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Ágnes Tamás
until it burst (Vraé Pogadacé, 14 June 1913). This caricature was the first picture of
anti-Bulgarian bias, although the anti-Bulgarian conspiracy of military circles had
already begun in May, 1913 (Lalkov 1993: 430-432). In the other Serbian maga¬
zine, Ferdinand appeared as a pouting toad (Brka, 4 August 1913). The toad served
as a symbol of greediness at this time, and in connection with other countries it also
mocked territorial and financial demands (Ripa 1997: 53, 283). After the Second
Balkan War, the author of Vraé Pogada¢ satirized Bulgaria with a caricature of a
map of Macedonia (ill. 132).
‘The satirical magazines depicted not only the loss and gaining of territories but
also territorial demands, and in the latter case, for example, they used maps as well.
In an early 1913 caricature in Wraë Pogadaë one can recognize “New Serbia” reach¬
ing the Adriatic Sea, which had been Serbia’s goal for centuries (Vraé Pogadaé, 29
January 1913). The Austrian satirical weekly mocked Peter, king of Serbia, who puts
his hand on the territories on the coast, shown on the map, suggesting his goals (Der
Floh, 29 September 1912). In the last month of the First Balkan War one can also
observe Nikita, king of Montenegro, who, stopping in the middle of redrawing his
land, calls the Rothschilds because he ran out of his money during the long-lasting
siege of Skutari (Der Floh, 4 May 1913).° At the beginning of the wars the caricatur¬
ist of the Hungarian magazine depicted supposed territorial demands with a map.
Contemporary Hungarians were afraid of Russia or pan-Slavism gaining ground,
and, thus, the shadow of the Russian Ivan can be seen over the Balkans (Borsszem
Jankó, 20 October 1912). Lastly, a map could illustrate conflicts between the great
powers, for instance, regarding the final territories of the new Balkan states (Vraé
Pogadaé, 28 February 1913).
The Great Powers of Europe—in Different Lights
The approaches to and representations of the great European powers are differ¬
ent in the satirical papers despite the similar symbols employed. As I have already
mentioned, the great powers were depicted as doctors who could not cure the pa¬
tient, that is, could not solve problems. Russia took part in the wars according to
the Serbian satirical papers only as an observer to emphasize the achievements of
the Balkan nations. The Viennese satirical paper did not include a Russian figure,
whereas the opinion about the role of Russians changed in Borsszem Janké during
the wars. In the above-mentioned caricature with a map (Borsszem Jankó, 20 Octo¬
ber 1912), Russia appeared only as a shadow. Later, on December 1, 1912, one can
see Serbia—as an anthropomorphized monkey—making the Russian bear dance.
In Christian iconology, the monkey symbolizes ugliness, greed, and fornication,
thus, it can be seen as a caricature of human beings who embrace sin, primarily
avarice and lust, bewitching humankind; hence this symbol allows associations
§ For details of the Skutari crisis, see Vranegevié 1993: 383-385.