Search results
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Title
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JM-165: The great temperance worker
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Summary
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This cartoon shows personified World War I separating countries from their chains to alcohol. The man with the decree on separation is a representation of Russia, who legalized prohibition from 1914 until 1925. The man to his right, holding a separation for absinthe, is a personified France, which banned the manufacture and sale of absinthe in 1914. The man chained to whiskey seeking freedom is representative of Great Britain, who never ratified any serious form of a national alcohol ban. There are many theories as to why these countries (including the United States from 1920-1933) banned the sale or manufacture of alcohol in some way. The cartoon suggests these bans were caused by what many referred to as the "efficiency campaign," which was depicted as the axe used to separate alcohol from these countries. The efficiency campaign suggested these countries were more productive when its citizens (especially laborers) were sober. After banning the sale of alcohol in Russia, the government proudly announced Russia's increased labor output and better economic standing. The heightened need for resources, and diminished labor force from World War I is thought to have inspired the need for higher economic efficiency in European nations. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)
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JM-177: Winning the war
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Summary
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The cartoon depicts the personified Germany crawling his way across Europe during WWI, representing Germany’s military advances during the war. The top left panel is captioned, “words won’t win the war”. This meant words could not be used to cause the German surrender. The top right panel is captioned, “wishes won’t win the war”. The panel shows Americans watching Germany from across the Atlantic, wishing the German people would overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm II. The middle-left panel shows those same Americans shouting in outrage at the Germans over American deaths from the war. The panel is captioned, “wrath won’t win the war”. The middle-right panel shows Americans displaying the vast wealth available for a war effort. The panel is captioned, “wealth won’t the war”. The bottom panel shows the Germans finally being stopped after being hit with the butt of a gun. The panel is captioned, “But wallops will win the war!”. This cartoon suggests aggressive force was the only way for the United States to defeat Germany in WWI. This cartoon was created in 1917, and the US official participation in WWI was from 1916-1917. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)