Appeal of League of Nations
9/26/1918
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In this cartoon, a beaten German General Paul von Hindenburg, blood dripping from his hand and bayonet, stands outside a door labeled “Allies.” He claims that he is now in favor of a League of Nations. The cartoon implies that looming defeat has convinced Germany to join a post-war League of Nations, but it also reflects the Allies’ reluctance to negotiate with Germany.
The standoff echoes a news item published in the New York Times the same day in which the German Imperial Chancellor Count von Hertling complained that President Woodrow Wilson had for months ignored his invitations to enter into peace negotiations. The German Chancellor also stated that his nation wished to propose its own plan for a post-war order that included a League of Nations, international arms limitations agreements, and a court to settle international disputes. The German Chancellor alleged that Wilson’s refusal to negotiate demonstrated that the former idealist had become an imperialist.
The standoff echoes a news item published in the New York Times the same day in which the German Imperial Chancellor Count von Hertling complained that President Woodrow Wilson had for months ignored his invitations to enter into peace negotiations. The German Chancellor also stated that his nation wished to propose its own plan for a post-war order that included a League of Nations, international arms limitations agreements, and a court to settle international disputes. The German Chancellor alleged that Wilson’s refusal to negotiate demonstrated that the former idealist had become an imperialist.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate, 1789 - 2015.
National Archives Identifier: 6011503
Full Citation: Cartoon P-018; Appeal of League of Nations; 9/26/1918; Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896 - 1949; Records of the U.S. Senate, 1789 - 2015, Record Group 46 ; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/appeal-league-nations, December 11, 2023]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
