Political cartoon shows a red wave labeled 'COMMUNISM' engulfing a map of 'CHINA' while Uncle Sam watches.

This political cartoon in a British newspaper near the end of 1949 shows a huge red wave with the letters "Communism" in large print engulfing China while Uncle Sam watches from the shore. The wave is meant to represent the great and growing power of communism in Asia. The cartoonist is reflecting Western apprehension that communism cannot be contained. While from the United Kingdom, it illustrates how the majority in the West viewed China's conversion to communism as part of a larger, unstoppable movement. This cartoon adds a visual, emotional element to the exhibit that encourages people to understand how frightening this period seemed to Westerners. It also shows that the Cold War wasn't an American-Soviet war, but something the whole world was watching. See more