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figure, Jews are very often depicted in these caricatures (M, June 26, 1941). The
Soviet Union was not depicted in Magyarsdg before 1941, when Germany attacked
it.’ The first caricature mentioning it, published in June 1941, refers to “The real
lords of the Soviets” (Fig. 47), associating anti-Semitic and anti-Bolshevik stereo¬
types with the Soviet Union.?
Animals from Coats of Arms and Other Figures Personifying Lands
Animals from coats of arms as personifications of countries appeared in the exam¬
ined caricatures as well, and through these symbols the enemy was also mocked
or derided. If the animals were injured or maimed, then the message conveyed by
the caricaturist was that the enemy lost its (financial or other) power or some of its
territories. In both the Hungarian and German press, caricatures often used these
animal symbols. Animals symbolising various countries (for example the bear for
Russia and later the Soviet Union, the lion and the unicorn for Britain, the rooster
for France, and the bald eagle for the US) have longstanding traditions.
Let us now concentrate on the motif of the bear, as it illustrates the close connec¬
tion between the caricatures and the political and military events during both wars.
Until the spring of 1915 the bear in the caricatures is shown fighting, but without
injury. In May the animal appears with bandages and its fur is torn. Later in the pe¬
riod of the Russian retreat he is seen bleeding heavily, suggesting the great number
of Russian casualties. In November 1916 the bear is shown with injuries on all of
its body, and the caricaturists add new bandages and wounds up until the begin¬
ning of 1917. In the last period—before the Peace of Brest-Litovsk—the bear can
no longer fight. However, after the peace treaty the bear appears healthy and strong
again, and the entente wants him to fight against Germany, however, this Russian
bear is not dancing to the tune the entente is singing (K, November 19, 1916;
K, January 21, 1917; K, March 25, 1917; K, August 25, 1918). During WWII,
caricaturists followed the instructions of propaganda, thus, in the caricatures the
Soviet bear is laughing at British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden in 1939, because
Germany and the Soviet Union—former enemies—signed a non-aggression pact,
in 1940 the Soviet bear is urinating on the tombstone of the League of Nations,
and furthermore, the French Marianne smashes the glassed-in photograph of a So¬
viet man angrily, but no other images referring to the Soviet Union appear until
its attack (K, November 19, 1939; K, January 1, 1940; K, February 18, 1940).
In July 1941 the mating of the bear with the British lion is depicted. Jewish fea¬
tures can be observed on the heads of both the bear and the lion—similarly to the
8 Balazs Sipos analysed the articles of the newspaper, and, according to him, the editor of Magyarság
tried to follow the guidelines of German propaganda, thus, he did not publish negative articles about the
Soviet Union after August 1939. However, from the summer of 1941 the articles strongly attack the Soviet
Union (2011: 239-252).
° This belief in a supposed connection between the Bolsheviks and Jews had traditions in the right wing
propaganda and press of both Hungary and Germany (Sipos 2011: 240).