This article analyzes modern german political caricature in history education. The political caricature is often used not only as a image, that has artistic significance, but also as history text, that present historical fact. Students have to lern th...
This article analyzes modern german political caricature in history education. The political caricature is often used not only as a image, that has artistic significance, but also as history text, that present historical fact. Students have to lern the historical interpretationsmethod about political caricature.
In addition, to teach history using political caricature helps students understand the historical events with critical view. Because it is absolutely necessary for students to know the reason, why cartoonists present this image in his political caricature. The political caricatures has been used to be a good medium for history teaching in Germany.
But there are problems which should be noted. At first, the political caricature has complicated communicationstruktur. Above all, the interaction between intention of cartoonists and environment around them has to be considered during interpreting political caricatures. At second, cartoonists transform historical events to fiction, wenn they draw and represent images in the political caricature with various presentationsmedium such as methaper, allegory, overaction, generalizing. On this account to understand the contemporary facts in political caricature students need to know things like contemporary language, knowledge, topics, fashion, taste etc.
Finally, there is bilateral characteristic in the political caricature in itself noted as a historical medium. On one side, political caricatures can support students to acquire historical knowledge, on the other side, they can change the fact into fiction and present it as a fact.