West Berlin vote 

• 1948 
• Milians, Max P. 
• Drawing 
• Historical item 

5632959

Drawings / paintings

West Berlin vote

37 x 29 cm

1948

Original editorial cartoon on card in pen, ink and crayon, 1948, syndicated to a number of newspapers, shows a West Berliner pointing out to Uncle Sam that ‘86.2% of eligible citizens vote’ in December 1948 elections held in West Berlin. In June 1948 West Berlin was cut off from the western zones of Germany by the Berlin Blockade. The western allies responded with the Berlin Airlift. In the elections held in 1948 nearly 65% of eligible citizens voted for representatives of the SPD, the social-democrats, this requiring some ‘civic courage’ on the part of the people of West Berlin, given the shadow of fear and intimidation under which they were living. Uncle Sam as ‘democracy teacher’ is somewhat flustered by the fact that the turn-out in the dangerous atmosphere in West Berlin is much better than the ‘US voter record of 50%’. Card size 37 x 29 cm (14 x 11.5 inch), image size 30 x 27 cm, signed lower right with nine zeros as underline. In very good condition.