Introducing
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Introduction
Vichy France was formed after the Nazi invasion of France, after the signing of the Franco-German Armistice on June 22, 1940, which divide France into two zones: a zone comprising of the Northern 3/5 of the country which was to be occupied by the German military, and the southeastern 2/5 of the country. Pierre Laval, joined the Vichy regime the day following the signing of the armistice. Laval served as Marshal Pétain's minister of state and was the one responsible for convincing the government to remain in France an negotiate with he Nazis. Laval was certain in an ultimate German victory, and saw it best for France to collaborate with Germany in order to assure France a strong role in the future. He began the negotiations on his own initiative, causing Pétain to dismiss him in December of 1940. He returned in 1942 as head of the government, and to show Hitler of France's goodwill, he agreed to provide French laborers for German industries, and in a speech, Laval announced that he "desired a German victory. He attempted to protect France through negotiations and compromises with Hitler. Laval lost control of France as the resistance movement grew, and was forced to work with extremest collaborators such as Marcel Déat, whom the Germans had forced him to work with. After the collapse of Germany, Laval fled to Spain, where he prepared his defense, and returned to France in July of 1945 to face trial for treason, in a hostile court, and his defense was constantly cut off. After attempting to poison himself, he was executed by a firing squad in Oct. 1945.
Conclusion
Geisel effectively uses the cartoons to align Laval with Hitler, while portraying him as separate from France and the French people. All of the cartoons involving Hitler portray him as looking up with his nose in the air, above the Laval who is portrayed as beneath Hitler. Geisel makes the point that Laval is a German collaborator, where as an opposing view paints Laval as desperately pushing for the survival of France. The cartoons also evoke sympathy for the French and support for the war effort by depicting the French as desperate for help under a ruler who supports Hitler.
Carry on, my Faithful Dogs, and You Shall Share Equally! July 21, 1942
This cartoon features Hitler riding atop Mussolini and Laval, who are entranced with "war spoils (and do I mean spoiled)". This symbolizes the idea that Hitler was just using Laval and Mussolini for his needs, only to eventually turn on them as he had done numerous times before to other nations. Simply put, there was no reasoning with Hitler. The Vichy Government and Italy were merely Nazi "puppet governments". The "spoiled" spoils of war Hitler is bribing Laval and Mussolini with are "spoiled" because Hitler intends on taking Europe and parts of Africa for himself, not dividing up anything. The cartoon depicts Laval and Mussolini not as allies, but rather subordinates to Hitler that were only allies as long as they were useful to Hitler. Laval and Mussolini are portrayed as fools, that cannot see what is right in front of them, as Hitler uses them to achieve his goals.
Crawl Out and Round Me Up another 400,000 Frenchmen December 17, 1942
This cartoon depicts Laval as a lowly rodent-looking creature, crawling out from its hole at the feet of a Hitler dressed as royalty. It is referencing the "Service du Travail Obligatoire", which was the forced enlistment and deportation of hundreds of thousands of French workers to Nazi Germany for forced labor for the German war effort. The Germans had promised that for every three French workers sent to Germany, one French prisoner of war would be released. In addition to providing labor for the Nazis, Laval also turned in Jews, and others whom the Nazi's considered "inferior". Geisel portrays Laval as a traitor to his own country and people, and the workers that Laval is providing to Germany are extending the war, and the labors in German factories are producing materials intended to kill Americans.
This cartoon depicts a delighted Laval, who is counting his money, while in the background, Hitler sails away down the Rhine to Germany with a caged France. The cartoon refers to France as "mother", demonstrating that greedy Laval would even betray his own mother, as he has betrayed France. This cartoon also references the countless workers Laval had sent to Germany to work in labor camps. Geisel uses this cartoon to separate France from Laval, symbolizing that Laval is not French at all, but rather a Nazi.
Down the River October 10, 1942
Vichy French "Collaborators" at the End of World War II
The dachshund was a well established symbol of Germany used by political cartoonists, especially during World War I. During World War I, the dachshund's popularity fell sharply as a result of the political cartoons and its association with "the enemy". The accented "SO LOW" in the caption is twofold, it represents how Laval is so vile to collaborate with the Nazis, and how he has made Vichy France completely under the control of Nazi Germany. The U.S. and most of the French people saw Laval's cooperation with Germany to be disgraceful and dishonorable. This feeling would be especially evident at the end of the war, when Laval was put on trial for treason (the French already convinced of Laval's guilt, ignoring his defense), and after a failed attempt at poisining himself, was executed by firing squad.
Then There Was the Man Who Was SO LOW, He Could Walk Under a Dachshund's Belly May 9, 1942
Doc, Give my eyes a bit of a slant. I've Joined the Japanese Navy April 23, 1942
Very shortly after the Vichy regime's creation, Laval had approved the Japanese military access to Tonkin, the northernmost region of French Indochina, allowing the Japanese easier access for their invasion of China. This cartoon in particular would most likely anger Geisel's audience of American readers the most, as propaganda directed at the Japanese was particularly vicious because the Japanese were easy to dehumanize based on their different customs and appearance and the fact that Americans were angry over the bombing of Pearl Harbor just five months prior to the publication of this cartoon. The "Jap Ship Deal" refers to the Protocol Concerning Joint Defense and Joint Military Cooperation, which granted Japan eight airfields in French Indochina, allowed them to increase the number of troops present, and allowed them to use the Indochinese financial system.
"Pierre Laval". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica
Online.Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 8 Apr. 2015
Bibliography
Cartoons from: Dr. Seuss Political Cartoons. Special Collection & Archives, UC San Diego Library
"French Female Collaborator Punished by Having Her Head Shaved
to Publicly Mark Her, 1944." Rare Historical Photos. N.p., 07
Mar. 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
Hilton, Ronald. "FRANCE :Vichy and Marshal Pétain. Pierre Laval." Stanford.edu. Stanford, Mar. 2005. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.