This caricature depicts an elderly man, who appears to be a figure of authority, peering over a history book at a second character dressed in a rather humorous fashion: wearing a tutu, ballet shoes, a shirt with a picture of a swastika, and a Viking hat and bearing a crooked sword. The Viking hat reminds us of a barbaric, ancient, and irrelevant age in history. The crooked sword shows the uselessness of the character’s weapons. From the big nose, trademark moustache, and swastika the reader understood this character to represent Adolf Hitler.
The caption under the caricature reads:
“At the risk of talking nonsense, I will say that the Nazis will stay in power for a thousand years.” – Adolf Hitler.
At the top of the page is the single word, “So…,”possibly the elderly man’s remark.
This caricature was originally produced by well-known American cartoonist Carl Rose (1903-1971) for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency was established in 1917 and still exists today with the goal of producing news relevant to Jews all over the world.
The caricature was printed on July 12, 1934 in The Chicago Sentinel, a weekly Jewish newspaper that was active from 1911 to 1996. Most Jewish newspapers at that time were written in Yiddish, but this English-language newspaper appealed to many immigrants who were beginning to integrate into society yet still wished to maintain a traditional Jewish lifestyle.
Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party and became the chancellor of Germany in 1933. He immediately began restricting Jews from certain professions and limiting the number of Jewish children attending state schools. Public book burnings of works seen as un-German in spirit also began, and activists who dared to challenge Hitler were imprisoned in concentration camps and some even murdered. A number of racist laws were implemented and alternative political parties were banned.
The satirical nature of the caricature reflects the opinion of the artist and of Jews in America and, perhaps even the general public, at the time; namely, that Hitler was a joke. Hitler referred to the public perception of him in an interview with a British correspondent only one month prior to the publication of this caricature:
"At the risk of appearing to talk nonsense, I tell you that the Nazi movement will go on for 1,000 years! . . . Don’t forget how people laughed at me, 15 years ago, when I declared that one day I would govern Germany. They laugh now, just as foolishly, when I declare that I shall remain in power!"
This shows that Hitler was aware that he wasn't being taken seriously, and of course, reflects his flagrantly arrogant nature. At this point in his leadership, his policies seemed so absurd that the international community failed to see him as a potential threat.
