84. Today in 1920s Turkey: 11 May 1925 (Some Things Never Change: Let the Sabers Rattle!)

(Cartoon by Ramiz, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 11 May 1925, no. 254, page 1.)

Comments
Sadly, this cartoon displays such a familiar scene and with so many familiar “characters” that it almost requires no explanation for today’s reader, ninety-two years later. But in case it is not clear, and because I cannot help myself, I will nevertheless add a few notes and a quick visual analysis.

Crowded around a rectangular table are nine, heavily armed, saber-rattling men yelling over one another. Each man represents a member of the League of Nations and a participating party from World War I. Personifications of Turkey, the United States (“Uncle Sam”), Britain (“John Bull”), Russia, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Greece. Among the weapons present are sabers, handguns, rifles, bayonets, bombs, cannons, battle ships, and daggers. Indeed, so numerous are the weapons that they cannot be contained as they break the cartoon’s frame—this detail contributes to a sense of action.

English
Don’t be mistaken, this is not a World War, it is a commission for consolation!

Türkçe
Harb-i Umumi zan etmeyiniz, tahrir-i teselliyat komisyonu!

(Comments continued)

The text below the cartoon aids in focusing our attention on the contradiction depicted in the scene by the cartoonist. It recognizes that the scene looks warlike, but assures us that there is nothing to worry about as this scene merely depicts an airing of grievances. This image clearly refers to a current event from the news. And in fact, a week ago, on 4 May 1925 the world witnessed the commencement of the League of Nation’s first international conference on limiting arms, the Geneva Arms Conference held in Switzerland. As a result, in June the major world powers agreed not to use poisonous gasses (which were used during WWI, to the great detriment of humanity) during warfare.

The 1925 meeting was technically a preparatory conference for the official World Disarmament Conference held between 1930 and 1937 which ultimately bore few fruits before the advent of WWII. Overall, the conference was a failure and achieved little, for instance, in preventing the onset of WWII and the arms race that preceded it in the Interwar Period. Of course, what the above cartoon points out is that we cannot expect the same war-mongers who brought us WWI, to somehow, bring about peace.

And the same old story continues today…

(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 11 May 1925, no. 254, page 1.)