Cartoon group - Chamberlain and Appeasement 1938 (Student) So when the first of the cartoons in this collection was published the mood in Britain was mixed when it came to Germany and Hitler. Most people were wary of the Nazi leader and probably did not trust him. On the other hand few people wanted another war with Germany. A few lone voices were calling for action to stop Hitler. One was Winston Churchill. Another was the cartoonist David Low. Low was a New Zealander who worked in Britain. He came from a Liberal background so his politics were very opposed to Hitler’s. He was also a critic of the Conservative Party in England. At the time of this collection the leader of the Conservatives was Neville Chamberlain, who was also the Prime Minister. In this collection you have five cartoons, four of them by David Low and one by Sidney ‘George’ Strube. Your task is to work out what each cartoon is saying about Hitler, but also what it is saying about Chamberlain. This document was created at The British Cartoon Archive - http://www.cartoons.ac.uk

Record code: LSE2463 Nazi hunting exhibition. Before you start, it is worth knowing that the figure in the suit next to Hitler is Lord Halifax. He was the British foreign Secretary in 1937 and was a close friend of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The plaques read Weimar, Versailles, Locarno and the others are reserved. Locarno was a Treaty signed in 1925 in which Germany agreed to respect the borders it had been forced to accept in the Treaty of Versailles.   1 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Hitler? 2 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Britain? 3 How is Britain portrayed compared to Hitler? 4 According to the cartoon, Britain has helped Germany. Why has the cartoonist said this? 5 Is this a reliable view of Britain’s views and actions at this time? Use other evidence to test this out. 6 Overall, do you think this cartoon is more about Hitler or more about Britain’s leaders? Bear in mind it was published in a British newspaper. Nazi hunting exhibition. David Low (1891-1963) : Evening Standard(c) The British Cartoon Archive This document was created at The British Cartoon Archive - http://www.cartoons.ac.uk

Record code: LSE2494 Increasing pressure. In 1938 the state of Austria was in turmoil. Nazi activists in Austria wanted to join Austria and Germany together in an Anschluss even though the Treaty of Versailles forbade this. Hitler talked about intervening in Germany in order to preserve the peace there.   1 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Hitler? 2 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Britain? 3 What point is the cartoonist making by showing the various countries being toppled over? 4 What is British Prime Minister Chamberlain saying and what do you think is the cartoonist David Low’s view of Chamberlain’s comments? 5 Is this a reliable view of Chamberlain’s views and actions at this time? Use other evidence to test this out. 6 Overall, do you think this cartoon is more about Hitler or more about Britain’s leaders? Bear in mind it was published in a British newspaper. Increasing pressure. David Low (1891-1963) : Evening Standard(c) The British Cartoon Archive This document was created at The British Cartoon Archive - http://www.cartoons.ac.uk

Record code: LSE2564 No caption In 1938 more trouble arose in central Europe. Hitler demanded that the German speaking areas of the Sudetenland, which was part of Czechosolvakia. The Czechs, under their leader Eduard Benes, were horrified. However, on September 15th 1938 Britain and France agreed with Hitler that his demands would be granted. On September 19th Hitler went back on his agreement and demanded all of the Sudetenland.      1 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Hitler? 2 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Chamberlain? 3 What is in the pie? 4 What is cartoonist David Low trying to say by showing Chamberlain eating humble pie? 5 Is this a reliable view of Chamberlain’s views and actions at this time? Use other evidence to test this out. 6 Overall, do you think this cartoon is more about Hitler or more about Britain’s leaders, especially Chamberlain? Bear in mind it was published in a British newspaper. No caption David Low (1891-1963) : Evening Standard(c) The British Cartoon Archive This document was created at The British Cartoon Archive - http://www.cartoons.ac.uk

Record code: GS0496 No caption In September 1938 Hitler was demanding that the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia should be given to Germany. It looked as though war was very likely but on September 29th British Prime Minister Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler and reached an agreement with Hitler. It effectively handed Hitler what he wanted but in return Hitler promised that his demands were no satisfied and there would be no war between Britain and Germany.   1 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Chamberlain in this cartoon? 2 How does the portrayal of chamberlain in this cartoon compare to the other cartoons? 3 What point is the cartoonist making by showing Chamberlain doing what he is doing? 4 How can you tell this cartoon was not drawn by David Low? 5 Is this a reliable view of Chamberlain’s views and actions at this time? Use other evidence to test this out. 6 Overall, do you think this cartoon is more about international events or more about Britain’s leaders? Bear in mind it was published in a British newspaper. No caption Sidney 'George' Strube : Daily Express(c) The British Cartoon Archive This document was created at The British Cartoon Archive - http://www.cartoons.ac.uk

Record code: DL1374 Our new defence In September 1938 Hitler was demanding that the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia should be given to Germany. It looked as though war was very likely but on September 29th British Prime Minister Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler and reached an agreement with Hitler. It effectively handed Hitler what he wanted but in return Hitler promised that his demands were no satisfied and there would be no war between Britain and Germany.   1 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Hitler? 2 Do you think the cartoonist approves or disapproves of Chamberlain? 3 How does the portrayal of chamberlain in this cartoon compare to the Strube cartoon from the same time?   4 What is cartoonist David Low trying to say he thinks will happen? 5 Is this a reliable view of Chamberlain’s views and actions at this time? Use other evidence to test this out. 6 Overall, do you think this cartoon is more about Hitler or more about Britain’s leaders, especially Chamberlain? Bear in mind it was published in a British newspaper. Our new defence David Low (1891-1963) : Evening Standard(c) The British Cartoon Archive This document was created at The British Cartoon Archive - http://www.cartoons.ac.uk