|
Date: |
|
Description: | obverse design : President Woodrow Wilson, caricature, standing, facing left, wearing the top hat and tail coat of "Uncle
Sam". He holds a broken palm branch behind him in his left hand and has two fingers of his right hand in his mouth as if whistling. Facing
him, at left of design, a writhing Chinese dragon
obverse text : "WERBUNG"
reverse design : figures, four, rear view of sitting on a bench, each representing a neutral or group of neutral states. From left to right
respectively, a man holding a broadsheet marked "SKANDINAV.NEUTRALIT.", a woman in Dutch national costume and holding tulip representing
Holland, a man wearing sombrero representing Spain and a waist-coated man holding a cross-bow representing Switzerland
reverse text : "WILSON'S ERFOLGE 1917"
It is likely that this First World War medal represents a censure of the USA by Goetz for what he sees as the
pressurising of neutrals to aid the Allied cause against Germany. Certainly the USA's declaration of war against Germany on 6 April 1917
influenced all sorts of remote and exotic nations to join the anti-German cause. China eventually entered the war against the Central
Powers on 14 August 1917. The obverse text is translated as 'Recruiting'. The reverse design is more problematic and may relate to the
influence exerted by the USA (and Great Britain for that matter) to encourage neutrals to agree to charter an ever larger proportion of
their shipping for Allied service. The reverse text is translated as 'Wilson's successes'. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | Woodrow satirical First World War & Declaration of War China on Germany & 14/8/1917 First World War & Chinese Neutrality US pressure on & 1917 propaganda Wilson | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Goetz, Karl | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
|
|