph German bombing raid successfully in a lament for all the innocent civilians killed in the answer to the little girl war to the question is, of course, that her mother had done nothing wrong and did not deserve his fate.
Lively political WW1 Drawings, policies, cartoons.