Anoop Randhawa

History 12

Cartoon Analysis (Blog Post #2)

● Who (leaders/countries) is shown?

○ On the left-hand side, Adolf Hitler representing Germany is shown
○ On the right-hand side, Joseph Stalin representing the Soviet Union is shown
○ In between Hitler and Stalin is a Polish soldier (the person lying on the
ground), who represents Poland
● When was this about?
○ The time this cartoon is set in is September 1939
● Some Historical Context
○ Adolf Hitler had a vision for a Third Reich (a third empire) that would last a
thousand years
■ Neighboring lands would be annexed to this Reich
○ By the end of March 1939, Hitler had already taken over Austria and
Czechoslovakia
○ Now Hitler’s attention was towards his next target: Poland
○ By the end of March 1939, both France and Britain were prepared to go to
war with Germany
○ Hitler’s plan was to first take over Poland and then attack France
■ But, his main concern in taking over Poland was the reaction of
Joseph Stalin (ruler of the Soviet Union) who could potentially come to
the aid of Poland
■ Stalin had been thinking of an alliance with either Germany or Britain
& France
● Stalin had to consider some events before making a decision
○ In the last few months, Britain & France seemed as if
they were unwilling to fight in a war
○ Germany was ready to reorder the eastern boundaries
and Britain and France were not
■ Stalin had always wanted to reclaim the regions
lost in 1918
● Although an alliance with Germany would mean forgiving Hitler
for getting rid of the German Communist Party in 1934, it
would also mean being able to reclaim lost land
○ Also, Stalin was informed by Karl Sorge (Stalin’s spy in
Tokyo) that Hitler’s next target, after invading Poland,
was France
■ This was a relief for Stalin because it meant that
the Soviet Union would not be Hitler’s next
target
■ Stalin also did not want to have to deal with a
two-front war against Japan & Germany
○ Thus, on August 23, 1939, Stalin agreed to a non-aggression pact with
Germany
■ This was shocking news for the entire world
■ Together, the Soviet Union & Germany formed the Nazi-Soviet
Non-Aggression Pact
○ On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland
 ■ Polish forces were very weak compared to Germany’s troops
■ As a result, Poland was easily defeated
○ On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war
■ Now, three big industrial powers were involved as WWII began
● What is the event/what is happening?
○ On September 17, 1939, Stalin invaded Poland from the East
○ This cartoon is showing a meeting between Hitler (on the left) and Stalin (on
the right) in Poland
■ Notice how they’re standing over a dead Polish soldier on the ground
● This shows that Hitler and Stalin are meeting after Germany
invaded from the west and the Soviet Union invaded from the
east
● They meet after successfully destroying Poland
○ Notice the debris surrounding Hitler and Stalin = this
represents what is left of Poland
● Germany & the Soviet Union have united over Poland
○ Other key details:
■ Notice their facial expressions: greedy smiles
● This represents both Hitler’s and Stalin’s personality
● These greedy smiles also show how they’re both uniting only
for the best of their own interests
■ Notice that both Hitler and Stalin are armed
● This represents both nations’ militarism in Poland
● Also, the weapons represent that if anything went wrong both
nations (Germany & the Soviet Union) were prepared to go to
war with each other
■ Notice that Hitler and Stalin are both tipping their hats
● This action is usually done out of respect
○ On the outside, both leaders act as if they like and
respect each other, but recall that they’re both enemies
that have only come together out of self-interest
■ Notice what Hitler and Stalin are saying to each other
● “Scum” is used to refer to a worthless group of people = this
represents Hitler’s racism towards certain groups of people
● “The bloody assassin of the workers” is hinting at Stalin’s
communism in the Soviet Union
● Why is this significant?
○ The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact is significant for the following
reasons…
■ This was an alliance between two enemies and two opposing forces
on the political spectrum: Hitler & Stalin
● In order for them to become allies, both leaders had to put the
past behind
■ This alliance allowed for the joint invasion of Poland
■ This alliance also allowed Stalin to reclaim certain regions including
parts of Finland
● This resulted in the Soviet Union’s removal from the League of
Nations
 ● By the end of 1939, Soviet troops had reclaimed most of the
western territory lost during WWI
■ This alliance allowed both the Soviet Union and Germany to impose
their spheres of influence on successor states
■ This pact basically paved the way for WWII
● Recall that by the end of September 1939, four huge powers
(Germany, Soviet Union, Britain, France) were involved in a
large conflict which basically resulted in WWII