Tuesday, March 27, 2012

In the cartoon "Interrupting the Ceremony," what is the artist's point of view on the League of Nations ?

This cartoon is a commentary on the debate in the United States over ratifying the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty ended World War I, but in the United States, the debate centered on the fact that the Treaty created the League of Nations. The fear was that membership in the League might involve the United States in foreign wars, and many US senators (the Senate was responsible for ratifying all treaties) objected to the Treaty on these grounds. As for the artist's point of view, it seems that he agrees with the senators (mostly Republican, led by Henry Cabot Lodge) who opposed the League of Nations. We can tell this because the bride who is about to marry Uncle Sam has the words "foreign entanglements" on her dress. This phrase dated back to the nation's founding, and connoted unnecessary involvement in foreign affairs, especially the affairs of Europe. Uncle Sam, in other words, is about to get permanently attached to foreign entanglements, and as the minister asks if there is anyone who can show cause that the marriage should not proceed, the US Senate is bursting through the door. So the use of the phrase "foreign entanglements" suggests that the artist sympathizes with the League's critics. 

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