1940.11.26 “Europe’s Inflation Threat”
by Paul R Carmack (1895-1977)
11.5 x 14.4 in., crayon and ink on board
Coppola Collection
Paul Carmack was a staff cartoonist for the Christian Science Monitor.
By November 26, 1940, there were many aspects to the inflation of Naziism in Europe. After the rapid fall of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in May and June 1940, Britain was the only major Allied power left in Western Europe fighting Nazi Germany.
Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia joined the Tripartite Pact on November 20, November 23, and November 24, 1940, respectively, formally aligning themselves with the Axis and increasing Nazi influence in Eastern Europe.
In September 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, solidifying their alliance as the Axis Powers. In November 1940, the Balkans were a hotbed of escalating WWII conflict, primarily centered on Italy's invasion of Greece, which the Greeks successfully repelled with a counteroffensive, pushing Italians back into Albania. This forced Germany to intervene, leading to Hitler bringing Hungary and Romania into the Axis in November, securing troop transit for an eventual invasion of Greece, while Britain sent token air support to Greece as Turkey mobilized defensively. Yugoslavia remained neutral but was under intense Axis pressure to join, crucial for German logistics.
