Analyse - cartoon - Betyg: C PDF

Preview

Summary

STår på titeln ...

Description

Ifrah Mohamed EK2

1

Political cartoon analyse The ’’Dollars’’ cartoon

The dollar cartoon is made by a Soviet cartoon maker which is the soviet interpretations on the effects of Marshall plan. The cartoonist is trying to present what they think is the negative perspective of the plan. However, in the cartoon they have a big man with a suit, a fob with a dollar sign as accessory on the vest of the suit and he’s holding a bludgeon with a big S around it. The man is in frustration destroying fences and signs in the picture. It can be interpreted as the man is symbolising the United States and Marshall plan because of the dollar signs both on the bludgeon and the vest which is representing money. In that time United States their economic system were stable and had no problem with money. After the World War 2 European countries that participated in the war was severely damaged, factories and buildings was ruined leaving many people homeless. As mentioned U.S did not have financial problem and offered, to willingly countries, financial support to rebuild their country. They believed that offering Marshall Plan countries would unite as a alliance for war against the communist countries if a war occurred. Thus Marshall Plan only benefits United States and is a selfish act. The fences is symbolising tariff barriers. Soviet is a communist country and has a command economy which means that the market is fully controlled by the government on for example how much they can sell, the prize of the product and what they can sell. They can, with a domestic market, introduce tariff to keep other countries away from trading and trying to compete with the market in the country. Soviet thought that tariff on foreign goods would benefit the profit of the country and there would be no risk for their market to fall. Since United States have capitalism they believe in free marketing without government regulation. In capitalism, all countries are interdependent which means that if one falls, every one falls. If Sweden for example are producing cars. Since Sweden does not have all resources or parts they need to import from other countries, so they are trading with Great Britain, France, and Greece. If Greece cannot deliver because of economic problems or for other reasons it will create unbalance in the system. Sweden will not be able to sell their products and are forced to go bankrupt. France and Great Britain lost one important export key. Sweden is dependent on other countries' economy and all goes into one another. So the Soviets believes that USA with their Marshall Plan are trying to trick the needy europeans to manipulate them for their own benefit.

Ifrah Mohamed EK2

2

And the sign is symbolising sovereignty of west European countries. The man symbolising Marshall Plan breaks the sign saying sovereignty of west European countries. I interpreted this as the US using their Marshall Plan to remove the countries' independence. Meaning that countries will lean and depend on America. Soviet thought that, according to the document, it is a advantage to ’’overwhelm’’ Europe and they believed that it is their way to get the Europeans to submit to the US and its Marshall Plan. The United States would dictate over the countries that have accepted the Marshall Plan economically, what branch of economy and what should be limited. Meaning that they will limit the production in the country and buy from the U.S instead which would highly benefit them. America was on the verge on economic crisis during the hard time when factories upon factories closed and left many people without work. No work equals no money, so it was hard for the manufactures to get rid of their productions. Leaving the remaining factories to sell in Europe instead so Europe will get dependent on America. Whether they likes it or not, Europe has to hold up to the Americans. As a whole, the cartoon is trying to mediate that Marshall Plan would shatter the balance in the system and take away the independence in european countries.

The ’’tractor’’ cartoon

The tractor cartoon was a bit unclear in the beginning because it was hard to interpret whether the cartoonist was ironic or not and if there is two different interpretations or not. The cartoon is showing a division between two different environments, one environment with Marshall plan and one without Marshall plan. What I first saw is that he’s trying to show that with the help of Marshall plan it makes the process of rebuilding the country much easier than for those who did not accept the offer of Marshall plan. However, the quote at the top of the cartoon ,’’It’s the same thing without mechanical problems’’ may be a bit confusing. At first I thought that what they were trying to do is the same, but the Soviet had much more harder work because of their financial state. On the other hand I began to see the irony in that quote. The other side of the fence, the Soviet side, a man with a Marshal uniform (Stalin) is standing there and talking to two curious workers watching over the fence to the countries with Marshall plan with a sad expression on their face. He’s trying to convince the workers that what they are doing is the same but without mechanical problems, meaning that no problem can occur and slow down the process of the development of the country because of the risk that the advanced machines can stop working and it’s not worth the risk.

Ifrah Mohamed EK2

3

The cartoon is painted by an American which is clear that this is American perspective on the Marshall plan. Americas intentions of the Marshall Plan is to do everything they can to assist Europe in the return of stabil and healthy economic. Their plan is that with healthy economics it will stop hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos in the country. Just as cartoon is showing on the environment with Marshall Plan, machinery that facilitates the work and gives access to food since they can fed their inhabitants with the money they received. With economic stability there would be more export and import which would lead to more money, it goes around in cycles. Stalin believed that the United States had manipulated their own people to get through their Marshall Plan proposals to Congress. he was trying to convince his people that the Marshall Plan are to hoax europeans only in their own advantage, just as the cartoon ’’it’s the same without mechanical problems’’. I think that the cartoon is trying to mediate that Soviet are giving out false information about the intentions of the Marshall Plan to his people when the truth is that Marshall Plan would facilitate the rebuilding of the country. The reason why Stalin was so against Marshall Plan can be in fear of the thought that Marshall Plan was a threat to ’’communism’', or as the document referred themselves ’’democrats’. That somehow it would be the end of communism and the end of Soviet. America and Soviet are two great power in the world but because of their different ideologies it creates tension between them and disagreements. If Soviet falls, America rises and if America falls Soviet rises. It is all about rivalry. Thats what I think the cartoon is trying to mediate, in American perspective....