Political Satire in the Cartoons and Caricatures of Kladderadatsch during Wartime

Douglas Klahr

Kladderadatsch, the biweekly German magazine of social and political satire, often was sharply critical of German government policy, in particular utilizing the talents of its caricaturists and cartoonists to enliven each issue with numerous illustrations. As war broke out in August 1914, any direct attack upon the German government within the magazine became politically untenable, and Kladderadatsch shifted its sights to Germany’s foes on the battlefield. An analysis of cartoons and caricatures from early 1914 to June 1915 provides a visual counterpart to the months preceding and following the outbreak of war, offering a sharp interface between politics and the visual arts. German victories are counterpoised with the dashed expectation that the conflict would be over by Christmas 1914. The sovereigns and ministers of Germany’s adversaries are depicted with regularity, but the supreme commander of Germany’s armed forces, Kaiser Wilhelm II, barely appears within the pages of Kladderadatsch. Instead the figure of Otto von Bismarck, who died in 1890, is utilized as the guarantor of German victory. The architecture of Bismarck memorials and the allegorical figure of Germania also make frequent appearances, underscoring the unblemished status of the late chancellor as both victor of the Franco-Prussian War and founder of the German Empire. The widespread public disaffection with Kaiser Wilhelm II thereby was expressed within Kladderadatsch in an oblique manner. German sensitivity to international opinion, particularly regarding the label of “barbarian”, is another common theme, culminating in the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, which concludes the analysis.