Political Cartoon: The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
In this political cartoon, the issue being depicted is the removal of missiles from Cuba by the Soviet Union after a US demand for nuclear missiles to be removed, a naval blockade of Cuba, and eventually a compromise which led Soviet ships to return back. In this compromise, the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw all missiles and the United States pledged not to invade Cuba.
There are many symbols in this cartoon. The man pulling out the ‘teeth’ is Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader who rose to power in 1953 following the death of Josef Stalin. He remained in power throughout the Cold War and was mainly responsible for the tensed relations with the United States on the Soviet side. The man having his ‘teeth’ pulled is Fidel Castro, the leader of the Communist Cuban government after his successful revolution in 1959. The ‘teeth’ being removed are actually missiles that were secretely being provided to Cuba from the USSR, and the instrument being used to pull them out represents the compromise which forced the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Finally, the star on Castro’s shirt represents the white star on the flag of Cuba.
Although from the surface it seems as if the cartoon is un-biased, the dialogue of Khrushchev being conveyed in this cartoon shows that the author most likely supported Kennedy and the U.S. stand against Communist views and nuclear war. In the cartoon, Nikita says “This hurts me more than it hurts you!” This comment proves the insensitivity and defeat of Nikita and the USSR. He claims that this hurts him more, as he is losing money he had spent on aid for Cuba and Castro. In addition, the despair on both men’s faces shows that Communism, just like the countries these two men represent, will soon diminish. The solution to this problem is non-violence and peace between the US and the USSR, and the end of Communist views that negate democracy.
In this political cartoon, the issue being depicted is the removal of missiles from Cuba by the Soviet Union after a US demand for nuclear missiles to be removed, a naval blockade of Cuba, and eventually a compromise which led Soviet ships to return back. In this compromise, the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw all missiles and the United States pledged not to invade Cuba.
There are many symbols in this cartoon. The man pulling out the ‘teeth’ is Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader who rose to power in 1953 following the death of Josef Stalin. He remained in power throughout the Cold War and was mainly responsible for the tensed relations with the United States on the Soviet side. The man having his ‘teeth’ pulled is Fidel Castro, the leader of the Communist Cuban government after his successful revolution in 1959. The ‘teeth’ being removed are actually missiles that were secretely being provided to Cuba from the USSR, and the instrument being used to pull them out represents the compromise which forced the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Finally, the star on Castro’s shirt represents the white star on the flag of Cuba.
Although from the surface it seems as if the cartoon is un-biased, the dialogue of Khrushchev being conveyed in this cartoon shows that the author most likely supported Kennedy and the U.S. stand against Communist views and nuclear war. In the cartoon, Nikita says “This hurts me more than it hurts you!” This comment proves the insensitivity and defeat of Nikita and the USSR. He claims that this hurts him more, as he is losing money he had spent on aid for Cuba and Castro. In addition, the despair on both men’s faces shows that Communism, just like the countries these two men represent, will soon diminish. The solution to this problem is non-violence and peace between the US and the USSR, and the end of Communist views that negate democracy.
Political Cartoon: The Launch of the Sputnik, 1957
The issue being represented here is the launch of the Sputnik, the world's first satellite to reach orbit, by the Soviet Union on October 4th, 1957. This was a major development for the science field, especially in finding how to send more objects and people into space to discover the unknown. However, this scientific development by the Soviet Union also occurred during the height of the Cold War Era, so instead of being appreciative and learning how to go about this on our own, the American public and federal government envied the Sputnik's launch and vowed to have the first man step on the moon, a feat they would accomplish in 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission.
There are many stated and implied symbols in this cartoon. The man running at a faster pace to the side represents Soviet science, which, just like the man, was gaining momentum and beating us in the 'space race'. The man to the side represents U.S. science and organizations like NASA that were pulling along many unnecessary funds with them that were slowing them down. Similarly, in this image, the man representing U.S. science has a rope aroung his neck like a racing horse, pulling along government secrecy (like the Rosenberg's persecution) and under-developed areas like education.
The author of this cartoon most likely was an American citizen who strongly believed we should be side-by-side, competing with the Soviet Union and making our own scientific developments as well. He or she might have also believed that our pace in the 'space race' was slowing down, and we needed to start racing again. I can tell this from the top quote, "Wonder why we're not keeping pace?"
Finally, the solution to this problem is more organizations like NASA that will develop America's scientific technology and also educate students and teachers to rid of the unnecessary 'education lag'. Additionally, it was important to stop the 'Red Scare' encouraged by people like Senator McCarthy, and focus on more important issues like education and science.
Written By: Sanjana Varma
The issue being represented here is the launch of the Sputnik, the world's first satellite to reach orbit, by the Soviet Union on October 4th, 1957. This was a major development for the science field, especially in finding how to send more objects and people into space to discover the unknown. However, this scientific development by the Soviet Union also occurred during the height of the Cold War Era, so instead of being appreciative and learning how to go about this on our own, the American public and federal government envied the Sputnik's launch and vowed to have the first man step on the moon, a feat they would accomplish in 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission.
There are many stated and implied symbols in this cartoon. The man running at a faster pace to the side represents Soviet science, which, just like the man, was gaining momentum and beating us in the 'space race'. The man to the side represents U.S. science and organizations like NASA that were pulling along many unnecessary funds with them that were slowing them down. Similarly, in this image, the man representing U.S. science has a rope aroung his neck like a racing horse, pulling along government secrecy (like the Rosenberg's persecution) and under-developed areas like education.
The author of this cartoon most likely was an American citizen who strongly believed we should be side-by-side, competing with the Soviet Union and making our own scientific developments as well. He or she might have also believed that our pace in the 'space race' was slowing down, and we needed to start racing again. I can tell this from the top quote, "Wonder why we're not keeping pace?"
Finally, the solution to this problem is more organizations like NASA that will develop America's scientific technology and also educate students and teachers to rid of the unnecessary 'education lag'. Additionally, it was important to stop the 'Red Scare' encouraged by people like Senator McCarthy, and focus on more important issues like education and science.
Written By: Sanjana Varma