Akbaba 1945 Humor Magazine Turkish Turkey Germany Britain WW2 era United States Soviet Russia Japan
Akbaba Humor Magazine – “The Big Three: To a Better World!” – Issue No. 49 – March 1, 1945 – Turkish Edition
Description:
Akbaba was one of the longest-running political humor magazines in Turkish press history, founded by Yusuf Ziya Ortaç and Orhan Seyfi Orhon, prominent figures associated with the Beş Hececiler literary movement. Published from 1922 to 1977, with interruptions, the magazine addressed social problems, bureaucratic shortcomings, political rivalries, economic difficulties, and everyday life through caricatures, satirical poetry, and humorous writing. It became an influential platform for Turkish satire, featuring contributions from important literary and artistic figures such as Aziz Nesin, Rıfat Ilgaz, and Turhan Selçuk.
This issue, number 49, is dated March 1, 1945. Its colourful cover features a political caricature depicting the three Allied powers – Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States – raising their glasses in a toast beneath the headline “The Big Three: To a Better World!” Inside the glasses, figures representing Nazi Germany and the Axis powers are shown drowning. Through this striking visual metaphor, the illustration satirizes the wartime position of the Axis powers and the expectations surrounding the postwar international order.
The interior pages feature several political cartoons addressing the changing course of the war. One illustration depicts a rooster representing France, accompanied by the caption, “France: The sun does not rise before the rooster crows!” Another cartoon focuses on the fire at Erenköy Girls' High School, showing a Japanese leader reacting anxiously with the remark, “Oh no... this is nothing like the other earthquakes!” A further illustration depicts a desperate figure on the roof of a burning building, surrounded by leaders holding Allied flags, under the headline “Germany: I wonder which one I should jump to!” These cartoons combine international political satire with topical events and dramatic visual humour, offering an interesting glimpse into Turkish wartime cartooning in early 1945.
Key Features:
• Publication: Akbaba
• Issue Number: 49
• Publication Date: March 1, 1945
• Language: Turkish
• Publication Type: Political humor and satire magazine
• Founders: Yusuf Ziya Ortaç and Orhan Seyfi Orhon
• Cover Feature: “The Big Three: To a Better World!”, depicting Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States raising glasses containing drowning figures representing Nazi Germany and the Axis powers
• Cover Caption: “The Big Three: To a Better World!”
• Political Satire: The Allied powers, the declining position of the Axis countries, and expectations for the postwar world
• Interior Cartoon: A rooster representing France with the caption, “The sun does not rise before the rooster crows!”
• Topical Cartoon: The fire at Erenköy Girls' High School, featuring a humorous reaction from a Japanese leader
• Additional Political Cartoon: “Germany: I wonder which one I should jump to!”, depicting a figure on the roof of a burning building surrounded by Allied leaders
• Historical Interest: Turkish political caricature, wartime events, and international satire from March 1945