"Germany’s Future" (1870)

Published in the Austrian journal Kikeriki, this caricature (“Deutschlands Zukunft”) captured fears shared by the French and the non-Prussian German states. The caption reads: “Will it fit under one hat? I believe it is more likely to come under a [Prussian] Pickelhaube!" By this point, the iconic Prussian military helmet had long provided caricaturists with a powerful symbol of Prussian hegemony and aggressive militarism.

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© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz