ia_2011_d_smart

=D. Analysis (500-650 words) Tips]=

**__ Analysis __**

In this part of the investigation I plan to analyse my topic in further detail and answer the question ‘How useful are the cartoons of David Low to historians studying international relations in the 1930’s’ in detail. My topic of David Low’s cartoons impacting on the International relations in the 1930’s was very relevant at the time. Low was attacked in the press as a ‘war-monger’; however, other’s welcomed his criticisms of Hitler. This included Sigmund Freud who wrote:

“A Jewish refugee from Vienna, a very old man personally unknown to you, cannot resist the impulse to tell you how much he admires your glorious art and your inexorable, unfailing criticism.”[1]

In the Second World War Low’s cartoons were used to inspire the British people at a time when many feared a German victory; some of these cartoons include ‘All behind you, Winston’ (14th May, 1940), ‘Stay there! I’ll be back’ (24th May, 1940) and ‘Very well, Alone’ (18th June, 1940).[2] He became a very famous British War Artist; therefore making him very important to historian’s studying international relations in the 1930’s. David Low originally lived in New Zealand and is not a British civilian, so his extremely critical viewpoints on the way the British Government was run are very important as they hold an outsiders view on everything that was going on. The fact that Germany and Italy banned his cartoons from their magazines and newspapers meant that they saw Low as a threat and a dangerous one who could jeopardise their input in the war and the way the German civilians viewed the whole outlook of another World War. This is what makes this topic still a very useful key today for historians studying international relations.

In Low’s autobiography there are letters exchanged between himself and H.G Wells, Low clearly expresses that he wants to fight against Hitler; this is what his cartoons are about. In a letter written on June 24th, 1941, Low states “unless we fight like hell //now// against Hitler – much better than we have done so far – all such plans are boloney”[3] David Low felt very passionately about taking down Hitler and this is why his cartoons depict Hitler in the worst way possible. This piece of information is very useful to historians studying international relations in the 1930’s because it gives a social insight to how other people felt about the current state of affairs in the world.

Historians will choose to interpret the surviving evidence of the past in whichever way they choose to, so how can we trust what a historian says. All historians form their views depending on their upbringing, social background, and current affairs; so depending on the historian studying the cartoons of David Low and how they impacted on international relations in the 1930’s, they will decide and make of them what they will. This section is too short, and lacks a clear structure based with one eye on the markscheme. Look at the "TIPS" section to provide you with a broad three-part structure; your main job is to decide what three themes / debates you will highlight, for example:

1. Low's views on Chamberlain. 2. Low's views on Hitler 3. Low's views about Mussolini 4. Low's views about Franco/Spanish Civil War

It's probably best to choose one cartoon to base your analysis around each time. Low was disparaging about each person (why? how?); but which historians since have agreed? which have disagreed? etc

[1] []

[2] The cartoon ‘All behind you, Winston’ can be viewed in the sources section as Source C.

[3] Quote from David Low in his letter to H.G Wells (To view all 3 letters between H.G Wells and David Low look in the appendices in the List of Sources)