Hi! I'm doing my IGCSE's, and my Paper 2 is on Monday(topic German involvemnt in the spanish civil War).
I was wondering if anyone could help me interpret a source?
http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py...h%20civil%20war
Thanks!
Full Version: Help With A Source!
This is a terribly difficult cartoon.
It is about appeasement and the Spanish Civil War.
Remember that, when you analyse a cartoon, you need to think about its CONTENT, and its PROVENANCE.
Provenance
The cartoon is by Low. Low hated fascism and was terribly critical of appeasement - his more famous cartoons show the western leaders giving way to Hitler. Therefore, this is a biased cartoon designed to show how weak Britain's leders are being in the face of Mussolini.
Content
The cartoon shows the Spanish Civil War going on in the background.
The Spanish Civil War was a war between Franco's fascists, and the Republicans. Many people in Britain wanted the Republicans to win (Low characterises them as 'democracts') and even went to fight in Spain for them. Hitler and Mussolini, of course, wanted the fascists to win and sent men and weapons to help.
Low's cartoon shows Chamberlain (the British Prime Minister) and Halifax (the British foreign secretary) sitting around, with the body language of defeat, allowing a bullish Mussolini to help defeat the Republicans.
They sit on a coffi, which might represent the dead of the Spanish Civil War, or the Republican cause in Spain, or - more likely - the future of democracy in general.
It is about appeasement and the Spanish Civil War.
Remember that, when you analyse a cartoon, you need to think about its CONTENT, and its PROVENANCE.
Provenance
The cartoon is by Low. Low hated fascism and was terribly critical of appeasement - his more famous cartoons show the western leaders giving way to Hitler. Therefore, this is a biased cartoon designed to show how weak Britain's leders are being in the face of Mussolini.
Content
The cartoon shows the Spanish Civil War going on in the background.
The Spanish Civil War was a war between Franco's fascists, and the Republicans. Many people in Britain wanted the Republicans to win (Low characterises them as 'democracts') and even went to fight in Spain for them. Hitler and Mussolini, of course, wanted the fascists to win and sent men and weapons to help.
Low's cartoon shows Chamberlain (the British Prime Minister) and Halifax (the British foreign secretary) sitting around, with the body language of defeat, allowing a bullish Mussolini to help defeat the Republicans.
They sit on a coffi, which might represent the dead of the Spanish Civil War, or the Republican cause in Spain, or - more likely - the future of democracy in general.
Dear Mr John D Clare
Here is another Cartoon from David low also about the Spanish civil war.
http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py...h%20civil%20war
What is the main point being made?
I understand the reference to foreign involvement and also that Franco was supposedly 'helping the nation' but killing many civilians in the process.
I just feel I am not reading enough into it.
Could you please help?
Here is another Cartoon from David low also about the Spanish civil war.
http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py...h%20civil%20war
What is the main point being made?
I understand the reference to foreign involvement and also that Franco was supposedly 'helping the nation' but killing many civilians in the process.
I just feel I am not reading enough into it.
Could you please help?
Basically, you have got it right.
Remember the two things you look at when you analyse a source:
1. provenance
2. content
Provenance
The cartoonist was David Low. We know that he was very anti-fascist, so he is going to be biased against Franco. he is trying to portray Franco and his forces as 'the baddies' - you can see this simply in the way he has drawn their faces!
Content
Interestingly, this is one source where the DATE is very important. The Spanish Civil War broke out on 18 Juy 1936, and so this is only 6 days into the war.
From my own knowledge I know that (a key phrase!!) Franco's power base at the start of the Civil War was the Army of Africa based in Spanish Morocco. This explains the presence of the black 'Moors' in Franco's army in the cartoon.
Also, Low has thrwn in a couple of fascist 'thugs'. Actually, at this early date, I am not so sure that there were any fascist volunteers in Franco's army. It is true that both Hitler and Mussolini were supplying Franco with planes to trasport his troops to Spain, but I don;t know whether Low would have known that at the time. Whatever, either from knowledge or intuition, Low has inlcuded a couple of fascist thugs in the army.
Low's point is this (not wholly fairly); that Franco's army - an alliance of corrupt military officers, black Moroccans and fascist thugs - is invading Spain and killing the 'true' Spaniards ... whilst claiming that they are doing it to save Spain!
Thus the title 'the Patriots' is sarcastic.
Is this OK?
Remember the two things you look at when you analyse a source:
1. provenance
2. content
Provenance
The cartoonist was David Low. We know that he was very anti-fascist, so he is going to be biased against Franco. he is trying to portray Franco and his forces as 'the baddies' - you can see this simply in the way he has drawn their faces!
Content
Interestingly, this is one source where the DATE is very important. The Spanish Civil War broke out on 18 Juy 1936, and so this is only 6 days into the war.
From my own knowledge I know that (a key phrase!!) Franco's power base at the start of the Civil War was the Army of Africa based in Spanish Morocco. This explains the presence of the black 'Moors' in Franco's army in the cartoon.
Also, Low has thrwn in a couple of fascist 'thugs'. Actually, at this early date, I am not so sure that there were any fascist volunteers in Franco's army. It is true that both Hitler and Mussolini were supplying Franco with planes to trasport his troops to Spain, but I don;t know whether Low would have known that at the time. Whatever, either from knowledge or intuition, Low has inlcuded a couple of fascist thugs in the army.
Low's point is this (not wholly fairly); that Franco's army - an alliance of corrupt military officers, black Moroccans and fascist thugs - is invading Spain and killing the 'true' Spaniards ... whilst claiming that they are doing it to save Spain!
Thus the title 'the Patriots' is sarcastic.
Is this OK?
Thank you!
Sometimes in trying to read into the implied stuff in a cartoon...I go overboard so I was actually wondering if 'riff raff' had anything to do with the riff rebels in Africa!!
I feel pretty stupid now!
Sometimes in trying to read into the implied stuff in a cartoon...I go overboard so I was actually wondering if 'riff raff' had anything to do with the riff rebels in Africa!!
I feel pretty stupid now!
QUOTE (mom @ May 31 2009, 11:22 AM) 
Thank you!
Sometimes in trying to read into the implied stuff in a cartoon...I go overboard so I was actually wondering if 'riff raff' had anything to do with the riff rebels in Africa!!
I feel pretty stupid now!
Sometimes in trying to read into the implied stuff in a cartoon...I go overboard so I was actually wondering if 'riff raff' had anything to do with the riff rebels in Africa!!
I feel pretty stupid now!
Don't feel stupid - that's a BRILLIANT suggestion, based on a wonderful knowledge of the subject.
Even if you decide that it has nothing to do with the interpretation, I would get it in somehow - e.g. by a sentence which runs:
"It is unlikely that the reference to 'riff-raff' has anything to do with Franco's suppression of the Riff rebellion in 1921; rather it is just characterising Franco's supporters as poor-quality people, roughs and thugs."
But you are right to point out that -- as an analogy -- a cartoon usually has a limited number of parallels to its target (sometimes only one).
It is often unwise to push the comparison too far.
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