high stakes gambling
Superpowers
The cartoon was drawn by Leslie Gilbert Lllingworth and published on October 26, 1962 (retrieved from: https://www.llgc.org.uk/illingworth/illingworth_s012.htm)
By the early 1960's the Cold War had reached a pinnacle between the Soviets and the United States. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev both sought to dominate the world with their own political ideologies of capitalism and communism respectively. The leaders had met in Vienna during the Summer of 1961 in which Kennedy had made significant impact on Khrushchev's opinion of the young leader. Khrushchev had come to accept that while Kennedy was young, he was talented and would not be intimidated easily. As tensions escalated over communist aggressions in West Berlin, Cuba, and Laos, the two leaders wrestled with how far they could push one another to achieve their goals.
By the early 1960's the Cold War had reached a pinnacle between the Soviets and the United States. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev both sought to dominate the world with their own political ideologies of capitalism and communism respectively. The leaders had met in Vienna during the Summer of 1961 in which Kennedy had made significant impact on Khrushchev's opinion of the young leader. Khrushchev had come to accept that while Kennedy was young, he was talented and would not be intimidated easily. As tensions escalated over communist aggressions in West Berlin, Cuba, and Laos, the two leaders wrestled with how far they could push one another to achieve their goals.
Questions to Consider:
- What is overall tone that is expressed in the cartoon?
- Who are the men standing behind Khrushchev? Why do they seem to be so concerned with the outcome of the game?
- What do the guns represent next to Kennedy and Khrushchev?
- What is at stake in the "game"?