post+war+foreign-political+cartoons

CJD-

In June of 1949, this Herbert Block cartoon was published in the //Washington Post// . Herblock and the Post were known for their left-wing politics, but the issue at hand in this drawing centers more around universal American civil liberties being infringed upon. Due to “Fire!” being released in a well-circulated newspaper, most of the nation could be exposed to the issues being presented in it. The drawing itself shows the iconic torch of the Statue of Liberty about to be doused by waters of hysteria. This symbolism paints the current state of the country as one of extreme paranoia directed at communist threats, real or imagined. Sentiments from people such as Senator Joe McCarthy had overtaken post-WWII America, and much of the nation feared that domestic spies or sympathizers would destroy the country. In attempting to prevent subversion, practitioners of what in 1950 became known as McCarthyism were in fact eradicating freedoms and using a “guilty until proven innocent” approach. The purpose of this cartoon is to paint extreme anti-communist feelings as disruptive to American society and politics. Audiences who believed people like McCarthy to be overzealous threats to the United States would find this cartoon to be an accurate depiction of what some were doing in attempting to thwart possible communist intentions. This cartoon argues that anti-communists in America were doing more harm than good with their frightened accusations and mindsets. Herblock was successful with his many cartoons condemning McCarthyism during the 1950s, and helped the nation lose its overly-suspicious state of mind. Senator McCarthy himself was censured for flaunting baseless allegations, and the United States became less internally antagonistic with the help of Block’s cartoons. KEO- This cartoon was drawn by Edwin Marcus and it was published in the //New York Times// in 1947. Marcus’s cartoons were given full pages in the //New York Times// and they were effective in influencing US attitudes. In 1947, the US introduced the Marshall Plan to reduce poverty and hunger in Europe. Most of the aid was given to Western Europe and it was very successful in drastically improving the economy. The program was meant to help the countries, but it was also meant to gain allies with the US and prevent the spread of Communism to Western Europe. Stalin sought to counter the Marshall Plan with his own program called the Molotov Plan. This was formed after the USSR rejected the Marshall Plan in a meeting with France and Great Britain in Paris. Stalin’s counter to the Marshall Plan is the subject of this cartoon. In July of 1947, Stalin instructed Eastern European countries to refuse Marshall Aid because he felt it was an American plot to subjugate Western Europe; US vision of an integrated European market was incompatible with his foreign- policy goals and he wanted these countries to be Communist. Every Communist party in Europe ended up joining Stalin’s Cominform. In this cartoon, Stalin is dressed as a basketball player and he is trying to block the ball labeled “Marshall Plan” from entering the basket labeled “European Recovery.” The cartoon was entitled, “Can he block it?” Since the ball going through the hoop would be a symbol of success and triumph, Marcus clearly wanted to tell his audience that Stalin was the opposition and he was out to prevent the Marshall Plan from succeeding, thereby preventing European recovery. Marcus depicts the USSR playing on a team separate from the US to show the divisions that existed between the two powers at the end of World War II. Marcus’ cartoon is clearly biased against the USSR, but it appealed to most Americans viewing it because his feelings toward Stalin were shared by most people in the US at the time. The main idea Marcus was trying to convey was that Stalin and the USSR were actively attempting to oppose the US and competition between the two countries was clear. This cartoon is significant in that it was representative of the American mindset at the time. Most people negatively viewed the USSR and they agreed with Marcus that Stalin was a threat to the US and its goals in Europe. It is also demonstrative of the growing Cold War tensions that were evident between the two competing countries. AJJ- This cartoon was drawn by an author by the name of Dr.Hookie and appeared in the St.Louis Post. Hookie supported the U.S. aid to Europe and though he thought the recovery was slow, it was clearly much better than the Soviet efforts at recovery. This cartoon was produced during the Marshall Plan’s inception. Europe was recovering from the war and this illustration depicts the author’s view of effectiveness of the Marshall Plan. Audiences encountered this drawing in the newspaper. The large issue that this cartoon deals with is the effectiveness of the Marshall Plan for Europe in comparison with the Russian rebuilding plans. This cartoon uses symbolism frequently. The rope symbolizes the Marshall Plan which gives the man, who represents Europe, a way to climb to the top of the cliff, which represents democracy and prosperity. In the background, there are several images suggesting that the ground represents communism which Europe is trying to climb away from. This drawing was created for pro-capitalist Americans who supported the Marshall plan. Europeans, many of whom didn’t like the Marshall Plan, may see the cartoon as biased. Russians and other communists would despise this photo. This cartoon was produced in order to criticize the Russian approach to European recovery and support the American Marshall Plan. This message reflects Hookie’s view that all nations should strive to reach democracy and not fall to communism. The main point of the drawing is that Americans should support the Marshall Plan as it is helping it stay away from communism. This drawing is important because it shows the sentiments that Americans had about this plan for recovery and the majority’s support of Truman’s efforts to build back Europe. It also proves that isolationism had fallen out of favor with the public and that the United States should take an active role in world affairs. VB- This cartoon entitled, “It’s the same thing without mechanical problems,” was created by Herbert Block. Block frequently contributed to various newspapers; however this specific cartoon appeared in the //Washington Post//, an established national daily paper. Many of Block’s previous cartoons expressed his support for the Marshall Plan. Although audiences encountered this material nationally, its readership was more prevalent in major cities across the country. This cartoon was featured in the Washington Post on January 26, 1949, almost two years after implementation of the Marshall Plan. The cartoon portrays two view of European recovery. The effects of the US imposed Marshal Plan is illustrated with modern machinery and a happy famer, while across the fence the Soviet recovery plan is taking a toll on the common citizens. The Soviet refusal to accept the Marshall Plan has inflicted suffering to countries under Soviet control. The Marshall Plan was created to reestablish the economy of European nations, while rebuilding their infrastructure. The intent of this cartoon was to reassure readers of the success of the Marshall Plan and to remind them that the Soviet Union’s plan, Council for Economic Mutual Assistance was nothing more than propaganda created by Stalin. The title of the cartoon reflects the irony that the Soviet Union attempted to convey to the world. The facial expressions help to portray the sentiments of both sides. The recipients of the aid from the Marshall Plan appear happier and more successful. In contrast, the Soviet plan presents a slave-like worker who is unhappy and burdened by outdated methods. The fence can symbolize either the Iron Curtain or the Berlin Wall, as indicated by the man looking jealously to the other side. The implication of this cartoon reminds Americans that their dollars were well spent. Block also continued to follow post-war recovery at the domestic level. RIL: Herb Block created this cartoon. He was a liberal and he worked for the //Washington Post//, one of the largest and oldest newspapers in Washington D. C., and during his career he won the Pulitzer Prize for his work. This cartoon implied that he believed General Douglas MacArthur was wrong to advocate more aggressive strategies against China. The //Washington Post// was a prominent newspaper and it published many political cartoons. This cartoon was published May 7, 1951 after President Harry Truman had fired General Douglas MacArthur and while Douglas MacArthur and Marshall were advocating conflicting strategies. Since it was published at this time, it should be interpreted as a representation of Marshall and MacArthur’s conflicting viewpoints. Readers would have first seen this cartoon in the //Washington Post//. This cartoon addressed the Korean War and the fight against communism. General Douglas MacArthur had wanted to retaliate with more force against China after the American troops were attacked November 25, 1950 but President Harry Truman had removed him from his role and even when General Douglas MacArthur came back he believed that the United States should fight China more aggressively. Marshall, on the other hand, believed that what MacArthur was advocating could cause a third world war and so did not support him. The two globes represent the two men’s views and illustrated how MacArthur was thinking only about some of the world while Marshall was considering how actions could affect the entire world. This cartoon was created for the //Washington Post// so it was meant to influence the politically aware readers of that newspaper. The intended audience was those interested in politics; particularly liberals since Herb Block was a liberal. This could be one of the reasons a liberal view point was depicted. Those who interested themselves with the two views of MacArthur and Marshall would have been interested because it was about those two men and their ideas. If they supported Marshall’s thinking, they would react positively as they would agree with this cartoon; however, if they supported MacArthur’s thinking, they would react negatively as they would disagree with this cartoon. This material was produced to reflect the debate between two men during MacArthur’s hearing and to support Marshall’s argument so it was a very one-sided cartoon. It was produced at this time because the hearing of MacArthur was still taking place and therefore so was the debate between the two men. The political need addressed was the need to show that MacArthur was wrong because some believed what he advocated threatened peace. The argument this cartoon portrayed was that MacArthur was wrong. The main point of this cartoon was that MacArthur was wrong because his scope was incredibly limited while Marshall considered how the whole world could be affected by the Korean War. This was a significant sketch since it illustrated the two men’s viewpoints during MacArthur’s hearing. The political implications were that MacArthur was wrong, Marshall was right, and that the United States would like to avoid taking drastic actions during the Korean War. The effect this could have had was that it could have helped MacArthur’s opposition during his hearing in that it could have convinced others that MacArthur’s was wrong and also a fool. AMB-- This cartoon was drawn by Herb Block, a liberal cartoonist who was originally from Chicago. “Herblock” was known for his support of Roosevelt’s New Deal, his opposition to the isolationists, and his later coinage of the term “McCarthyism.” After WWII, he became the chief editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, which is where this cartoon was first published. It was published on 11 Jan. 1949, which was after the Soviets announced their success at exploding an atomic bomb. There was much antipathy towards the Soviets after WWII, and the Cold War had just started. This cartoon represents the technology race between the US and the Soviet Union, and the danger that some Americans felt would come if the Soviets managed to build up such weapons. This was a legitimate fear, for US relations with the Soviet Union were deteriorating after WWII. Germany and Berlin had just been divided into West and East, and alliances between the US, France and Britain and the Soviet Union were quickly polarizing. The large figure represents Soviet atomic weapons, and its stance suggests that it is patiently waiting for the right time to attack. This cartoon was targeted towards the Americans right after WWII, and therefore it portrays the Soviets as a dangerous threat. It was meant to convince political leaders to take the Soviet threat seriously, and to convince voters to vote for candidates who would do so. It would especially affect those who fully realized the power of atomic weapons and who understood the destruction which would occur in the case of a nuclear war. They would be more likely to take this cartoon seriously. When this cartoon was produced, the atomic clock had also just been invented. The cartoon comments on the danger of unrestricted use of nuclear technology. It was created to convince the audience that this use of atomic technology was not only a time-keeper, but a time-bomb as well, for as long as the opposing nations continued building up weapons and other technology using nuclear power, there would be a threat of nuclear warfare. This material is important because it reflects American sentiment concerning nuclear weapons after the destruction of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It predicts the increasing tensions of the Cold War, and possibly fed into the growing fear of Sovietism. . MRL - .  This political cartoons, titled "State of the World, and drawn by Daniel Fitzpatrick on June 16, 1946, signifies the divided post-WWII world that was later exemplified by the Cold War. Daniel Fitzpatrick's cartoons were frequently published in the //St. Louis Post-Dispatch.// As a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Fitzpatrick was well known throughout the United States. Though he admitted to being anti-conservative in his political views, the majority of his work was general, like "State of the World", and not entirely biased to one political party, earning him the respect of liberals and conservatives alike. Although by the end of World War II it was already clear that the relationship between the Soviets and the West was tense, the above cartoon foreshadowed the troublesome future of the coming decades. Likely influenced by Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, Fitzpatrick believed the Soviet world and the Western world was separated by a metaphorical deep, dark, and seemingly endless chasm. He was quite accurate in this belief, as indicated by the precarious situation that lasted for several decades after the end of the War. Although most historians agree the Cold War officially started in 1947, events before and shortly after the end of WWII helped set the stage for the upcoming conflicts. Primarily, the Yalta conference was the first concrete evidence of the idealogical warfare that would arise in the near future. The Allies and Russia had difficulty deciding what should be done with Germany and the Eastern European nations after Germany's surrender. Stalin intended on controlling the buffer nations between Western Europe and Russia, and therefore disobeyed Britain's and America's request to allow democratic elections to occur in the Eastern European countries. Thus, the buffer nations were manipulated by Stalin and were formed into the Soviet Communist Eastern bloc. The formation of the Eastern bloc, along with the division of Germany and the disagreement over the ownership of Berlin, resulted in a severely weakened relationship between the West and Russia, culminating in the beginning of the Cold War two years later.



SW- This cartoon is called the “Iron Curtain” and was made by Leslie Gilbert Illingworth. Illingworth worked for the Daily Mail and published this cartoon on May 28, 1946. This was soon after World War II ended when the Soviets and the rest of the Allies divided up the land in Eastern Europe. At this point a race started between the Soviet Union and the United States. There was an arms race and a containment of ideologies such as the Communism of Soviets. As Communism started rapidly expanding through Europe, the Soviets gradually made a barrier between the communist countries and the democratic countries. This barrier was later on called the Iron Curtain, including Poland, Eastern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. The United States disagreed with Communism and shut out those under the Iron Curtain. The cartoon demonstrates the anger of the people that are behind the Iron Curtain. They are mad because they are under the control of Soviet Russia, but they are also upset because the rest of the world has shut them out and is not helping them. Instead of solving the problem, they had just declared an Iron Curtain in order to not have to deal with it. People are trying to escape from underneath the curtain but they are having trouble. On the other hand those on the outside of the Iron Curtain appear to have no problem moving on and creating plans for a new world without those that are being controlled by the Soviets. The feelings of the people that are portrayed in the cartoon will be what causes the fall of the curtain. The way the Soviet Union governed the satellite countries were disfavored by the people. The reason being was because there were no basic human rights were given, food shortages, their economic status’ were declining and poverty stated to come about. This later on caused rebellious actions against this system. This cartoon shows the problems of the people under the Iron Curtain the lack of help from the rest of the world and hints at the problems that would soon follow. The audience is probably the citizens of Europe and the United States in order to convince them to help those that are unwillingly behind the Iron Curtain. It probably convinced them to finally help the countries that were under Soviet rule.

ADB -

This cartoon was made by Edwin Marcus in March 1948. It depicts a lone man (Western Europe) waiting for assistance (from the United States’ Marshall Plan), which is being delayed. Behind him, the shadow of a large bear (USSR) is growing as it moves towards him, ready to devour its prey. In the last months of World War II, the “Big Three” (FDR, Churchill, and Stalin) met at Yalta, in the Crimea, to discuss the post-war reorganization of Europe. Stalin had promised at the conference that Poland would be given the chance for free elections. When the time came for the Polish to choose that right, the 1946 “People’s Referendum”, the overall sentiment revealed a lack of support for the communist government. As a result, Stalin had the results rigged so they would appear to be favoring the Soviet government; he had never desired to lose Poland, wanting to create an Eastern Bloc after the War. This Eastern Bloc goal was the reason Stalin refused to receive aid from the United States’ Marshall Plan, which would supply economically-cooperative nations with funds, since it would prevent him from exerting influence over Western Germany. After trying to limit German industry, and realizing that doing so would send the rest of Europe into an economic slump, the United States passed the Marshall Plan, to go into effect April 1948.

The main idea of this cartoon is a criticism: while the United States was working toward a plan for German industrial disarmament (and therefore delaying the passage of the Marshall Plan), the USSR was regaining its strength, through building the Eastern Bloc (through propaganda and coercion), and trying to length its shadow of influence over Western Europe. The man representing Western Europe could convey two meanings: Western Europe could either be so focused on receiving aid from the USA that they didn’t see the Soviet shadow growing, or they could be looking to the USA to save them from the Soviet bear before it was too late. The bear shadow is, of course, the USSR, taken from the old depiction of Russia, the “Motherland”, as the Mother Bear; however, in this case, the bear is not seeking to protect, but rather devour and destroy. The diminutive size of the Capital Building reveals Marcus’ feeling that if the aid did not come quickly, the Bear would devour Western Europe. The significance of the cartoon is that it conveys a feeling of regret that the Marshall Plan did not come sooner (aid would begin a month after the publishing of this cartoon). It also depicts the threat that the Soviets could (and mostly likely would) create for Western Europe in the future. Marcus’ primary audience with this cartoon was probably sympathetic immigrants who had wished their relatives’ and/or respective nationalities could have been assisted earlier on, as well as people who realized that German industrial disarmament would only hurt Europe all the more.

SFH - This political cartoon by Herbert Block (also known as Herblock) was published on March 29, 1950, in the //Washington Post//. During the fifties the //Washington Post// had a left winged political bent, as well as the majority of Herblock’s political cartoons. Yet this specific political cartoon sparked nationwide interest by exploiting fears of the American public. In February 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy captured headlines by his claims that he held a list of some 205 names of communists in the State Department and Democratic Party. Although these names were never revealed many members of Congress influenced by his success, began to support his heavy-handed and abusive tactics for political purposes. In the cartoon we see an elephant representing the Republican Party, and individuals pulling an elephant labeled Gabrielson, Wherry, Taft, and Bridges; all of which were Republican senators. Here conservative Republican senators Kenneth S. Wherry, Robert A. Taft, and Styles Bridges and Republican National Chairman Guy Gabrielson are attempting to push the reluctant GOP elephant atop the shaking election platform labeled ‘McCarthyism.’ The elephant’s utterly terrified look and the act of digging his heals through the ground reflect the public’s fear of possible communities within their own supposedly democratic government. Herblock’s purpose in illustrating such a cartoon is not only to depict the fear in American society; but to demonstrate the reasons for which the communist fear should be taken lightly. McCarthyism unstable platform reflect Herblock’s belief in the lack of a strong foundation in the McCarthyism ideology. Herblock was the first to coin the ever popular ‘McCarthyism’ phrase, through his //You Mean I’m Supposed to Stand on That// cartoon. The phrase came to be associated with the Second Red Scare in which Americans not only feared the Soviet Union, but worried about communists infiltrating the government in an attempt to overthrow America. Many consider McCarthy the man most responsible for reinforcing such fears for what many believed to be for his own political gains.

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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Herbert Block (who signed his name as “Herblock”) created this cartoon, “However, we’ve been pretty successful at keeping American newspapermen out of China,” for the //Washington Post//. Block had previously criticized U.S. isolationism during World War II; after the war, he criticized Dwight D. Eisenhower and especially Senator Joseph McCarthy. The //Washington Post// was more moderate than Block but continued to publish his cartoons.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This cartoon was published on January 6, 1957. In 1953, the United States had intervened in Iran to overthrow Moussadogh and replace him with Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, who was more supportive of U.S. interests. In 1955, Eisenhower asked Congress for military and economic aid to fight Communism in the Middle East, a proposal referred to as the “Eisenhower Doctrine.” However, in 1956, Great Britain, Israel, and France invaded Egypt. When the U.S. did not support the invasion, the Soviet Union considered military involvement to aid Egypt, which would also drastically increase Soviet control of the region. The title of the cartoon refers to a decision in 1954 by Eisenhower’s Secretary of State John Dulles to forbid Americans from travelling to China, which had become Communist under Mao Zedong in 1949.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In the cartoon, the large size of the map of the Middle East suggests that this should be the State Department’s primary focus. Instead, however, the members of the conference are more concerned by the speaker (possibly Dulles) and his emphasis on a side map. It can be inferred from the title that the second map is China, but details are hidden to remind the audience that the primary focus should be containing communism in the Middle East and to trivialize the benefits of travel restrictions in China.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At the time of publications, most Americans deeply trusted the federal government. Therefore, many would be shocked or somewhat fearful that the government was losing and unconcerned with what was important, so some would have dismissed this cartoon as inaccurate. However, American citizens who had suffered under McCarthy’s persecutions would be more likely to believe that claim that the American government’s anti-Communist efforts were seriously misguided and focused in the wrong areas.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Restricting travel with China for American news reporters would have little effect except allowing American citizens to have information on the situation in China, breaking the government’s monopoly on news from China. Thus, Block is arguing that the government should actually stop Communist expansion rather that merely manipulating news so Americans are unaware of such expansion. This cartoon is a call for honesty and action instead of false reports and concealing information from the American people.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The U.S. government did prevent Communism from spreading in the Middle East, although the government remained (and still remains) involved in the region to protect its interests, primarily the nation’s supply of oil. Ultimately, the U.S. also granted diplomatic recognition to China and eased travel restrictions, but formal diplomatic recognition did not occur until almost two decades after the publication of this cartoon.

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<span style="font-family: Calibri; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">This cartoon was created by Herb Block (a.k.a. Herblock) for //The Washington Post//, published on August 11, 1954. It depicts the Illinois sector of the American Legion readying a group to capture “communist” Girl Scouts. One Legion member holds a book on “How to Detect Subversion and Witchcraft”, while another totes a flag with Joseph McCarthy’s face, with the subtitle “Our Hero”. Much like the Red Scare that accompanied the end of World War I, the years after World War II’s conclusion were filled with even greater “Red” hysteria in the USA. The Soviet Union had tested an atomic bomb in 1949; the Korean War began in 1950, pitting the United States against Communism in the East; the New Deal programs established by FDR were often named “Communist” or “Red plots” by conservatives. One of the biggest anti-communist politicians to emerge to prominence during the 1950s was Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy; he made wild and often groundless claims that various politicians and other prominent figures’ were Communists or affiliated with Communism, including Truman’s Secretary of State George Marshall, creator of the Marshall Plan to reconstruct war-torn Europe. However, in late 1953 and into 1954, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, with McCarthy as its chairman, began looking into the US Army. This, in combination with McCarthy’s verbal attacks on critic and popular journalist Edward Murrow, destroyed his popularity with most of the public. However, groups like the American Legion, despite McCarthy’s decline, continued to seek out subversive “Communists” in the USA.

<span style="font-family: Calibri; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">The main idea of this cartoon is that McCarthy’s Communist witch-hunts were immeasurably inane, using the American Legion’s attack on the Girl Scouts to further emphasize his point. The Legion members are portrayed as rather fat, most likely stemming from the common Republican stereotype as the “fat-cats” or “greedy” individuals. They also bear a striking resemblance to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from Disney’s 1951 //Alice in Wonderland//, which, like the characters, would emphasize the silliness of their actions. The sign with McCarthy’s face depicts him as somewhat unkempt and unpleasant-looking. The addition of “Witchcraft” in the “Subversion and Witchcraft” book most likely represents Herblock’s interpretation of this attack as a witch-hunt. The cartoon’s title “Stand Fast, Men – They’re Armed with Marshmallows!” only adds to the ridiculousness of the cartoon and further emphasizes the ludicrous actions that were being taken against the Girl Scouts. The overall significance of the cartoon is the satirical aspect of the cartoon, and how Herblock clearly shows the borderline-crazy actions that were being taken, despite McCarthy’s decline, to find “covert Communists” in North America. The primary audience that Herblock aims for with this illustration is Democrats and/or anyone who finds the “Red” hunts as ridiculous as he does.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">JT- <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">

This political cartoon was drawn by John Collins in 1949. He used this image to portray how ironic the Cold War was considering the neutrality that was formed after WWII was ended. This image would have appeared to the public printed in newspapers and magazines. This way, when people read about the Cold War and events in Berlin, they would also see this image to remind them of what had been the situation before the division of Germany. This cartoon addresses the somewhat predictable turncoat behavior of the USSR after it made peaceful agreements with Britain, France, and the US. While all had been designed to try and hold peace in Europe, the incompatibility of Communism and Capitalism became the dominating factor in the relationship between the US and the USSR, as demonstrated by the arm wrestling in the above image. The hand above the conflict, outreaching in friendship, is dated to be from 1945, emphasizing how it no longer applies in the present, but was merely a nice idea at the time. The Atlantic Pact is written on the US “West” side as their main strength (that they have countries signed up to defend them against any outside attackers) while the Iron Curtain is written on the USSR “East” side to show their defense of the strength of communism. The “West” refers to the allied US, France, and Britain's western half of divided Germany, and the “East” refers to the Soviet Union's eastern side. This division also applied in the Soviet surrounded capital of Berlin, the place that would see the beginning of the Cold War. Of course, the Iron Curtain was a name given to the Communist movement in Europe by Winston Churchill when describing the horrid situation at hand. Since it is American propaganda, it makes sense that the enemies description would hold negative connotation, making it more appealing to its American audience who heard the term Iron Curtain regularly and had grown to associate it with evil. An audience of Soviet's, however, would not necessarily find that description for the East appropriate and possibly insulting. This cartoon was produced to help fuel the feelings of betrayal of the USSR against the US when closing off access to Berlin and remind citizens that the Soviets are fighting us, whether or not it is with guns.

VB-

This cartoon was created by Edward Kuekes, a recently recruited member for the “Cleveland Plains Dealer”. The “Cleveland Plains Dealer” has been traditionally criticized for taking conservative positions on controversial issues. Kuekes created a lot of anti-war political cartoons that helped fuel the growing sentiments in America. This also shows that Kuekes had the ability to take a non-partisan position on issues such as the Korean War. Kuekes won the Pulitzer Prize for the cartoon depicted above. This cartoon is entitled “Aftermath” it a straight-forward cartoon and is supposed to be portrayed in Korea. Audiences originally encountered this material in the newspaper which was daily circulated throughout the Cleveland metropolitan area. This cartoon was published in 1952 and depicts two soldiers carrying a third dead solider in a stretcher. The war was unnecessarily dragged out due to the actions of General MacArthur. MacArthur forced the soldiers to push past the 38th parallel established by the United Nations. This material thus addresses the unnecessarily loss of life that occurred as a result of the prolong stay of soldiers. The conversation discussed by the soldiers is important because 1952 was an election year, as Dwight D. Eisenhower emerged as the winner soldiers began to pull out of Korea. The second soldier states that the dead-man was not old enough to vote. This statement had the strongest emotional impact on the viewer, as it reinforces the message of the author that unnecessary loss of life has occurred in America’s youth. Daily readers would have been angered by the actions of government leaders. The anti-war cartoons like this helped to create a strong sentiment in the people about war. This sentiment would later become evident in the Vietnam War. This material was created at the time it was because Americans had just begun to pull out of Korea and the election had just occurred. The message within this cartoon urges not only readers but government officials to stop the loss of life.