DOI issue:
Nr. 4
DOI article:Artykuły
DOI article:Jarzewicz, Maciej: Polityka międzynarodowa roku 1914 w karykaturach czasopisma "Mucha"
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.71007#0660
646
Maciej Jarzewicz
International Politics
in the „Mucha" Magazine 's Caricatures in 1914
International politics as seen through the caricatures
published in "Mucha", the major Polish satirical
magazine in the Russian partition, is analyzed. By
choosing 1914, it was possible to discuss almost six
months of normal politics until the assassination in
Sarajevo, the month of the crisis which concluded
with the war declaration, and the first five months of
the armed conflict. It seems that prior to the war,
international politics occupied a less prominent
position in the magazine's contents, though on the
other hand, if compared to the press in general, it
played a proportionally bigger role.
International politics is particularly attractive to
caricaturists due to being so personalized (effigies
of the heads of states and other important politicians
are generally known) and thanks to the possibility of
using national stereotypes. The analyzed examples
refer to such subjects as the situation in Albania, the
worldwide competition of empires, up to the
assessment ofthe Polish question in the international
context. The aspect emphasized in the analyses is the
visualization through caricature of metaphors used
in the description of international politics such as
"balance of forces" and "game" which in the general
understanding had lost their metaphorical character.
The assassination in Sarajevo and the crisis it
entailed dominated the July edition of "Mucha".
One of the more interesting reaction examples is
a two-page story of the anticipated war in a form of
a comic-strip, predicting the conflict would be
limited to a local one in the Balkans.
War caricature is analyzed in the context of the
actual events on the front, these reported on by
"Mucha" selectively and possibly in accordance with
Russia's interest. The magazine having represented an
anti-Semitic attitude in the pre-war period, not
surprisingly strengthened such message during the
war. The analysis of particular pictures makes one
conclude that caricature, using exaggeration as the
main expression means, is generally incapable of
rendering the horrors of the war.
One ofthe more surprising aspects ofthe activity
of the Polish press in the Russian partition is the
change of the undertone at the moment of the crisis
to decidedly pro-Russian, this being reported on by
the official supervision of magazines which had
replaced the former censorship office. The shift
occurred despite the lack of any central institutions
in Russia responsible for war propaganda. It is not
possible to judge the influence of press, therefore
also satirical press, on shaping social attitudes at the
onset of World War I. Worth emphasizing, however,
is the fact that the general attitude of Poles in the
Russian partition: passivity, moderate friendliness
towards Russia, hostility to Germany, were in
harmony with the stand promoted through "Mucha".
Translated by Magdalena Iwińska
Maciej Jarzewicz
International Politics
in the „Mucha" Magazine 's Caricatures in 1914
International politics as seen through the caricatures
published in "Mucha", the major Polish satirical
magazine in the Russian partition, is analyzed. By
choosing 1914, it was possible to discuss almost six
months of normal politics until the assassination in
Sarajevo, the month of the crisis which concluded
with the war declaration, and the first five months of
the armed conflict. It seems that prior to the war,
international politics occupied a less prominent
position in the magazine's contents, though on the
other hand, if compared to the press in general, it
played a proportionally bigger role.
International politics is particularly attractive to
caricaturists due to being so personalized (effigies
of the heads of states and other important politicians
are generally known) and thanks to the possibility of
using national stereotypes. The analyzed examples
refer to such subjects as the situation in Albania, the
worldwide competition of empires, up to the
assessment ofthe Polish question in the international
context. The aspect emphasized in the analyses is the
visualization through caricature of metaphors used
in the description of international politics such as
"balance of forces" and "game" which in the general
understanding had lost their metaphorical character.
The assassination in Sarajevo and the crisis it
entailed dominated the July edition of "Mucha".
One of the more interesting reaction examples is
a two-page story of the anticipated war in a form of
a comic-strip, predicting the conflict would be
limited to a local one in the Balkans.
War caricature is analyzed in the context of the
actual events on the front, these reported on by
"Mucha" selectively and possibly in accordance with
Russia's interest. The magazine having represented an
anti-Semitic attitude in the pre-war period, not
surprisingly strengthened such message during the
war. The analysis of particular pictures makes one
conclude that caricature, using exaggeration as the
main expression means, is generally incapable of
rendering the horrors of the war.
One ofthe more surprising aspects ofthe activity
of the Polish press in the Russian partition is the
change of the undertone at the moment of the crisis
to decidedly pro-Russian, this being reported on by
the official supervision of magazines which had
replaced the former censorship office. The shift
occurred despite the lack of any central institutions
in Russia responsible for war propaganda. It is not
possible to judge the influence of press, therefore
also satirical press, on shaping social attitudes at the
onset of World War I. Worth emphasizing, however,
is the fact that the general attitude of Poles in the
Russian partition: passivity, moderate friendliness
towards Russia, hostility to Germany, were in
harmony with the stand promoted through "Mucha".
Translated by Magdalena Iwińska