“State of the World” by Daniel Fitzpatrick

The phrase “cold war” was used to describe the icy relations that developed between communist and capitalist/democratic governments after World War II. This frigid standoff existed primarily between the Soviet Union and the United States. Although the Soviet Union had helped stop Adolf Hitler’s aggression during World War II, the U.S. suspected that the Soviets would try to expand their own territory into European countries devastated by war and no longer able to defend themselves. A war of propaganda and a silent buildup of armaments began as each country distrusted the motives and actions of the other.

Daniel Fitzpatrick was the creator of this political cartoon entitled “State of the World.” It appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on June 16, 1946. The cartoon shows the world being torn apart by the political tension and military rivalry that existed between the Soviet Union (represented by the flag on the left) and the United States and Great Britain (represented by the flags on the right).